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Bill Bikes My bicycling expeditions and jaunts |
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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, February 2019
In Santa Rosa it seemed to rain every day in February. The heck with that. I loaded the Ogre and a bunch of camping gear into the Forester and headed to southern Arizona where the weather promised to be warm and dry.I drove to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, situated right on the US border with Mexico. The park was new to me, and it turned out to be a real gem. Relatively uncrowded. Good biking and hiking. Quiet campground.
Interestingly, while the campground itself was quiet, I often heard loud booms and what sounded like distant explosions. In addition to being right on the border, the park was also near the Barry Goldwater Firing Range. US Army weapons and munitions probably explained the random explosive noises that sometimes filled my ears.
Besides occasional sounds from the Army firing range, the US Border Patrol was impossible to miss. Half the vehicles on Arizona Route 85—the road into the park—belonged to the BP, and they were also hard to miss on South Puerto Blanco Drive along the international boundary. Plus, I was told, even when I didn't see them, the Border Patrol was likely watching me.
In any event, for the three days I camped at Organ Pipe I conducted three delightful bike rides through the desert.
While I enjoyed the weather and the pedaling, the precipitation only increased back home. Sonoma County was inundated by torrential downpour for days. Santa Rosa received the most rainfall in a single day since record keeping began in the 1800s. Rivers, creeks, and waterways overflowed. Streets, roads, and highways flooded. Residents along the Russian River received mandatory evacuation orders. But I didn't get a drop in the desert.
Day 1: Poncho was a bandit: Mount Ajo Loop
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.
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