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February brought warmer temperatures in the SouthWest, perfect for camping. We took advantage of the weather and made some short trips from our base in Tucson, AZ. Our first trip was to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, then a few days in the Phoenix area before heading to Death Valley National Park for the Super Bloom. Over the next few days I'll post a trip report and pictures from these quick trips.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monumen
www.nps.gov/orpi
On our way west from Tucson on AZ 86 we stopped in Sells for lunch at the Desert Rain Cafe for a tasty lunch of squash enchiladas, tepary beans and salad. This restaurant is run by the local tribe, Tohono O'odham, and off the main highway, but well worth the detour. It is only open M - F from 6:30 - 3:00. Each dish contains at least one traditional native food and the meal was very tasty.
http://www.desertraincafe.com
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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a very favorite National Park Service (NPS) site, one we have visited annually for over 30 years. Recently a new superintendent has been appointed. He has not only re-opened areas closed for several years, but also opened areas that have not been open in the 30 years we have been visiting. Also he has extended van service (free) beyond the dirt road loops, now van transportation is provided to ranger programs at outlying sites. Campground has an extended no-generator buffer area, especially for tent campers. A few years ago they added solar showers to several of the restrooms.
After setting up camp we did a short hike along the Victoria Mine Trail, it started very near our campsite. Along the way the light was striking an ocotillo highlighting the small, green leaves. This plant only leafs out when there has been enough rain recently. A treat for us desert rats.
Victoria Mine Trailhead
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Ocotillo
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Back at camp we enjoyed our first campsite Happy Hour in 2016 with a gin 'n tonic and snacks!
Happy Hour
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The sunset brought some color.
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Tuesday, February 9, 2016
We enjoyed a slow morning in camp before heading out. A new trail for us was the Alamo Canyon Trail which begins from a small primitive campground, near the north side of the park. It followed an old dirt road to a ranch cabin and ended at a corral. Later we were told that bighorn sheep had been spotted along the upper ridges in the canyon, but not seen by us today.
Blue sky and Organ Pipe Cactus - no bighorn sheep
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Ranch house opening
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Alamo Canyon Corral
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Organ Pipe Cactus - small, medium & large
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Before going back to camp we went down to the border to confirm Lukeville still had services. Someone in the campground wondered if they had ice there or if Why, at the north end of the park, was the closest source for ice. There is still a restaurant, gas station and small store in business and selling ice.
We then took a new section of road, one previously not open, that headed east along the border to two ranch locations. We stopped at the first one, Gachado Line Camp. There is an adobe building and some shade trees.
Gachado Line Camp
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Back at camp we enjoyed another beautiful evening, daytime temperatures were in the low 80s with the morning lows at low 50s.
Evening light through Ocotillo and moon
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Wednesday, February 10, 2016
After breakfast and before heading home we hiked the Desert View Nature Trail. This is a favorite hike that we have down many times, but always enjoy. It begins at the group campground, just behind the regular campground. It is a 1-1/2 mile loop trail with informative signs about the plants. It climbs up a slope, crosses a wash, then climbs to a saddle for great views to the west. There were some clouds that gave contrast to the blue sky.
Desert View Trail
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Ocotillo blooms
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As part of the NPS Centennial year this park is offering an 'I Hike for Health' pin for completing at least 5 miles of hiking. There is a handout at the visitor center to record the trails you hike and you need to take a picture of yourself along the trail. We did several short hikes, as we don't get up and moving early enough to avoid the mid-day heat to enjoy a longer hike. The staff also provides van transport to trailheads, check at the visitor center to sign up and find out the schedule. The van stops in the campground, as well as the visitor center. This allows for a one-way hike back to the campground or visitor center.
I Hike for Health brochure and pin
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A number of other park sites are offering this Centennial hiking program, some providing pins, others a sticker. So far I have learned that Coronado National Memorial, Chiricahua National Monument, and Ft. Bowie NHS all have the attractive pins.
The drive back across AZ 86 was just as beautiful with a few poppies and other flowers starting to show.
Thursday - Sunday, February 18 - 21, 2016
I spent several days around Phoenix while my husband was busy volunteering at a state stamp show in Mesa, Airpex. We drove up on Thursday and spent the afternoon helping to set up the booth. The weather forecast was for clear skies and mid-80s, with morning lows in the low 50s, another great weather forecast for camping.
The Phoenix area has a great set of regional parks managed by Maricopa County. On the east edge of Mesa is Usery Mountain Park. The sites have water and electric, and are very large. The restrooms are well designed with separate rooms for showers, at no extra charge. A site costs $30 per night with an $8 reservation fee. I had made reservations because this weekend the park sponsors an archery tournament; the campground is usually booked in advance.
The evening was wonderful - beautiful sky at 180 degrees; facing east and west.
Evening sky
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On Friday day I hiked up the Peralta Trail in the Superstition Mountains. The trail leads up to a saddle for a full view of Weaver's Needle, we hiked up part way to avoid the heat of the day. Weaver's Needle is a volcanic plug which can be seen from many vistas as you travel around the Superstition Mountains. Some flowers were starting to bloom.
Trail views
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We got back to the parking lot for the trail head and found it full, 11:00 AM on a Friday. Back in town we enjoyed lunch at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company on Arizona Ave., just south of US 60. The beer was refreshing and the over-sized sandwiches tasty. They use the iconic US Forest Service shaped sign for their logo.
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The rest of the day was spent running errands and visiting with friends, then another delightful evening in camp.
Saturday AM
I spent the morning hiking around Papago Park, mainly looking for letterboxes. This park is now managed by the City of Phoenix and is very popular. At one point it was part of the National Park Service from 1914 to 1930. During WWII is was a Prisoner of War camp, 25 German prisoners tunneled out of the camp. Many turned themselves in once they realized they weren't familiar with the desert environment. This was in December, imagine if they had escaped in June!
(Note: wikipedia was the only source that provided the history of the park)
I enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch with a friend in Scottsdale at Kitchen 56. This was a casual place in an old gas station with a patio, bar and indoor searing. They food was very good and reasonably- priced.
Evening at the campsite - friends came over to enjoy the sunset from Usery Mountain Park
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Sunday
Starting from downtown Mesa I took a scenic day trip to Tonto National Monument. This is a small, out-of-the way unit which has ruins set up in a cliff. I drove north on AZ 87, Beeline Highway, through Fountain Hills, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Tonto National Forest. Before reaching Payson, AZ I Turned SE onto AZ 188 towards Punkin Center along Rye Creek, as it feeds into Roosevelt Lake. There was more water than I have ever seen flowing along the creek, as well as snow-capped peaks. Before crossing the bridge that crosses behind the historic Roosevelt Dam I spotted a Great Blue Heron rookery, numerous of the birds perched in trees with nests nearby.
Along the south shore of the lake is the turnoff to Tonto National Monument. The hike up to the ruins is steep, about 1/2 mi. New exhibits had been recently installed in the visitor center, which displayed and explained the local artifacts very nicely. Besides having the standard passport stamp there was the NPS Centennial stamp for this site.
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Afterwards I continued along AZ 188 into Globe, then back to Mesa on US 60. Some color from wildflowers showing up along the highway. Once back in Mesa we packed up the materials from the stamp show and headed back to Tucson. I enjoyed having several days to explore the Phoenix area.
On the way back from Globe, along the 60 in Superior, is the Arboretum. That's always a nice stop, too!
Donna
Yes, Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a great stop along US 60. It is now park of the Arizona State Parks system and this time of year is especially nice. An easy day trip from the Phoenix area.Quote:
Originally Posted by DonnaR57
I was at Furnace Creek on Sunday to pick up my DV pass holder and I watched as a the NPS ranger on duty was providing the day pass to the 4th Grader who by virtue of her grade in school was providing free access for her famly to the park that day. Plus, he explained the Junior Ranger program to her. Very sweet interchange.
Loved your report!
Mark
Thanks for mentioning about the 4th grader and her family getting free admission. This year, until August 31, 2016, every 4th grader in the U.S. can receive a free federal park pass good for the student and their family through the Every Kid in A Park. A classroom teacher or parent can access the paperwork to activate this incredible program. Anyone reading this who has contact with 4th graders please share!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
https://www.everykidinapark.gov/
Pat
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Start: Tucson, AZ
Finish: Boulder Beach Campground (NPS), Lake Mead NRA, Boulder City, NV
We left Tucson Tuesday AM with the aim to visit a new NPS site, collect the NPS Centennial stamps at several park sites and visit Death Valley NP during the 'super bloom' that had been reported extensively. I was thrilled with the flowers I had seen and photographed during our Spring trip last March, so I was curious what a 'super bloom' looked like in comparison.
We took a new route through Phoenix to Wickenburg, the Google recommendation. The route took us north through Phoenix, up I-17 to W. Carefree Rd, AZ 74, across to Morristown, just east of Wickenburg on US 60. For a mid-day route through Phoenix it worked very well. With the growth of Sun City and surrounding towns in the NW Phoenix metro area, this route was faster, as it has less traffic lights.
We arrived in Nevada, gaining an hour as we crossed into Pacific Time Zone, to Lake Mead National Recreation Area in time for me to pick up a Junior Ranger booklet for this site. I worked on it at camp, Boulder Beach campground, just down the road from the visitor center. The evening light was gorgeous as we settled in for the evening.
Across Lake Mead
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Only at a Vegas area NPS campground would you find the message about not using casino tokens to pay for camping.
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Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Start: Boulder City, NV
Finish: Texas Spring Campground (NPS), Death Valley National Park
This was the coldest morning forecasted for the trip. We ate a quick breakfast and headed back up the hill towards the visitor center to the Historic Railroad Trail. For a number of years we actively participated in volkswalking, ultimately completing a 10 Km walk in all fifty states plus the District of Columbia, Mexico, Canada and England. We are still active with our local club, but have done very few events in the past 5 years. A club from Washington State is sponsoring a special award, NPS Centennial. Over the next 3 years we need to complete 15 sanctioned walks in a NPS site to earn their attractive patch. Knowing we would be visiting many of the NPS sites with walks this year we decided to add this to our travels. For the most part we'll be doing the 5 Km walk option, which is what we did along the trail this morning. It was a gorgeous morning, warming up nicely.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
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We stopped back up the visitor center for me to turn in my completed Junior Ranger guide and receive my attractive patch. The volunteer at the desk gave me a bit of a hard time for being an older Junior Ranger. It turns out he does them as well. We got our NPS passport stamps and then headed into Boulder City to their headquarters for more passport stamps and to register for the volkswalk at the Boulder City Inn. To register for a walk you complete a start card, a log sheet, pay the $3 fee for credit and stamp your record book with the official AVA stamp.
Boulder City is a delightful place to visit, very different from any other Nevada city. It was constructed to support the building of Boulder Dam, now named Hoover Dam. No casinos are allowed within the city limits. The downtown area has charming buildings, great shops and restaurants. I have never stayed at the Boulder Dam Hotel, but it looks like a wonderful place.
One of the passport stamps we used at Lake Mead NRA was for Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the newest units of the NPS. The actual unit is north of Las Vegas, just off US 95. It is an undeveloped site with no facilities, at this time. The fossil beds are rich with ice age fossils and in an area that is surrounded by new housing, rapidly encroaching. We drove out to the unit and walked out into the beds. It will be interesting to come back over time to see the development of this site. For now I am very glad the land has been preserved for future visitation and interpretation.
Tule Springs Fossils Beds NM sign and 'formal' entrance
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After we left there we continued north a short distance on US 95 to spend time at the new Desert National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Oops, we forgot to check their schedule - they are currently closed on Tuesday & Wednesday. We'll come back to spend time there during a future trip.
Desert NWR Visitor Center
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Off to Death Valley National Park! Continuing north on US 95 we turned west at Amargosa Valley on NV 373 to the California border where the road became CA 127 to Death Valley Junction. CA 190 takes you into Death Valley to Furnace Creek. By the time we decided to take this trip the reservable campsites were filled. At Furnace Creek there are two first-come-first serve campgrounds; Texas Spring and Sunset. Sunset is a basically a parking lot, no picnic tables and a central restroom. It is mainly for RVs, as generators can be run from 7 AM - 7 PM. Texas Spring has more traditional campsites, some for tents only and the whole area is generator - free. We arrived around 2:30 and got one of the last campsites in Texas Spring, I guess not spending extra time at Desert NWR paid off.
Mud Hills behind Texas Spring campground
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Thursday, February 25, 2016
Start & End: Texas Spring campground, Death Valley NP
A wonderful evening and morning in camp, but we had flowers to see. The park service ranger, the day before, had told me to head south from Furnace Creek. South of Badwater the Super Bloom became apparent. The Desert Sunflower (geraea canescens) was the prevalent flower - as far as the eye could see up the slopes. My pictures do not do justice. There was not as much diversity of flowers as there was last Spring, but the quantity of the Desert Sunflowers was abundant.
Flowers
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Notch-leaf Phacelia
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Brown-eyed Primrose
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Sand Verbena
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Gravel Ghost
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We drove back north along the West Side Road, this is a dirt road which crosses the valley north of Ashford Mill and comes back to the east side near Artist's Drive. Along this drive was the only place I found the Desert Five-Spot (eremalche rotundifol).
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We also visited Shorty's Grave along the West Side Road. This road is suitable for 2 -WD, well-graded. It is washboarded and a few places with soft sand. While driving it we saw a few other vehicles, including small sedans.
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When in Death Valley we always enjoy a Happy Hour at the saloon in Furnace Creek, a great way to end another perfect day in Death Valley.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Start: Death Valley, CA
End: Indian Cove Campground (NPS), Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, CA
All good things must move on - so we left Death Valley and headed south along CA 127 through Shoshone, towards Baker.
Along the way we saw some nice flowers.
Purple Mat
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Brown-eyed Primrose
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Sand Dune Evening Primrose
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Desert Sunflower
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After one stop of getting out of the car and wandering through the flowers I realized my shoes and pant legs were covered in pollen.
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We stopped in Baker at our favorite taqueria, it is on the NW corner as you come in from Shoshone, across the street from the Mad Greek. Authentic, tasty and reasonably priced Mexican food.
Our next stop was in Kelso at the Train Depot and visitor center for Mojave National Preserve. This was just a stamp and go stop. As a side note, to the east of the preserve and adjacent is the new Castle Mountains National Monument, the 410th NPS unit. There are no services within the monument, signs are being installed. Best access is from the east, through Nipton, CA on dirt roads. High clearance, 2-WD is OK from that entrance. We plan to visit in the Fall. A passport stamp for this site has been reported at the NPS office in Barstow, with 2 others ordered that will be at the 2 visitor centers in Mojave NP; Kelso and Hole-in-the-Wall.
As expected, campgrounds were posted as full when we arrived at the Oasis Visitor Center for Joshua Tree National Park at 2:30 on a Friday. We had planned to camp at the BLM area north of town, dry camping - no restroom, tables or water. So we figured we would go ahead and drive to the various visitor centers and ranger stations to get the passport stamps before camping for,the night.
While at the main visitor center in the town of Joshua Tree I took advantage of the public showers available at the gift shop across the street. For $4 you get 7-1/2 minutes of hot water with plenty of water pressure. The shower rooms are behind the gift shop and each room has a sink, toilet, shower stall and plenty of hooks. I highly recommend recommend the showers!
Showers
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Before heading to the BLM camping area we stopped at the Indian Cove Ranger Station at 4:45. This is a reservation only campground which fills first because the sites are excellent. While stamping I noticed a woman paying for a campsite, which meant she didn't have a reservation. I asked, the ranger pondered a minute, and said he had one site available - SCORE! Our van tucked i to the site perfectly and we thoroughly enjoyed a night amongst the monzogranite boulder!
Indian Cove Nature Trail
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Indian Cove Campground
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This was the ending point of our SW Quick Trips. The drive on Saturday took us through Joshua Tree National Park, not many flowers, yet, but wonderful views. We arrived back in Tucson by early evening.
Thanks for following along, I hope everyone gets to visits these special places - any time of the year! We'll be heading out next week for a Tour of Texas. In mid-April I'll start posting for that trip.
I enjoyed following your adventures Pat and lovely photo's. I would love to see DV in bloom like that one day !
Dave.