Warm weather

The weather has changed.  "Normal "desert weather has arrived.  Sunshine and 70's for the next several days.  The heat felt good.  This is why we come to the desert.

These are two photos of Organ Pipe Cactus.  Notice the cristate growing on one of the lower arms. This is an anomaly that is rare but not unheard of.  No one  knows just what causes this to happen.  

You will also see cristates in Saguaros as well.  This one is located near Bird's Eye Point on the Ajo Mountain Drive

Mom's Home

R and I work split shifts.  Because I don't mind getting  up, I work the morning shift.  At the end of the day, the boys heard the truck approaching.  Mom's home.  Yippee !

Senata Basin

This is why it is called the Seneta Basin.  It is a place where you can stand among all three columnar cacti of the Sonoran Desert....

Saturday Morning

   Saturday Morning and I am here in the Sanora Building (volunteer building) for a few minutes.  I just put a small load in the washer.  It is odd not being at work.  As a couple we are allowed to split our 32 hours per week so being that R is not a morning person, I usually take the am session ( 7:45 - 1pm ) and R takes the afternoon.  However, the morning is when the van trips are scheduled.  The park offers narrated van tours on the Ajo Mountain Drive.  Up to ten visitors are picked up at the campground and driven around the loop with a ranger as a guide., telling them about the flora and fauna, history and geology of the desert they are viewing.  In the past we volunteers conducted many of these tours but there are too many rangers so we don't get the chance this year,  But we go get to drive some of the tours and also drive another van that takes hikers out to certain locales and drops them off 4 days a week.  There are lots of hiking possibilities at ORPI.
   Another beautiful, but cool day.  The wind has been blowing night and day for several.  It has kept the temps from rising the way we would like.  The forecast is showing a warming trend which will be greatly appreciated.  70s will be great!

Sunny but cool

The clouds have disappeared.  The blue skies have returned.  But it was a bit cool this morning.  37 showed on our outside thermometer.  The Sonoran Desert gets about a dozen nights where the temperature goes below freezing but only for a few hours.  The plants here, especially the Organ Pipe and the Senetas do not like cold temperatures.  The Organ Pipes do best on the south side of the hills among the rocks.  The rocks store the heat of the day and help to keep the area a tiny bit warmer.  The Senetas are more cold sensitive than the Organ Pipes and tend to grow in the southern area of the National Monument.  The Seneta Basin is the best area to visit because you can see Organ Pipes, Saguaros, ans Senetas growing right alongside each other.  It is fun area to visit in the park.

ORPI

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, ORPI for short.   The National Park Service has a four letter code for each of it's parks.  It usually takes the first two letters of the first two words of the name.  Thus ORPI.  Fort Vancouver is FOVA .  Petrified Forest is PEFO.

  ORPI is as beautiful as ever.  I think it is the most beautiful desert in the United States.  Lots of interesting flora and fauna.  The campground has not changed.  We are in the same spot as we were two years ago.  The VC (visitor center) looks the same as well.   j

  What has changed is the management and the management attitude.  This is our 5th or 6th year as volunteers here.  We loved this place for its beauty and the great amenities that are provided.   However, the real reason we loved it was the fact that we were given the opportunity to do many varied activities; give evening programs, lead hikes, give patio talks, drive the van for the van tours, be the guide for those van tours.  Those activities gave us the opportunity to interact with the public, teaching them about this great desert, and establishing relationships with some.  Every week 3 or 4 programs were conducted by volunteers on subjects from cacti, to Roadrunners, Coyotes, Desert Tortoise, "Ouchy Things", Vultures, history of ranching in the area.  We were spending several nights a week at the amphitheater learning and enjoying one another.  Usually those events were followed by desert in the volunteer building afterwards.
   Prior to coming down here I communicated with the volunteer coordinator that we would, in fact have those same opportunities this year.  I had told him that if this was not true, we were not interested in returning.  When we had our arrival interview with the interim coordinator( the previous coordinator has left) we were told that we would not be giving programs this years because they has hired several seasonal rangers and "that was their job."  So it looks like our 3-4 month stint here will consist of working in the visitor center answering questions and pointing to the bathrooms and driving the vans for the van tours.   Have you ever been promised something by a retailer or friend and then it turned out not to be what was promised?   That is us.  We are not happy campers.

The Final Road Day

Woke up to sunshine.  No big deal in Barstow.  Had a waffle and some juice at the motel.  Stayed there because of the lack of RV spaces in the area and in was a long way the next town, Needles.  Stopped in a rest area along I-40 and tried to adjust the headlights.  I had purchased new bulbs at NAPA with help from a clerk, but they just would not fit in properly.  I was very frustrated.  It was going to get dark before we arrived in ORPI so I needed to get the problem fixed.  I remembered that two years ago when we stayed at Buckeye for a couple of nights, a new Ford dealership was being built.  Stopped there.  A tech could not get the bulbs installed either, so I purchased official Ford bulbs.  They were about 1/4 inch shorter than the NAPA bulbs.  They fit with no trouble.  Problem solved!!
   Back on the road about 4pm.  Stopped in Ajo at Olsen's IGA for a few groceries and continued south another 40 miles to our destination.  Pulled into the volunteer campground about 7:30 and set up just what was needed to be secure, ate supper, and went to bed.  Have spent the next several days getting all the added things done.  Out side lights., tire covers, dish aimed,flower banner put in front.
I think we are officially set up now.