Apr 16, 2013 - A Mining Town

Today we prowled around Ajo with Sam taking photos and me just watching. This is an old mining “company town” where the mine owners (Phelps Dodge) also owned the entire town: stores, houses, and many of the businesses. The New Cornelia Branch of Phelps Dodge has been closed since 1984 because it was no longer profitable: declining price of copper and rising cost of production. When it closed, it could produce 40,000 tons of copper annually plus small amounts of gold and silver. The open pit mine was started in 1916, although copper had been...

Apr 15, 2013 - Ajo, Arizona

This morning we decided that we had seen a lot of desert already and would undoubtedly see more in southern Arizona and southern California, so we bypassed the Arizona Desert Museum and are heading for Ajo, Arizona, and the observatory at Kitt Peak. We'll stay tonight in Ajo and, if we can get reservations, see the observatory program tonight or tomorrow night. If not, we'll go on to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Meanwhile, we're still passing through lots of chain fruit cholla, but we seem to have headed away from the saguaro...

Feb 21, 2012 - Elks Steak Dinner/Ajo Loop

Started off the day helping at the local Elks club by setting the table for about 150 folks to attend the evening Steak Dinner from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. After setting up Marlene took us on a tour of the Ajo loop. It's a 10.9 mile scenic loop. This loop takes you through the heart of the Sonoran Desert. There are dozens of different cactuses seen on this loop. We also stopped by a small local museum. On the way back to Marlene's place we saw a neat cresting cactus. We then enjoyed a great Steak, salad, and garlic toast and desert dinner at...

Feb 20, 2012 - Leaving Mexico heading to Ajo, AZ

Left Mexico this morning and were invited to stay with Frank and Marlene Hinman along with Walt at their new place in Ajo, Arizona. It is about an hour from the Mexico border. Full hookups were offered, but Tom and I just boondocked. We used our solar panels for most everything we needed. They have a small building and a neat clubhouse on their property and enough room for about 4 RVs. Thanks Frank and Marlene for inviting us.

Feb 2, 2012 - Ajo, Arizona

2/2 – 2/4 Leaving Casa Grande, we followed I-8 and SR85 traveling 103 miles to Ajo, Arizona. We joined the Boondockers group who were staying at the Ajo Roping Arena. Our friends Roy and Jean Drummond were still with the group so we parked next to them. Joan and Jean went into town to check out the Open Studio Tour and quilt show. We had a great 4 star meal at Marcela’s Café and Bakery (1117 W Dorsey St, Ajo 520-387-4139). Both the chili rellenos and the cheese enchiladas were quite good.

Jan 29, 2011 - A Contrast of Reality

Organ Pipe National Monument and the city of Ajo are as diverse as night and day, yet they could not exist without the other. Citing authority granted to him by the Antiquities Act of 1906, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on April 13, 1937. Thus the story begins. Ajo was a mining town, in existence to scarr the earth for the valuable medal of copper and in 1921 Phelps Dodge purchased the mine, working the ore until 1985 when the mine was closed because of the price of copper and a strike by the...

Jan 25, 2011 - Transient Thoughts

I like to get a grip on things however numbers are not my best suit but I can relate to the immense, vast statistics that are out there. Keep in mind, stats can and will be made to say anything you want them to, but in this case, I think the field is fairly level. After World War II was finished, America found it’s military population back on the shores of this great land. Soldiers married and raised families and towns, rural areas were filled with lots of children for the next ten years. Those children are known as Baby Boomers and became...

Jan 24, 2011 - Mute Harmony in Organ Pipe National Mounument

Ajo, Arizona is a city of paradoxical opportunity. Located close to Organ Pipe National Monument, next to Barry Goldwater Air Force Base and down the road is Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Ajo is loosely translated as paint (o'oho) in Spanish or as garlic in the Tohono native language. The Tohono O'ldham people have eaten the fruit from the organ pipe cactus either raw or dried, and have made syrup, jams, and a mild wine from it. Seeds can provide flour and cooking oil. The organ pipe, of course, has company—25 other cactus species...

Nov 23, 2010 - RC Flying and Exploring Ajo

11-23-10 Flying and Exploring Ajo I started the chilly (43 degrees) day out right by going RC flying with our buddy Jim from Anchorage who winters in Ajo. Julie seemed content to stay in the RV. Jim brought donuts! Ajo RC fliers fly at the local airport on the hard stand/taxiway near some hangars. It is good that this arrangement seems to work well because this is a gorgeous place to fly. The area is the size of a couple football fields and paved with concrete. There was 4 of us out there this morning plus a guy who was getting ready to...

Nov 22, 2010 - Ajo, AZ

11-22-10 To Ajo, AZ Got up early and pulled out of the RV park in Lake Havasu City before 8:00 am. We stopped by the Starbucks, had coffee and got online. Julie went food shopping while I got the truck hooked up to the RV. By ten a.m. we were headed south again, destination: Ajo, AZ. We had programmed “Harvey” for this trip, but I checked it first before heading out. After the trip to California, Harvey has been on probation. Turns out he again tried to send us a different route than the one I had in mind. Other than Harvey’s attempt to...

Nov 2, 2010 - Day 2

Day 2 - Blythe to Ajo, AZ Starting Odometer: 29510 Miles traveled today: 205 Gas: Blythe, Tonopah Left Blythe at 9:00 Breakfast at Lalo's - so good we had to go there twice! Easy ride through the desert to Ajo. Not much happenin' here! Pretty slim pickins' for motels but settled in nicely after a late lunch/early dinner and a cool one from the local store. Starting to feel the pace. Re-packing so we're ready for the border crossing with as little shuffling as possible... We're looking forward to an early start so we can get to San Carlos...

Feb 6, 2010 - Ajo, AZ, not a bad little place

Saturday, February 6, 2010 Thursday morning was sunny and only slightly cool, hi 40’s. I can get used to this! Hiked out in the desert, there are a lot of old slabs around, must have been a military base or so it seems. We drove into town and drove around a bit and then went to the mine view. As I mentioned there was a copper mine here. When we got to the rim it reminded us very much of the iron range as it was an open pit mine. If you check out the photos you will see the familiar concentric rings. The mine operated from 1916 until 1983....