Pam's Visit

Pam, our daughter, came to visit for 6 days.  We worked 2 days so she saw some of what we did. We attended talks and a night program & did the visitor center/book store tourist thing. We took the Mt Ajo Dr. 3 hour tour and we hiked the trails in the park, culminating in a hike to Bull Pasture. To get to the pasture view you travel the Mt Ajo Dr. gravel road for about 10 miles, parking at the trail head. We chose the 4.2 mile path through Estes Canyon and up.  It is a steep zig zag climb the last 3/4 miles to trails end.  Some people do not stop at Bull Pasture but accend to the top of Mt Ajo, the left peak in the picture below.  We were definately not in shape for that part and felt we accomplished something with the Bull Pasture finish.  What a view! 


Can you see the Bull?  Head is in center & long horns on either side.

   

John resting on the trail that wraps around to the right



 

Pam and John looking at the bull close up across a canyon.  We made it!


 

A view towards the campground shows how high we climbed.  Estes Canyon is on right.



Attempt at Arches

Arches at Arch Canyon Hike Trail Head

John and I hiked up Arch Canyon but just the canyon and not to the arches.  The maintained trail ended and a very steep rock scramble became too difficult to keep going.  We tried but reconsidered our destination.  I could probably have made it up but being the chicken I am I would have to have been helicoptered off the summit for I could never make my way back down, even on my butt!  The hike in the canyon was a wonderful walk through this beautiful desert.

Time to Go

We officially leave this Tuesday, January 31st.  For 10 days our daughter, Lisa, and husband will be visiting and traveling around a little bit with us.  Mid February we will be back in Organ Pipe Cactus to finish the end of February volunteering again. We have been asked to stay on.  Then we are off to new adventures for 6 weeks of traveling.  We have been accepted to camp host in Bryce Canyon National Park mid April to mid July and I am so excited to be in Bryce Canyon for the spring.... so new plans are forming and new adventures await.

Painting and Pronghorns



Above are two oil paintings I have been using as the demo on the visitor center patio.  Both are half finished.  At this stage they look good to onlookers watching me paint, although here they loose their depth, detail and are washed because I took the above picture in direct sunlight.  They have a long way to go till I finish. Oil is layer upon layer and tweaking this and that.  The two famous iconic views of ORPI make good visitor discussions.  Both paintings have great history behind the landscapes.



John is at the podium starting his talk about the "Disappearing Desert Ghost", the Sonoran pronghorn.
  At this outdoor amphitheater 31 brave souls attended his very first talk/slide show.  It was cold and rained gently.



Just another start of a beautiful day here in the desert.

 Last night we (14 volunteers with Janet, our bookstore manager and her son Oscar, age 8) went to Sonoyta, Mexico to dinner at an outdoor stand.  I had a hibiscus drink made from flowers.  John had a coke in a real glass bottle and both of us had bean soup, spicy baked stuffed potatoes and tacos.  Janet then drove us around the town, in which she lives, showing us some of the sites.  I sure wish I could speak Spanish.  We felt safe but because of the language barrier I felt lost.  With our guide we were fine and it is such a shame the border problem is such an issue nationwide.  I forgot the camera again!   Check out Rorik&Sherri'sExcellent Adventure.blogspot.com.  He was smart and brought his camera.

Fallen Ranger Ceremony at ORPI for Margaret Anderson

John, right center, watching the ceremony

Some of the rangers & law enforcement

After the ceremony - staff including volunteers.  John looking at my camera on right middle

Here at Organ Pipe there was a ceremony lowering our flag for Margaret Anderson, the Mt Rainier Ranger and mother of 2 preschoolers, who was killed on duty January 1st.  We attended the ceremony at which the flag was lowered at half staff with a full salute.  I think this was done in every national park at the same time so when you think about it - a very impressive tribute to her. About 10 years ago here at ORPI a young 27 year old ranger, Kris Eggle, was killed in the line of duty.  The visitor center here is named after Kris and there is a memorial out front where fresh flowers are always in a vase. These rangers DO put their lives on the line in our national parks.

Cabeza Prieta and the Pronghorn

John and the Pronghorn Release

The vets are doing their things with the sedated animal

John rolled out of bed at 4:15 this AM to travel to Ajo's Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge to help with the release of some of the desert pronghorns in a captive breeding program there. I fixed his lunch and rolled back with Emma into nice warm blankets.  We visited the Cabeza Prieta visitor center later in the day to
gather information for his evening talk.  I was much more willing to travel at 2PM.


One pronghorn ready to helicopter out to its new home