Organ Pipe was one of the parks we hadn't yet visited, so about 2 weeks after the boys flew home, we drove the 3 hours or so south from Tucson. On the way, we passed through the town of Why, Arizona, home to this travel store:
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| Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument |
But it appears that the beauty of the area and the uniqueness of the flora may not have been the only reasons for the Monument's creation. According to Wikipedia, the state of Arizona donated the land for the Monument in the 1930s, knowing that the road running north through it from the Mexican border would be improved by the Federal Government, making it easier to smuggle liquor during Prohibition. Wonder if that's true?? Anyway, the only smuggling done there now is of people and dope. More about that later.
Here's our campsite at Twin Peaks Campground:
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| Twin Peaks Campground, site 160 |
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| Twin Peaks Campground, site 160 |
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We thought this was a particularly nice campground, with all pull-thru sites on level concrete pads, water spigots not too far from each site, and solar showers (better than no showers, but never hot in the morning). No electric hook-ups, but limited generator hours (8-10 and 4-6), rather than the more common 8AM to 10PM generator hours. It even had a 'no generator' area. Nice touch.
This is one of the most isolated developed campgrounds we've visited. It's a mile or so from the main (and only) highway; 5 miles from the Mexican border crossing at Lukeville, which consists of a few buildings, a gas station, and a gate; and 30 miles from Ajo, Arizona, the nearest population center. It is blessedly quiet. And the sunsets aren't bad, either:
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(Below): We hiked to Victoria Mine, an old silver and gold mine a few miles away:
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| Remains of Victoria Mine operation |
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| Closer... |
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| Never met a bathtub she didn't like... |
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| Après bath. |
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(Below): I did another hike later on, after we returned from Mexico, but I'll cover it here, with everything else from Organ Pipe. The Estes Canyon/Bull Pasture Trail leaves from a trailhead about 20 miles into the Ajo Mountains, and climbs steeply to several nice views..
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| Nice example of Organ Pipe cactus |
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| Saguaro on the trail |
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| Another saguaro |
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| This saguaro seems unsure of which way to point. |
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One afternoon, we decided to drive the scenic 37-mile Puerto Blanco Loop Road through uninhabited desert past abandoned mines and old ranching sites. The sign at the beginning of the road advised the need for a high-clearance vehicle, as some of the road could be rough. We started at about 3 PM, calculating that we could get back in a couple of hours—before the sun went down. That was important since the road signs warned that no one should travel alone or after dark, that we should carry plenty of water, that “cross-border incursions occur”, and that if we saw suspicious activity, we should call 911 if we had a cell phone and a signal. We saw no other vehicles or people as we drove through saguaro and organ pipe cactus forests, into shallow canyons and over low hills. About an hour in, we passed the remnants of a cattle operation, with aeromotor windmills that once pumped water, and mesquite corrals that once directed cattle up a ramp and into a waiting truck—just the skeleton of a cattle ranch, creaking gently in the breeze.
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| Remnants of old cattle operation |
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(Below): We also passed three or four 75 foot tall metal poles with a red flag at the top and a small solar panel about half-way up. Mounted on the pole, at about eye level, was a steel box with a big red button. The black and white drawings on the box showed a person—clearly in distress—pushing the button. In English, Spanish, and a language I did not recognize, were instructions that said, basically, “If you’re in trouble, just press the red button, and emergency personnel will arrive in a few minutes. Do not leave the area.” At the base of the pole were 4 or 5 gallon jugs of water.Click on any image to see it larger
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| At the site of an old mine... |
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| Wonder what language that last one is? |
We were only a mile or two from the Mexican border, so we gathered that these stations were intended for illegals. There were other interesting stops along the way, as well, and we soon realized we’d need to hurry to get off Puerto Blanco Drive Loop before nightfall.
Because of confusing signage, we took a wrong turn and immediately became stuck up to the rear axle in loose, deep sand. We tried rocking the truck but only dug ourselves in deeper. By now, the sun was just about to touch the horizon and we could see solid ground for the rear wheels was about 4 feet away, but uphill and behind us. Using everything we had with us in the truck—waffle blocks (used for levelling the trailer), fire wood pieces, long sheets of plywood that formed a kind of shelf in the truck bed, my poop trowel, and flat rocks, we dug ’tracks’ for the tires to follow, moving back 6 inches or so at a time. When the tires reached the end of the waffle block tracks, we’d move the blocks to the rear of the tires, and back up anther few inches. We did most of this in complete darkness, aided only by the lights of the truck and our flashlight. At various times, one of us would want to give up and call for help, but the other one would say, “Let’s try once more.” Both of us had visions of the truck being stolen and us killed by the cartel or human smugglers—but we kept at it and finally, after about an hour and a half, we got the rear wheels onto solid road surface. Yippee! But the front wheels were still in deep sand, and we had to get them onto solid ground, as well. We couldn’t back up any farther, since we were already bumping into the hill that formed the side of the road. What to do? That’s when we realized we could jam the long plywood shelves from the truck bed under the front wheels and drive forward onto them, then back, then forward, making a sort of six-point turn until the front wheels were also on solid ground. The plywood should distribute the tires’ weight, preventing them from plowing further into the sand. After another hour and a half or so, moving six inches at a time, the front wheels hit solid ground! We were free!
Well, not quite. We took another look at the signboard with the map of the entire area, and immediately saw which fork in the road to take. However, as we were turning onto that road, we saw another sign that said, “Closed. For government use only.” We could see that this road ran back to the highway which would lead us to our campground, but it also paralleled Mexico Highway 2 (only about a 100 feet away), with the US/Mexican border fence between. Perhaps this was why our road was closed: fear of cross-border incursions. Anyway, we weren’t going back the way we came, so off we drove. After about 1/2 hour, we got to the main highway—dirty, tired, and hungry--but about as thankful as I can remember ever being! We celebrated with a kiss and a high 5. It had taken us 3 + hours to extricate ourselves, mostly it in the dark, and we’d never panicked or gotten angry with each other. It felt like we’d been tested and had come through.
The next day we discovered from a frequent camper at Organ Pipe that the south part of Puerto Blanco Loop road (where we got stuck) had just been opened to the public the previous month, and that prior to that it was only used by the government or 'escorted' vans. This camper told us that last year, he’d taken a ranger-driven van tour on the same road--escorted by Border Patrol agents with automatic weapons! That was the only way the public could drive the road until a couple of months
ago. Maybe that accounts for the confusing signage??
No pictures of our predicament, as we felt we were in real danger and couldn't afford the time for a photo. Life can change in an instant. We were lucky.
Hope all is well with all of you.
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