Tonto National Forest and Organ Pipe National Monument

It sure has been an eventful week. Nate and I shared two days off this week, so we took advantage of it and headed out for several adventures. While I was working early in the week Nate took off on his new motorcycle and found a lake! He was insistent on showing me the beauty he found. We packed up the car with the usual dog supplies, plenty of water, and my camera! (For those of you that didn't know, Nate picked up a Kawasaki 750KZ LTD for our time in the desert. I sure I hope I got that right.)

Tonto National Forest is less than a 40 minute drive northeast of Scottsdale. We took a different way there than on the way back, both the Beeline Hwy and the Bush Hwy will get you there. The Salt River runs through this area of wilderness. It was damned up at several points to create several beautiful lakes, one being Saguaro Lake. I was simply amazed at the large lake surrounded by mountains and cacti in the middle of the desert. There were trees, water fowl, a paddle wheeler boat, a marina, and trails to hike on! It was so refreshing to see a somewhat familiar landscape, it made me feel a little at home. 

American Coot

Saguaro at Saguaro Lake

We took out time winding through this scenic area, stopping at many of the recreational areas. We hopped on rocks in the Salt River, took a small hike bordering Saguaro Lake, and stopped at a green desert oasis. There are many opportunities here for hiking, wading, tubing, boating, etc. We hope to explore this area more. We would've done more, but we were dressed too warm in jeans and t-shirts. 

Oasis

Salt River

Organ Pipe National Monument, also a biosphere reserve is basically on the border of Arizona and Mexico was our next stop. We woke early and prepared for another day in the desert. We traveled southwest from Phoenix by taking I-10 west to highway 85 south, taking about 2 hours. We went through US Border Patrol once on the way down and twice on the way back! There were many US Border Patrol vehicles in the area. Traveling south on 85 takes you through Barry Goldwater Air Force Range. Entering this area, we were welcomed by a fighter plane banking to the west and taking off!

Organ Pipe far surpassed my expectations from the people, to the scenery, and all the educational pieces available. Another huge bonus, the park has a 2.6 mile trail that is pet friendly! Upon arrival, the visitor center was the first stop. The people were very friendly and helpful! Nate picked up another sticker and I gathered another WPA postcard ( I have been collecting these since 2004).

Ocotillo Cacti

Organ Pipe Cacti (above and below)

They only grow on south facing slopes for sun exposure

Kobi was very excited to be able to hike in the desert. We all took the Palo Verde Trail from the visitor center to the campground. It was a fairly wide stone path lined with many different types of cacti. We did not see any of the 25 different species of snake present in the park, which I'm okay with. Nate saw a few lizards scurry in front of him, but they were too fast to look at or catch a picture of. The thermometer read 83F on our hike! I admit, I do miss a nice big shade tree even if it harbors mosquitoes. 

The park also offers two scenic drives: The Puerto Blanco requires a high clearance vehicle and four hours and The Ajo Mountain Drive about 90 minutes on a rough dirt road. We chose Ajo Mountain Drive option for incredible views of Sonoyta Valley, Estes Canyon, and Tillotson Peak. The rocks were incredible, alternating layers of reds, oranges, and yellows. The cacti still amaze me with their incredible adaptations in such a harsh environment. The wildlife, birds in particular mirror the cacti with their own incredible adaptations. I wish we could've seen a jackrabbit, javelina, or desert tortoise but due to the noise of the car and the heat I understand why we did not. I did see my first roadrunner dash in front of us, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust (like in the cartoons)!

In the visitor center, the park staff also handed me an interpretation guide to the Ajo Mountain Drive. All along the 21 miles, there were numbered signs that corresponded with the numbers in the book. I am appreciative of this guide because it taught us so many things about the desert. For instance, a saguaro cactus that is ten years old is only an inch tall. Saguaros generally grow arms around year 90 of their life span and sometimes never grow arms! Gila monsters, quite poisonous live most of their lives underground. I could go on, but I will spare you the desert biome lesson. 

We traveled through US Border Patrol twice traveling north on 85. We were simply asked if we are US citizens and what we were doing "down there". The patrolman was satisfied with our answers, smiled at Kobi and we were on our way. The sunset on the way home was a beautiful way to end our day. Organ Pipe National Monument is definitely worth the drive. 

There is something very special about this last picture that I posted. The center arm of this organ pipe had a "goofy" growth. It has been researched by many scientists. This research has been concluded with three possibilities: genetics, hormone imbalance, or deformation due to frost. I just think it's beautiful.