March 6-8, 2010 Why, Ajo, and Organ Pipe

On Saturday (6th) was just a kick back day since it was VERY WINDY.  Saturday night, the rain started and continued until about lunch time on Sunday.  When it ended we headed out…. Our plans were to go to Ajo to the Mining Museum but we did not make it.  We did check out the BLM lands and Coyote Howls East in Why – as future places to stay…   We ended up at Bill’s Roadhouse in Ajo for a late lunch (the meal was okay) and then just headed back.  So we have a couple of things to do for next season when we are here – :-)))

Today (Monday, 6th), we decided to hike the trail to the Victoria Mine Site.   Victoria Mine is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as one of the oldest prospecting sites (copper, lead, gold and silver) in southwest Arizona. I had some trouble locating some history on the mine but here is a link to some great info on it:

http://www.nps.gov/orpi/naturescience/upload/V-Mine-CLI-6-08.pdf

The stone building is actually Levy’s store (although their is some conflicting stories on this also):

One of the shafts:

The hike overall was 5.3 miles from our campsite (not bad for 2 old folks) and the scenery was …..

 

More strange Saguaro shapes:

 

      

And the flowers have started to bloom (and some will be shortly):

 

 

So tomorrow we are heading back to Gila Bend to the same campground as last week (if we can get in).  There is some more cleaning that Andy and I both want to do..

March 5, 2010 – Ajo Mountain Tour and Stars

Today we took the Ajo Mountain Tour run by the Park.  We could have done this on our own but it was nice to have an interpreter there to tell us about things along the way.  So here goes:

This is the spines left after a Saguaro dies – it was and still used by the native peoples to build houses, etc.

An unusual organ pipe:

Another unusual organ pipe.  Our guide told us this may have been caused by periods of moisture and periods of drought:

This is the jojoba plant.  The sides of its leaves face the sun (rather than the top of the leaf) to prevent moisture loss.  The plants produce nuts which have long been used as a medicine by local Indian people.  Today the plant is grown commercially for the oil which is used in many cosmetics.

And how about this arch. This arch in Arch Canyon was formed by the freezing and thawing of water and the carving force of wind.  The arch is 36’ high, 90’ wide, and over 720’ from the road.

And the flowers are starting to bloom.  These are Mexican poppies:

Notice the light strip in the mountain.  This is made from tuff which is compressed volcanic ash spewed out in volcanic explosions.  This band is more than 30 feet thick.  Now think about this – Imagine how much ash fell to have it compressed to 30 feet.  WOW!!

Unusual Saguaros – notice the arms:

Just nice pictures:

 

  

    

And my favorites:

   

What a great tour and we learned so much more about the desert and how the plants and environment was and is used by earlier settlers/native peoples as well as the animals.

And tonight’s ranger program was on the stars and the night sky in the desert… oh my!

March 4, 2010 – More Organ Pipe and Saguaro and Desert and …..

Another beautiful day in the Southwest – :-)))  so we decided to check out the park.  The Desert View Trail is right by the campgound and WOW what views.  (Actually today was one of those WOW days so be prepared for lots of pictures):

 

Check out the size of this Organ Pipe Cactus:

Information on the Organ Pipe Cactus (I wish we were able to see it flower but it will be VERY HOT here then – :-(():

The organ pipe cactus grows only in the Sonoran Desert. It is found from southwestern Arizona south to Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California in Mexico. Organ Pipe National Monument in Arizona was created to protect the cactus in its northern most range.

Organ pipe cacti are very sensitive to frost. Because cold air settles in valleys and the desert floor, the heat loving organ pipe cactus grows on southern facing slopes below elevations of 3,000 feet. The organ pipe cactus gets its name from the many slender, curving vertical stems which resemble the large pipes of an old-fashioned organ. Growing from a base just above the ground, the column-like stems can grow 25 feet tall, but usually grow to a height of 15 to 20 feet. The stems are about 6 inches in diameter, and rarely branch out. They have 12-17 dark-green ribs. Nine to ten brown 3/8 inch spines grow from close-set areoles on the crest of the ribs, and turn gray with age. The stems continue to grow from their tips, marking each growing season with a slight constriction around the stem.

Like the saguaro, the organ pipe cactus needs shade and protection for a few years during its seedling stages. It depends on "nurse plant" like the desert ironwood, palo verde and triangle-leaf bursage to develop. When the organ pipe cactus matures, its root system will eventually absorb any rain that falls. This deprives the nurse plant of the water it needs, and as a result it becomes stunted or dies. The organ pipe cactus stores water in its stems to survive the heat and drought of the desert. It has fibrous ribs running vertically up the stem to help keep it upright. When the cactus dies it leaves behind its bleached ribs.

The flower buds of the organ pipe cactus grow from the tip of the stems. The flowers are white or pale lavender in color. They mostly bloom at night and are pollinated by nectar feeding bats, and by morning they close up again. The cactus has many buds which open up on different days so that the flower season can last for many weeks. They bloom annually from May to July. The red fruits are large and spiny, and ripen in late summer. When they mature, they lose their spines and open to show an edible, red pulp. They are sweet and fleshy, and are eaten by a variety of desert wildlife. It is a favorite with people also, who eat it raw, dried or turn it into jelly. It is also made into syrup and fermented into a wine-like drink. Native Americans ate the fruit raw or dried it for storage. The wood of the ribs was used for building and turned into torches.

The organ pipe cactus is not endangered in its range, although it is protected in the USA, where it grows only in a small section of southernwestern Arizona.

This little guy was just singing his heart out:

And the Saguaro – there were some even larger than this:

Some info on these cacti:

And the Ocotillo:

If you look at the ocotillo, they are covered with leaves – it has been a great winter for moisture.

More pictures along the trail:

Our campground:

I love this picture:

From there we took the North Puerto Blanco Drive.  Currently it is only 10 miles round trip.  It used to be over 50 miles but because we are so close to the Mexican border and there is some illegal activity, the rest of the road has been shut down permanently (so sad!).  But I have LOTS of pictures (check out the saguaro shapes):

 

Isn’t that incredible.  But wait there is more.  Our next stop was Alamo Canyon:

 

This one was ready to grab us – LOL:

And the cacti are starting their blooms:

And lastly, sunset in the desert – oh my:

 

 

What a wonderful day!