We started the morning in the usual way…with exercise and walking.
Tim wanted to take a long 14-mile bike ride to the nearby town of Somerton. I agreed to go and fetch him with the Jeep. His ride took him parallel to the wall and then entirely through farming country. He thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and the effort that it took to get there.
I was going to run to the grocery store for dinner stuff for this evening. I jumped out of the car and immediately realized that I had locked the keys inside…what to do??? Uber of course…what a lifesaver. Enrique picked me up within 4 minutes and took me back to the RV where I was able to retrieve the extra Jeep keys and then Enrique drove me back to the store…crisis averted/managed! I grabbed groceries and hurried off to Somerton to meet Tim.
We had a picnic lunch in the park under the water tower, watching the hummingbirds flit about.
This evening we packed the cooler with roasted chicken and Havarti and raw veggies and grapes and an herb and garlic bread and we set off. We drove to the Fortuna Foothills, arriving just as the light began to change.
We watched the sunset as we feasted. This was the best part of today!
Morning walks along the Colorado River. The best thing about this campground is its proximity to the Wetlands Park and the river. Such a beautiful place to begin each day.
We spent this weekend quietly. We got chores done, I cleaned, Tim enjoyed baseball and NASCAR and football.
The highlight of me weekend was achieving my October goal in my Apple Watch competition. Tim bought this watch for me in June. I have worked hard for the past 144 days to close all three circles each day, meeting goals for standing, exercise, and activity. Each month a new challenge is introduced. In July I had to walk 125.8 miles…done! In August I had to burn 24,302 calories…done! In September I had to do 1,550 minutes of exercise. Exercise means getting your heartrate up and over 100 bpm. This was more challenging and I did it. This month I had to walk 200.9 miles. That’s a lot of miles. I became determined and today, the very last day of the month, I accomplished this goal. Mom and Tim have already asked what November’s goal is…I won’t know until tomorrow…but I am going to continue to do my best to reach higher and loftier goals. Some days, the watch feels like a home detention anklet…it holds me accountable though and I really believe it helps me stay focused on being stronger and healthier.
As usual, we began our day with exercise. I walked a little more than 4 miles, Tim did his stretching and then took a long bike ride.
At 10am Jose and his wife, Norma, were there to install our new slidout covers. We were happy with the quality of the work and the customer service was outstanding!
We packed the Jeep for another overnight tent camping trip.
We drove the 60 miles to Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Maybe because this was one of the first places that we really explored the desert in the Jeep or maybe because it is truly so beautiful…but this is one of my favorite places to be here in southern Arizona.
We took the spur road from Palm Canyon Road to Queen’s Canyon.
We were able to choose the prettiest site, one with an open view of the valley below and surrounded by rock formations.
Tim’s Nightly Nature Talk!
Before dinner I decided to take a walk. I hiked down the center of the rough road. When we are out in the desert, it is important to be mindful. You never put feet or hands where you cannot see them…not under rocks or bushes. The critters that live here own this place! I watch every footfall. I wanted to walk about a half mile and then I was going to turn back. I was fairly close to the mark when I noticed movement in the path up ahead.
I believe that this is a desert tarantula. They are not deadly though if they bite…it hurts! Their fangs are 1 cm long. From May until October, the males traverse the desert looking for a mate. They become active around sunset and are nocturnal. I was far enough away to be completely safe. I used the zoom on my cell and took the first picture.
Fortunately, I also had my camera. I was able to use the zoom to capture these images. I wish that I had thought to take a video. I was mesmerized watching this guy traipse across the gravel. When he stopped moving, I knew that I had worn out my welcome. I did not want to further aggravate him and so I stepped away. What a thrill to see this spider in his own habitat!
Tarantulas and rattlesnakes and scorpions are the reason we bought a roof top tent. I am not going to lie…I was a little creeped out when I got back to the campsite. I was checking the area for crawling creatures all evening. I preferred to sit with my feet up off the ground!
The sunset was again lovely.
The night sky was dazzling. We were far enough away from the city and the moon had not yet risen. The whitewash of the Milky Way, the glittering stars were wondrous. I never want to lose that sense of awe. I always want to be caught breathless by spiders, sunsets, and stars.
We enjoyed our morning coffee by the fire and then decided to drive the Jeep into Queen’s Canyon. We have been here before with Kyle and Allison and being here brought back lots of fun memories.
The skull.
We got back to the RV around lunchtime and spent most of the day being lazy. Tim did take a 10-mile bike ride all the way to the corner where Arizona and California meet Mexico.
I didn’t go and walk until this evening when the sun was less severe. I really do much better when I get my walking done first thing.
I walked in the West Wetlands this morning…simply lovely.
Old trucks displayed in the campground.
Jose from Mono Awnings came out to see us at the campground. He was able to give us an estimate and will return tomorrow to fix the wind damaged slideout toppers.
Today we cycled west on Levee Road. We rode in agricultural country among the farm fields, and we shared the road with tractors.
This afternoon we went to Sprouts, a really nice store with lots of healthy options.
We took a picnic dinner to a nearby park. We had seen kids playing last evening and we wanted to catch part of a game. We watched six-year-old girls playing softball for the first time. It was fun to sit with the families who were cheering for the excited players…the girls so delighted when they pitched a strike, hit the ball, or fielded a play! They were just too cute!
Then we watched the second game of the World Series…go Braves!!
I did visit the petroglyph site this morning as part of my walk.
We made the two hour trip to Yuma. I was in the queen’s chair working on the blog.
We did something today that we have never done before…we paid for a full month at the Riverfront RV Park. We do like it in Yuma, we have been here before. It is kind of nice to come back to someplace familiar. We know the stores and the restaurants and the parks and the bike paths. It is warm and sunny here. Yuma is a good place from which to launch some 4WD and tent adventures. Whether or not we stay for the whole month, it was the same price for 2 weeks…so, we can go when we feel like it is time to move along.
We jumped on our bikes and rode the Levee Bike Trail.
We are accustomed to being here in the winter when all the farm fields are green and full and being harvested. Some of the fields now lie fallow while others have a little green. This field has just been planted.
This evening, we went into Old Yuma nd went to Prison Hill Brewing Company for dinner. We had excellent salads. I chose a cherry cider, tart and thirst quenching and Tim had a Malo Coconut Stout, thick and rich.
We enjoyed an evening walk in town.
Tim watched the first game of the World Series…I guess we are Braves fans now!
Happy birthday Kyle. We love you and we are so very proud of you!
One last walk to town square and back. It was nice to spend some time in one place but it is time to move on. We shared coffee before we left.
We stopped for breakfast at a Barry Goldwater wayside but there were no aviation tactical maneuvers to watch this morning.
We arrived at Painted Rock before noon.
After lunch and quiet time, we were ready for today’s adventure. We had heard that there were 4WD trails near the Painted Rock Dam and Reservoir. When we got there, a gate blocked the road…ROAD CLOSED…AUTHORIZED VEHICLES ONLY…well shoot…that was our plan for the afternoon!!
There was nowhere to go but back to the RV. It was a little disappointing but I was happy enough to spend the day reading.
We grilled fish tacos for dinner and then took a twilight walk around the campground.
We sat outside until it was very dark. The stars were bright and seemingly infinite in the inky sky. I saw a shooting star. Even though the day did not turn out as we expected…it was still a very good day!
On Saturday, we got our workouts done and then had a quiet day.
Tim saw this javelina in town by the Family Dollar Store…in fact all of the wildlife we have seen this past week has been in town!
After lunch, we packed the Jeep for one more overnight tent camping trip in Ajo. We wound our way through the labyrinth of trails off Rasmussen Road, trying to find our way back to a campsite we spotted the other day. Lucky us…we found it easily and no one else found it first!
We set up and relaxed into the evening with a nice bottle of red wine.
Another glorious sunset.
The moon didn’t rise until around 9pm. The night sky was so dark and there were millions of stars, another dazzling evening. The Orionid meteor showers peak this week and we were hoping to see them but the moon was just too bright.
We slept well and enjoyed our morning, slowly packing gear. It was a short ride to get back to the RV park.
Tim spent his day watching NASCAR and football and I got caught up with laundry and life stuff. We had grilled venison burgers for our dinner…thanks Kyle!! We went into town to walk around the square; a nice ending to a very good day!
At one o’clock in the morning we were serenaded by a whole pack of coyotes. They were very close., though when I got up to look, I couldn’t see them in the campground.
Another snake, a small one this time, on my morning walk.
We packed the Jeep and headed down Rasmussen Road. We wanted to see the more northern portion of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. I had read that it was more common to see wildlife in this area, particularly the Sonoran Pronghorn.
We saw a small fawn just as we were leaving pavement. We drove 17 miles into the remote wilderness and we saw only chipmunks.
We came to a gate at the pass and there we were forced to turn around.
We ate our lunch standing in the desert. It is just so desolate and to me, beautiful.
We took a couple of BLM roads looking for another campsite. We want to do one more sleepover before we leave Ajo. The weather is just too perfect.
This evening, we headed to Bud Walker Park for a Halloween movie event. We watched LIGHTS OUT, a creepy movie, under the stars. There was good free popcorn and I really enjoyed the experience of being there.
Both Tim and I did our morning exercise and then we packed the Jeep for yet another overnight trip. Our first order of business was to get another cup of coffee but both places in town were closed. We had to drive through Why and so we stopped at Why Not for gas station coffee.
Cool old truck fountain.
We went to organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and took our time driving the 21-mile scenic loop. We have been here a couple of times before but wanted to drive through again.
We then headed to Alamo Canyon Campground. This is a primitive 4 site place with picnic tables and a bathroom…no hookups but we brought everything we needed. We had the whole place to ourselves! We set up.
We took a hike on the Alamo Canyon Trail.
We saw an old ranch house and corral built in 1910-1920. There were originally 600 head of free-range cattle kept here. Such a harsh environment to live in. The rocks are sharp and craggy and the sun unrelenting. It was warm today…88 degrees, but in the summer the temperatures here often exceed 110 degrees. Of course, we know that people have survived and thrived here for more than 10,000 years.
There is no water here now though there was at one time. We could see the water marks in this dry creek bed.
We cooked dinner and quickly the sun went down.
As soon as it was just a little dark, I caught sight of a mouse…and his little friend. Tim went up into the nest at 6:30. I didn’t last much longer…I didn’t want mice running over my feet!
I lay awake waiting for the full moon or the hunter moon to creep up and over the mountain. Long before the moon made its appearance, the canyon glowed with white light. It was ghostly and gorgeous! We saw the major constellations and the planets but it was much too bright to see the Milky Way.
Good morning!
I took my walk along the campground road while Tim did his yoga and stretching back at camp.
We were back in Ajo by 9am and ate our breakfast in the square.
We had a restful and lazy afternoon. Tim did take his bike out and I walked to a nice gift shop nearby to do some Christmas shopping.
Ajo is a nice mix of people…people of Native American heritage, people of Mexican heritage, and lots of older retirees.
This evening, we went to Taco El Tarasco for dinner and we shared a platter of shrimp tacos with beans and rice…I don’t know why we don’t do that more often…it was plenty of food for both of us!
On Monday, we began our day with our usual exercise and walking routines. I saw this guy before I even left the campground.
We packed for our overnight adventure and left around 10.
We stopped in town to visit the post office and then we shared another pumpkin spice latte.
Then we were off. We drove 40 miles on dirt and gravel roads to reach our destination. You can only enter Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge with a special permit. I watched the online safety video which warns you about many of the dangers you could encounter…snakes, spiders, heat, lack of water, unexploded ordinances, people attempting to cross the border…with all the warnings…why would anyone want to go there??? It is beautiful and remote.
There is an intense Border Patrol presence and we never felt unsafe.
We passed several emergency relief stations and water supply stations as well.
We signed in at the kiosk with our permit information and we began to explore.
We had lunch at the Papago Campground.
We decided to drive further. This is the Pinacate Lava Flow. Here the road became more difficult and so the driving was slow. It would have been another 20 miles to the next campsites. We made the choice to turn around and find a place to settle.
We set up camp once but the winds were very strong and the blowing sand was rather unpleasant. We packed up and moved back to Papago Campground. Here we were somewhat protected from the wind and we had gorgeous views of the mountains. Enjoy Tim’s video.
The moon rose as the sun set.
The wind continued until about midnight and then finally it calmed and I slept. I was called to wakefulness by the song of a pack of coyotes. I know that there is nothing mystical or magical about the sunrise…I know that it is science…but what a treasure to be able to be unencumbered by lists and schedules and appointments and to be in the moment and witness the coming of the new day. The stillness, the softened light, the glory…this is my favorite part of tent camping. I had that full heart feeling. I love coffee by a morning fire, Tim and I, quiet and at ease together.
As the sun climbed a little higher, I caught sight of a pair of coyotes across the road from us and then minutes later, a third. We also saw several groups of quail scuttling about.
A beautiful raptor.
As we left Cabeza Prieta this morning, 6 Border Patrol trucks passed us traveling in the other direction.
We decided to drive through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We took a 14-mile 4WD road, Pozo Nuevo. Fortunately for us, it had just been graded and so it was an easy, pleasant ride.
The road took us to South Puerto Blanco Drive, a road that ran parallel to the border wall.
Finally, on our way back home, we stopped at Alamo Campground. We are going to have another tent camping night on Wednesday and we wanted to check out the sites. As we were getting out of the car, we heard a roar and then saw 2 military jets flying at very low altitude directly above us and making banking manuevers in order to avoid the mountain. It was a tremendous rush!!
When we returned to Ajo, we went to the Farmers Market and Café for lunch. They had the best chicken quesadillas we have ever had…spicy and tender and cheesy and delicious.
We spent the afternoon resting and showering. This evening we did some grocery shopping for tomorrow’s trip and then walked around the Ajo town square. This small town just feels good and we enjoy being here!
