Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

  Yesterday’s adventure was to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  It is about 1 1/2 hours from Tucson via Rte. 86 and Rte. 85.  The number of shrines to those killed on this road made us leery to travel it at night, so we took the much longer route Rte. 85 to I-8 to I-10.  Much longer but well-traveled once we hit the town of Ajo on Rte. 85 and the Interstates.

The Ajo Mountain Drive is 21 miles long and took about 2 hours with plenty of photo stops, observation stops, and lunch.  The speed limit is 25 mph but that is often a bone-jarring speed.  The signs say vehicles over 25 feet are prohibited, but even that should be reconsidered.  The road is rough.  It is often unpaved with rocks, sometimes paved, sometimes partially paved with lots of rocks.  It is full of dips and climbs, twists and turns without any warning.  Johnnie is an expert driver and I fully trust his capabilities to drive anywhere.  I, on the other hand, would have been holding my breath in a few places if I had been driving because of the heights with no guard rails, or the steep inclines and declines. 

We bought the trail guide book ($1 at the Visitors Center) so that we could read the information that went along with the 22 markers along the drive.  Well worth the dollar!

There are two places with covered ramadas for eating lunch.  We ate at stop #9, Diablo Canyon, because it was first and we were hungry.  The second stop #15 Estes Canyon was very scenic, too and would have been an excellent choice.

We were very surprised to see not one, but two arches.  The guide book said that there were a few arches in the Ajo Mountains, but only identified the larger of the two arches that we saw.

Once entiring Organ Pipe, we drove directly to the Visitors Center for a comfort stop and to get information on the various drives that are available.  One note, Organ Pipe borders the Mexico Border, so expect the possiblity of Border Patrol stops and an awareness of their presence. 

The Visitors Center has a small walk which introduces you to the area if you are not familiar with the Sonoran Desert habitat.  There is also a campground that can handle RV’s up to 40 feet.  We didn’t know this and will definitely stay at the campground for a day or two for our next visit.

We were prepared for the trip, having packed the fixings for our lunch in a cooler along with plenty of water.  We also had our digital camera, regular binoculars, and a new toy — Bushnell Image View binoculars and digital camera in one.  The photos below are from the binoculars, as the thumbnail photo at the beginning of this post.

 

There is much more to see at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and we are looking forward to a return visit.