Apr 17, 2013 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

We drove to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument this morning. It is another lovely desert, much like Saguaro National Park, except that this one has organ pipe cactus as well as saguaro. Also some teddy bear cholla, which is certainly not cuddly. We then drove up Ajo Mountain Drive which turned out to be 21 miles of really rough dirt and gravel road. It did have some paved patches, just enough to lull you into driving faster than 5 mph when the pavement abruptly stops and you're back to washboard gravel sprinkled with bigger rocks and...

Feb 18, 2012 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

On Wednesday we had a short haul along I-8 of about 120 miles to Gila Bend. We stayed at Augie’s Quail Trail (lots of quail in AZ) RV Park. This is a nice park a little east of the village area. On Thursday morning we awoke to a lot of clouds and a 40% chance of rain. The forecast was also for it to remain cool – around 50. We headed south on Route 85 to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument south of Why, AZ on the Mexican border. The 80 mile drive down was very pleasant. We passed through a part of the huge Barry Goldwater test firing...

Feb 11, 2012 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

This week we are visiting Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This is another great NP that is an absolute delight to visit. The unique terrain, 8 great hiking trails, campsites with cement pads, patios and large picnic table, grill, entertaining and informative ranger talks and activities make this a fantastic place to spend some time during the winter. There are no hookups, but there are great showers, potable water and dump all for $12 per night. I can't say enough about the ampitheater where the rangers entertain and educate by roll...

Nov 20, 2011 - Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l Monument

After our two week stay in Benson, Art suggested that we visit Organ Pipe National Monument. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about the visit. The park is just six miles from Mexico and shares a 30 mile border. Much of the park’s backcountry has been closed because of drug smuggling so that didn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling. News articles proclaimed that it was “America’s Most Dangerous Park.” We went anyway and I am glad we did. We arrived at the 200-site campground and found only about a half-dozen sites were occupied. While...

Oct 24, 2011 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

This is another great park, There are no hookups but the sites all have cement pads and a nice picnic table. There are water faucets with no threads every couple of sites. There is a dump station. The rest rooms and baths are immaculate. The landscaping at each site shows a lot of loving work. This is a hikers paradise. I think of this as an upscale boondocking park. In season, the evening ranger talks are fantastic. There is a nice outdoor amphitheater and a large screen. It reminds me of a drive-in theater. Remember those? The park is...

Feb 27, 2011 - Organ Pipe National Monument, AZ

We left Puerto Penasco on Thursday the 24th and drove to Organ Pipe National Monument which is only 5 miles north of the border. We stayed there two nights. No hookups, but the sites were awesome. We did not get to park with our friends because they were afraid of my length and running over cactus getting out of the site. So they gave us the biggest site but we were a long way from the others. While there we went to two ranger presentations, took a driving tour 25 miles long of the National Monument, and two happy hours. About 6 of us were...

Jan 19, 2011 - Sun Seekers Caravan - Organ Pipe

We left Yuma on Monday and joined the NorCal Sun Seekers Caravan at Organ Pipe National Monument in the Twin Peaks group camping area. The group had spent Monday going to Mexico for the day and returned with fresh shrimp for dinner. They invited us to join them for grilled shrimp, rice and homemade lemon pie—how could you turn down an invitation like that? Tuesday morning we went on a ranger led tour of the Sonoran Desert and learned about the desert plants and animals. Terry was battling a cold so he stayed at the campground and took a...

Mar 11, 2010 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

On our somewhat circuitous route to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument from Patagonia Lake, we stopped in Tucson to visit our son, Jon Jr., wash clothes, and stock up on groceries. Next, we went to Catalina State Park (one of the few that Arizona will keep open after their State budget failure) for a visit with Ranger Steve for whom we had worked a couple of years ago at Sonoita Creek State Natural Area. We also had a nice visit with Jon’s brother, Bob, and stepmom, Janet, both of whom live nearby. As we arrived at Catalina Park, we were...

Feb 11, 2010 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

After watching New Orleans win the SuperBowl Sunday night, we left Yuma Monday morning, passing the fields where they grow something like 80% of North America's lettuce! Continuing east on I-8 through the Chocolate Mountains, we drove on to Dateland, where they grow -- dates!! So we bought some. Then to Gila Bend, where we took Hwy 85 south. It was a gorgeous day with a deep blue sky and ridiculously puffy little white clouds that played the theme song from The Simpsons every time I looked at them. It was a gorgeous drive, a straight shot...

Jan 21, 2009 - Organ Pipe Cactus

Today we visited the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument just south of Ajo. On first glance you would think that this area was not part of a desert due to its lushness. Having read one of the information boards in the park we learnt that the classification of a desert is where more water is lost through evaporation than gained through precipitation. The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument receives an average of 9 inches of moisture each year. However at least 120 inches of moisture evaporates away each year. We also learnt that most of the...

Apr 8, 2008 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

(Ron Writing) I’ll bet you all thought we took up permanent residence at North Ranch. We’ve been there since late December except for a few days in Quartzsite. Our original plan was to just spend a week to try out an Escapees park and then head for Yuma. But we liked North Ranch and one event after another kept us there until today. It also had a lot to do with the nice people we met and developed great friendships. We hope to spend some time there again next winter. This morning we had a nice leisurely breakfast and then got Da Honu ready...

Feb 13, 2008 - Day 11: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

We had a 10am departure for our journey west to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The trip was uneventful except a fabulous sighting of a Crested Caracara in the company of some ravens. Also got our first looks at Black Vultures for this trip. We were set up in a wonderful park campground and out the door to explore by 3:15pm. The campground is on the side of a hill facing south towards some mountains in Mexico. The vegetation of the campground is very typical of the Sonoran desert with Organ Pipe Cactus being featured here. This is the...