Wandering Around

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Ajo, AZ & Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico

Ajo, AZ

I just realized that in my last post, I neglected to mention an important event that occurred while we were at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. One day on our way into Ajo, AZ for groceries and diesel, my truck dashboard shouted at me that I only had something like 100 miles to refill the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) before it would shut me down completely. I figured there must be someplace in town that had DEF, so I dropped Leah at a thrift store and went from gas station to hardware store to more gas stations--nothing. However, they all pointed me to the local NAPA store, but, unfortunately, it was Sunday, and the NAPA was closed. I was in a large Shell station where I'd just asked an attendant where I could find DEF. She told me the NAPA, as well, and as I thanked her and opened the door to leave, she said, "Wait", and ran outside to talk to someone pumping gas
into a white van. When she returned, she confirmed that NAPA had it, and would open tomorrow at 8AM. I thanked her and left. After checking more stores, I concluded that my only choice was to drive about 60 miles one way to a truckstop on I-10, get the DEF, and drive back--if I wanted it today, and I did. As I was heading out, I saw a Family Dollar and decided to give it a try. Here in the US, dollar stores are popping up everywhere and they seem to have everything. However, they didn't have DEF either, so I walked back to my truck to drive the 60 miles to the truckstop when I heard someone call, "Sir" several times. Realizing I must the "Sir", I searched around for the person who was calling me. "Sir, Are you the person who needs the DEF?"
It took me a split second to process the question. "Yes!" "How did you know?!" We've been driving around looking for you; we even tried to wave you down, but you must not have seen us". As the man was talking, I recognized the white van from the gas station--the one the woman had consulted. "I run the NAPA. Why not just follow me over, and I'll unlock it and sell you some DEF." Great!! I couldn't believe it. I followed him to the store. As he got out, I saw that he was young--probably in his 20s--and his girlfriend was with him. I asked her if he was always this nice, "When he wants to be", she said with a smile. "You can't drive your truck without the DEF, right?" "Right." What nice people!

TO: Joaquin and his girlfriend (sorry, I forgot your name!), who run the NAPA store in Ajo, AZ.: Thank you both!

Joacquin & his girlfriend (Sorry, forgot your name)

I had occasion to return several times to this NAPA and each time, I was impressed with how friendly and helpful these folks were. Definitely recommended, if you're in Ajo, AZ!

Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico

January 23-30, 2015

When we left Canada in late September, our plan was to be out of Ontario for the maximum 7 months. However, we knew that we could only be in the US for 6 months, leaving us with one month to be...somewhere else. How about Mexico? We could drive down the Baja peninsula, camping on the beach, eating seafood, and learning Spanish. That sounded pretty good until we began receiving warnings of violence and unrest in Baja. We started to re-think our plan; in fact, we'd shelved the idea--that is, until we met a couple at Las Vegas Lakes campground, on Lake Mead. These folks were pulling an old Airstream, and we learned, were heading for the southeast coast of Baja Sur, near Los Barriles. They'd gone the previous year for 4 months and had loved it so much that they were headed there again, this year. They reported that they'd felt safer in Baja--beginning about 200 miles south of the U.S. border, mind you--than they did here in the U.S.--with the caveat that no one should ever drive there at night. They said they loved the Mexican people and had been treated with nothing but kindness and consideration. We spent an hour or two looking over their maps and taking notes, our fears now assuaged by real people who'd done what we wanted to do.

However, one nagging concern I had that they could not allay was whether or not I could buy ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) in Baja (or anywhere in Mexico), the only kind of diesel available in Canada and the U.S. They drove a gasoline-powered truck, so didn't know about ULSD availability. Depending upon whom you asked, ULSD was not available at all, available only in the northern half of Baja, or readily available in the northern half, less readily in the southern half. I searched high and low on the Internet, as well as phoned organizations that should know, but still got nothing definitive. Some reputable and knowledgable people said it was available everywhere, while other, equally reputable folks said it was available no where. Again, we shelved the idea.

But the urge to go to Mexico lingered. And since, at the Organ Pipe campground, we were only 5 miles from the Mexican border, we figured we could just leave the trailer in nearby Ajo, AZ, and drive the 60 miles to the beach town of Peurto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico--right on the Gulf of California. Let's see: walking on the beach, staying in a motel, eating seafood, and learning Spanish--and I could drive right up the Pemex stations and see for myself if they offered ULSD. Sounded good to us! To add to the serendipity, we discovered that our friends, Barb and Jeff, had an unused and inexpensive timeshare week at the Mayan Palace, in Puerto Peñasco. We could buy it, and get our feet wet in Mexico without worrying about the trailer or the ULSD fuel, since our truck has about a 500 mile range when not pulling the trailer. Sold! Thanks, Barb and Jeff!

That's not to say that we didn't experience some trepidation, but we felt the risks were minimal, so we crossed the border at Lukeville/AZ/Sonoyta, Sonora. The border crossing was casual, even though the Mexican agents wore battle fatigues and had guns. "Anything to declare?" "Any guns?" "No." "Where are you going?" "Puerto Peñasco." "Go ahead." That was it. Driving through Sonoyta we saw lots of skinny dogs, abandoned houses, rusting metal, pealing paint, garbage, dirt sidewalks. We drove hyper-slowly, as we'd been warned by the US Border Patrol that the police were "predatory".

Out on the highway, things looked 1st world, again, with smooth asphalt, paved shoulders, and not much traffic. We were still a bit tense, as an RVer we'd met who'd been to Puerto Peñasco recently told us he'd been stopped at a roadblock by uniformed men carrying automatic weapons; however, the uniforms had no ID on them. The men had materialized out of nowhere, set up the roadblock, and made he and his wife get out of their truck while they searched it. With this story in mind, I was scanning the roadsides uneasily, but the trip went smoothly and we arrived just before dark.

The Mayan Palace is located right on the beach, about 14 miles from Puerto Peñasco. It's about 5 miles off the main highway, the last mile or two, unpaved. Same with the parking lot.

We were pleasantly surprised by our 2-bedroom suite:

From entrance door: dining table, then living room, then balcony

Dining Room

Nice restaurant, but food only so-so

The suite and the restaurant were nice, but the grounds and beach were magnificent:

Gorgeous grounds and pool. Just a bit too cold for swimming though.

Nice beach. Saw a lone coyote prowling near here.

View from our balcony

We drove into Puerto Peñasco several times to explore, to shop and to eat. The town, itself, is an interesting mix of gringo touristica and working-class Mexican neighbourhoods. We ate at a delicious seafood restaurant, The Blue Marlin, where we were glad we ordered a seafood sampler. Below is course # 3, the main course:

Seafood sampler, at The Blue Marlin in Puerto Peñasco

Back at the Mayan Palace, Leah enjoyed a salsa-making class she attended. Can't wait to sample her creations!

We had been thinking of driving back to Ajo, AZ and pulling the trailer back down to camp somewhere on the beach in Puerto Peñasco--and we found just the place:

Concha del Mar RV campground. On the beach, $10/night.

But we didn't feel we wanted to stay in Puerto Peñasco. This campground was nice enough and a bargain for right on the beach. On the other hand, the town, itself, did not seem to offer much for us. And, surprisingly, we found that we couldn't buy basic things that are part of our diet, like whole wheat bread. Also, we learned that we'd need to stay outside the U.S. for a minimum of a month to count as having been "not in the U.S.". All-in-all, we decided we'd rather spend the time in the U.S. exploring places we'd hadn't yet visited in the Southwest. Maybe we'll visit Mexico again another time, probably Baja.

Hope all is well with all of you.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

January 16-22, 2015

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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This small piece of southern Arizona on the Mexican border (see Google map below) is the only place in the US where the Organ Pipe Cactus grows, so in the 1930s, it was made a national monument.

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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..

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.

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.

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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.

Levi's Video of our Christmas in Arizona

Sunday, March 1

Just got the link from Levi. Here it is.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Christmas: two weeks with our boys

The boys were flying into Phoenix on Dec. 15th and flying back to Toronto on Dec. 30th, so we had about two weeks with them. Our plan was to drive right to the Grand Canyon, where we'd booked two rooms for two days at the Maswik Lodge, just a few hundred feet from the Rim. We thought we'd spend two days seeing the Canyon, walk along the rim, and eat a few meals at El Tovar, which has the reputation as the finest lodge in the National Park system. The rest of the time we figured we'd play it by ear.

We get inside the airport just as Gavin and Levi are walking toward us. As they approach, Levi says to me,"Sorry, I don't have any change." I look at him blankly for a few seconds before I get the joke: my scraggly beard makes me look homeless. Ho Ho!

It was about 11 AM, and the boys wanted Cracker Barrel, so that's where we went. After brunch, we drove the 4 or so hours to Grand Canyon, and checked into Maswik Lodge. Nothing fancy, but comfortable rooms only a few hundred feet from the rim. Next morning we headed to El Tovar for breakfast:

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El Tovar Lodge, Grand Canyon

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Lobby of El Tovar, all dressed for Christmas

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Breakfast

Then we walked along the rim for a few miles:

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Levi trying out his new camera

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Where's Richard?

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Left Grand Canyon and drove to Lost Dutchman State Park outside Phoenix, where we camped for a couple of days:

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Gav's shot of our site at Lost Dutchman

Drove part of the Apache Trail, as far as Fish Creek hill. Wanted the boys to see it, as it climbs and twists through some tortuous and beautiful mountains. Both took photos of the scenery, but I took photos of them:

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Atop Fish Creek Hill

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Happy with new camera?

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Small subject

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Gav took this out the window on the way down Fish Creek Hill

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Exploring cave at bottom of Fish Creek Hill

The day after the Apache Trail, we drove south to Tubac, where we'd rented a 3 bedroom condo for Christmas week. No pictures of the condo, but the place was beautiful. It had 10 foot ceilings, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a full kitchen, fireplace, deck, and a covered balcony with mountain views off 2nd floor. And we had access to a pool, jacuzzi, and gym--all in an adobe, southwestern style complex. Very nice. Tubac is an art colony, which made for nice strolls and restaurants. It is also home to the Tubac State Historic Park, a partly restored Spanish/Anglo military garrison/community founded in the 1600s, then abandoned, then resettled 4 or 5 times into the late 1800s. Here are some photos from a previous visit.

We also drove to Tucson so that the boys could tour Biosphere 2, a Buckminster Fuller-style series of glass geodesic domes which was the site of a famous 1990s experiment in human self-sufficiency. (See my previous blog post, here). The following are the best photos from this time around:

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Gav's shot of Biosphere 2 at sunset

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Skylight 3 stories up

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Outside one of the biomes at sunset

Just before Christmas, Gavin, Levi, and I hiked to an old mine about 20 miles from Tubac, up in the mountains:

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At old mine shaft on hike near Tubac, AZ. Double hatted!

On Christmas eve, we drove a few miles south to see the Tumacacori Mission lit up by 2500 lumieres:

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Tumacacori Mission Christmas eve, 2014

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While we were camped at Gilbert Ray, Levi hiked one of the trails in the area. I think both Gav and I had colds, so Levi hiked by himself:

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Ready to hike.

A day before the boys flew home, we drove up to Mt. Lemmon, just outside Tucson. Had fun photographing at one of the main look-offs:

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Waiting for the right moment...

...it can get cold...

...and windy. Bracing against the wind.

Note: All of Levi's shots were video, so none will appear here. He has edited all his clips together into a video of our 2 weeks together. When he publishes it, I will link to it here.