From Mexicali it was a short drive over to Yuma where I treated myself to a hotel room to celebrate another successful trip south. After that, I wanted to do some serious dispersed camping and my first destination was the Kofa (stands for the King of Arizona - the name of a major gold mine in this area about 100 years ago) Wildlife Refuge. This is a huge area in the desert that is managed by the BLM and so there is plenty of free camping along any number of dirt tracks. I loved it up here and early April was a perfect time to be there, weather-wise.
pretty much my full campsite, shovel for latrine duty
I tried out 4 different campsites over 12 days. At night you'll often only hear coyotes and an occasional owl. In the daytime you'll sometimes hear the occasional soft thud or "whomp" of distant explosions from the Yuma Proving Grounds, which surrounds the Kofa on three sides. Patton trained his troops for desert fighting there and it's still active.
king snake at my campsite in the Kofa
And you might see snakes. My first night I walked around the FJ to get something and immediately noticed a stick on the ground that wasn't there earlier. My instinct told me right away this was no stick. I went around to the other side to grab a flashlight and my camera and snapped this blurry photo just as it was slithering away. A couple of weeks later I was able to ask a park ranger about it and he thought it was most likely a king snake. They like to eat small critters, and even other king snakes! That's not very nice.
lots of birds around in early April
my backyard at the first campsite
I had some beautiful, peaceful sunsets
the first Kofa campsite
there had been some rain before I arrived so there were lots of bright ocotillo in bloom
After six nights I drove north to Quartzsite, a renown RV oasis where many thousands of snowbirds gather every winter. Most had thankfully gone north by the time I rolled in and it was a good place to take care of some business. Looking for a combination laundromat/$7 shower/café for lunch place? They have one of those. Also plenty of drinking water kiosks (5 gallons for a dollar), small grocery stores and a public library (wifi!). And, perhaps most famously, Reader's Oasis Books. You'll find plenty of pictures of the owner on-line. He's a 60-something, very wiry, very tan nudist who wears only a knitted pouch over his private bits in order to conduct business. It's different, I'll say that. Bottom line, though, he has a ton of new and used books for sale. Then it was back to the Kofa and a place called Palm Canyon. For all of the zillions of palm trees you see in Arizona, this tiny canyon is supposedly the home of the only native palm trees in the entire state. It's another beautiful area and it was relatively green when I was there as I hope this picture shows.
from my campsite: Palm Canyon is in the distance where the dirt road ends
that dark sliver of a side canyon is where most of the palm trees are
the view west from Palm Canyon
I hiked the canyon the next morning, a somewhat slippery walk uphill. You really need to go on-line to see clear pictures of what this group of trees looks like. I was there in the morning and the sun only lights them up for a short period every afternoon.
in the Mittry Lake Area
After a drive down to Yuma to resupply (the Fry's grocery store on Fortuna is awesome and has wifi throughout) and grab a shower at the '76' truck stop (very clean, excellent and private full bathrooms for $12), I went north to the Mittry Lake Wildlife Area, a recreation spot along the Colorado River. I only spent one night, though, as it got crowded with locals and military guys letting off steam. Plus, it was very buggy being next to the water. After that I found another campsite back in the Kofa that was along a more remote dead-end road where I only saw two other people over 3 days. Now, that was nice. I had crystal clear days and nights with an amazing blanket of stars above.
view from my 4th and most remote Kofa campsite
Finally, it was time to move onward. First, I dropped into Yuma and Fortuna Road again for a shower and supplies. Fortuna might be my favorite road in Yuma. Besides the '76' and the Fry's there is a strip mall a few blocks further south. Here I found a great laundromat and while my clothes were washing I dropped into the barbershop next door for a quick $12 haircut.
I recommend the French dip
Afterwards, still in the strip, I walked over to Rob's Grill for, literally, one of the best French dips I've ever had. Rob was telling me that maybe 90% of Yuma's population is snowbirds and when they leave his business drops accordingly...I was the only one there. But, he still cooks everything from scratch, including the top round used for the dip (which he buys at Fry's! Talk about a virtuous circle). Just outside of town on I-8 there is a border patrol stop, right there on the interstate. I thought that was strange and a bit inconvenient. It being, you know, an interstate. Anyway, I made good time east to the Sonoran Desert National Monument where I spent 3 nights camping (#130-132 on the map at top).
my Sonoran friend
The main event of my time here was the rattlesnake that crossed through my campsite. I was lazing around in the shade of my tent (it was now getting into the mid-90's) when I saw a rodent out of the corner of my eye. It was frantically jumping up and down. It was then that I noticed the reason...a snake. I quickly grabbed my camera. It started to curl up as it sensed my presence but I think the solar panel was too slick for it get any traction. That was kind of exciting.
South of the Sonoran is Organ Pipe, my first opportunity for a stamp in my National Parks passport book in some time. Still looking at the map at the top of this page, you drive through the small town of Ajo. I liked this town and they have a very southwestern-y central square that was neat as a pin and very inviting. I then took a quick detour down to the border to see Lukeville. I thought Lukeville might actually be a small town but it's really just a border crossing with a duty-free shop and gas station and a restaurant that was already closed for the season (I was hungry). Oh, well.
organ pipe cactus in the park
Ireturnedto Organ Pipe where I wandered the visitor's center and took the driving tour and then checked out the campgrounds. It was too hot for hiking. The campsites are, like most other park campgrounds, jammed too close together for my taste so I went north and found a free spot in the desert on a far side of Ajo (#133).
one of the great views from Kitt Peak
southeast Arizona
Hoping for cooler weather I continued east across the very large Tohono O'odham Nation Reservation. This part of the desert is a bit more bleak than what I had been seeing, but eventually you come upon a mountain rising out of the desert with white globes on top of it. This is the most excellent Kitt Peak National Observatory, "home to the largest collection of astronomical telescopes in the world", 27 I think. Just driving the winding road up to the top is a visual treat.
a couple of the telescopes
Various tours are available and I took one ($8) led by a retired astronomer. This woman had started working here in the '60's - almost from the very beginning - and she had some great stories. We all got to look at the sun and some of its' sun spots through one of the telescopes. Cool. Kitt Peak also offers nighttime programs to the public, including the option to stay overnight. Check it out on-line (though it ain't cheap).
I continued east into Tucson for food and then south to the Sonoita area. Just north of Sonoita is the Las Cienegas Conservancy Area. This former Empire Ranch is now managed by the BLM and offers free camping among the rolling grasslands. While cattle still roam this property I also saw antelope and hawks and heard many coyotes at night, some who seemed a little too close for comfort. As a precaution, I always keep my bear spray in the tent. You never know.
the grasslands of Las Cienegas
I stayed three nights in this peaceful setting. You can walk around the old ranch house and all of the support buildings to get a sense of what life was like. It must have been a magical place to live, even with all of the hard work.
I didn't go in...next time
The southeastern corner of Arizona has many sky islands. These are elevated mountainous lands surrounded by the desert. This makes for very pleasant days - at least in April - and cool nights. It's also one of my favorite parts of Arizona, as the beautiful sky islands have not only the grasslands but forests and rivers and some really neat towns like Sonoita and nearby Patagonia.
under the sycamores
I camped in a nearby canyon for the night (#137) near a lazy creek under a big sycamore tree. The next morning in Sonoita - the center of town is basically a crossroads with a few buildings - I had an excellent breakfast burrito at a little café owned by Laura located just east of the crossroads. It's in a building with a "Sonoita Fuel Stop" sign on its' side, but it hasn't been that for a while. You also get a bottomless cup of good coffee. Recommended.
From there I drove through some very rural country with dramatic landscapes down to the Coronado National Memorial, located hard on the border and another opportunity for a parks stamp. This park commemorates the Francisco Coronado expedition that came through the area in the 1540's. A hike up a trail at Montezuma Pass affords an expansive view in all directions. This short video starts looking east (you might spot a sliver of the border wall in the distance), then turns to the south and around. You'll hear...it was pretty windy up there.
The dry weather and high winds inevitably led to fires. There was a serious fire near Sonoita as I was leaving the area, and then as I headed towards a forest east of Tombstone lots of smoke from another fire made camping unadvisable. This was, unfortunately, the end of 21 days of free camping, my longest streak yet. Instead, I took a room in Benson (#138).
the guys killed at the OK Corral
death by mistake!
The next day I drove back down to Tombstone to check it out. This is a very touristy place and everything costs money, including the $3 to get into Boot Hill. If I remember right this isn't the original cemetery location and they've spruced up all of the gravestones, but it was still interesting to walk around and read some of the famous inscriptions.
it doesn't look like much from the street
At one end of the unpaved main street is the OK Corral, but of course it costs money to get in to see the reenactment of the shootout, which was scheduled for some time later, so I just took a picture.
camping in the Cochise Stronghold area
After a decent lunch at the Longhorn it was time to bounce and I headed east again into the nearby mountainous sky island. None of the camping options looked appealing so I continued east then north to the Cochise Stronghold for more free camping (#139, 140). Cochise really did hide out in this area of rugged, rocky canyons and I don't blame him.
some of what's left of Fort Bowie
one of Geronimo's children is
buried here
The next day my first stop was the Fort Bowie Historical Site, somewhat off the beaten path. You have to earn you parks stamp here as you need to hike in for about 1-1/2 miles to reach the fort and the visitor's center. It's well worth it as you walk an interpretive trail that relives the history of the area, including an old stage line and the Cochise conflicts.
some of the standing up rocks at Chiricahua
Next was the Chiricahua National Monument, another sky island that is home to a large area of hoodoos. The Apaches called them "standing up rocks". The scenic drive takes you through a beautiful canyon and up to the hoodoos. It would have been worth exploring if the weather was better.
a flowering cactus
I drove north into more desert and a nice, remote BLM campground called Fourmile Canyon. It was worth the $5/night. It only has 10 sites, but the bathrooms had flush toilets and sinks and real mirrors. Outstanding! I was the only one there for 3 nights (#143-145). I'm guessing it gets busy during hunting season.
After doing laundry and groceries in the pleasant town of Safford I drove up to theGila Box Conservation Area. There are lots of free camping opportunities and I found a nice spot above the river for the night. It was on the windy side, though, so I headed north the next day.
a gorgeous section of the Gila River, known as the Gila Box
a tiny sliver of the mining operation
Route 191 takes you up into another beautiful corner of Arizona, the mountains of the Apache National Forest. First, though, is the drive through the historic towns of Clifton and Morenci. Morenci is the home to the gigantic Freeport McMoran open pit mine. It stretches north for a good 10 miles and you drive right through it. Lots of giant trucks with giant wheels.
a view from the Blue Vista Overlook (even the name is great)
I camped for four days in a National Forest campground that was actually free, a rare find in my experience. This was a well-treed spot in a old, raggedy campground that was built during the Depression by the CCC. Except for a ranger that stopped by and talked to me for a while, I had the place to myself. Further north and you climb higher into the mountains and the road goes by the Blue Range Primitive Area - the only designated "primitive" area left in the country - and the Hannigan Meadow, where there is a small resort. The entire serpentine drive from Morenci to Alpine is a National Scenic Byway and it's mesmerizing. New Mexico and Colorado: May 8, 2017 - May 27
northwest New Mexico
After 35 days my trip across southern Arizona came to a close. The weather was turning worse as I crossed over to New Mexico and into the National Forest south of the town of Quemado. As a matter of fact, it got down into the 30's with rain and lightning during the night (#151)...terrible. The bad weather continued the next day so I simply drove up to Gallup and got a room to wait it out for the next two days (#152,153). The heavy thunderstorms and hail even knocked out power to the entire town of Gallup for about two hours.
the drive up to Farmington on Route 371
I drove straight up to Farmington under sunny skies and over to the small town of Aztec and the Aztec Ruins National Monument.
a portion of Aztec Ruins
a tradition, this is along Route 550
On the edge of town, these ruins are a small, contained sight of adobe homes and kivas. Interesting enough, I suppose, but I've now seen a number of these and I kinda blazed through, grabbed my stamp and headed back into Colorado.
The town of Durango keeps getting bigger every year and the roads were jammed so I kept driving west until I got to Cortez, a quieter slice of Colorado I've grown to like.
one of the towers, not bad for 700 years old
The next day I drove north and then west on dirt roads into the BLM managed Canyons of the Ancients. Within these lands is the Hovenweep National Monument, consisting of a series of scattered ruins. What's different is that the people, besides the usual adobe homes and kivas, also built towers, many of them round, making this a unique area to explore.
western Colorado
I was able to find a free spot where I hung out/lived for the next 9 days (#155-163, with one trip in the middle to resupply in Cortez).
probably the most famous spit of sand in Mexico, if
you're an RV'er, it's called El Requeson
my spot at Playa Coyote
After leaving Bob and Marilyn's place in Loreto I drove the main highway north to the Bahia Concepcion. The road skirts the beautiful Bahia for much of its length and there are a number of campgrounds along the way. Unfortunately, since the campgrounds are next to or near the road they are easily accessible and, therefore, crowded in season. I did find a decent spot at Playa Coyote right on the water but the trucks on the road were quite noisy and so one night was enough.
Loreto to Guerrero Negro
From there heading north I was uninspired by stops such as Mulege and Santa Rosalia, a town that has a church designed by Eiffel, believe it or not. I guess it has some historic significance but I didn't even take a picture. And there is a somewhat famous "French" bakery in Santa Rosalia, as well. Bob commented that it may have been French about five generations ago, and I think he nailed it. It's products are no different than what most grocery stores sell, imo.
Obre Ojos
the beach road, very well maintained
San Ignacio, which is shown by the black #156 (a trip from 2006) does have some things of interest but I elected to turn south towards the ocean. On the coast is Obre Ojos, a fishing village with some gringo homes, but it was quite windy. Instead, I kept moving along on the sand beach road that leads up the coast to Bahia Asuncion (green #150). I had read of a small campground there that had hot showers and wifi. Turns out that the entire town and surrounding area were without running water due to a water main break some days earlier. And the wifi didn't work, and, being situated on a bluff overlooking the ocean it was, again, quite windy. In the morning, to top it off, one of my rear tires was looking a bit soft. I thought it just needed a bit of air...more about that later.
road under repair on the way to Tortugas
the dock area of Bahia de Tortugas
I thought I may as well drive out to the end of the peninsula so I took what started out to be a very good paved road to Bahia de Tortugas. Some miles on it turned into terrible dirt washboard, so bad I thought of turning around as it's 60 miles one way. Slowly pressing onward the bad section lasted about 10 miles before thankfully turning into pavement again. Some major road repair is going on. The flat desert gave way to some interesting mountainous terrain with lots of tiny yellow, purple and orange flowers before dropping into the fishing town of B. de Tortugas. This is definitely a working town with no gringos in sight and the smell of fish was strong in the air around the dock area.
driving by one of the salt flats
There was nothing to keep me there, however, so I got to ride the washboard all over again (and the dust when you pass another vehicle going in the opposite direction...omg!) as I made my way to the town of Guerrero Negro. G. N. came into existence in the 1950's to support a sea salt mining operation, for the most part. It's still what they do today, along with their own gray whale sightseeing industry. To my eye G. N. is kind of an ugly place, more function than form, but it's a convenient stop.
living the dream!
There isn't much in the way of camping options, so I took a spot at the Hotel Malarrimo. Just to show you that not every campsite is wonderful, here's a pic of the hotel spot. That's basically what the town looks like, now that I think about it. The restaurant has a good reputation, however, and my seafood soup was tasty.
tire repair shop in G. N.
the guy was quick and efficient
I woke up to cloudy skies and a half-flat left rear tire. I had to pull out the owner's manual to refresh my memory on how to change these tires since it had been about 7 years since the last one. I got it done and as I was leaving town I stopped at a llantera, which is a tire repair shop. These are innumerable in Mexico and very easy to find. The guy there found the leak and made the repair for $5. Of course, he didn't have a fancy machine for separating the tire from the wheel. It was done the old-fashioned way with a long lever and muscle. The sound of him hitting that lever against my fancy wheel made me cringe, I had to look away. Turns out, I picked up a screw back in Bahia Asencion, so I got something from that place, after all. Anyway, I was able to continue my journey with a good spare tire.
the desert on the road to Bahia de Los Angeles
The desert north of G. N. started out flat and monotonous before getting more lush, if that's a term you can apply to desert. Lots of different cactus and yellow flowers and the skies cleared as I made my way out to the Bahia de Los Angeles.
overlooking the Bahia de Los Angeles
This is a huge bay and it's as blue as it looks in the picture. Unfortunately, it has a reputation for wind and it didn't disappoint, although I wish it had. Getting the tent packed was tricky. Like much of the Baja, I believe fishing is the main draw for travelers to this small, sleepy town. This is really the crux of why I don't have any warm fuzzies for the Baja. The three main things gringos come down for, as I see it, are fishing, off-roading and surfing/kite-surfing. Fishing really requires a boat if you are going to make a hobby out of it. I don't have a boat or a house to park it at. I can off-road in my FJ and I do some of that. But, the real off-roaders use motorcycles. I don't have one or a place to store it. And, though I've tried surfing, it's not something I see doing on a daily basis, especially since I'm turning 60 soon. So, the Baja to me is really just a big desert with lots of wind and fairly cold waters, at least in the winter months. Give me Oaxaca!
Guerrero Negro to Mexicali
the new coast road, B. Gonzaga in the distance
From there I took the road that runs along the Sea of Cortez - see map. This used to be an arduous long dirt road that is now about 22 miles from being a pristine two-lane short-cut that I'm guessing will bring explosive growth to some areas. The beautiful Bahia Gonzaga is one area that seems to be an obvious candidate. It's where I would go...if I fished and could afford a house!
the famous watering hole
Along what still remains of the old dirt road is Coco's Corner, a tiny stopover for people traveling through for many years. It even has it's own dot on my map if you zoom in. I was going to stop but there were already two RV's and five motorcycles parked outside. You can see from the picture that the place was probably packed at that point. I'm told Coco is now in his 70's and is confined to a wheelchair due to diabetes but that he is still a colorful host. Looking back I should have stopped as it was probably my one shot to see the place and Coco. Plus, I could have used a cold one right about then.
Campo Mazatlán campsite, sea in background
The road as it gets close to San Felipe loses it's pristineness and is full of potholes and a real annoyance to drive. Along the way is a campground called Campo Mazatlán, a veritable oasis compared to everything else I saw. Every other campground I looked at from south of San Felipe, in San Felipe itself and north of San Felipe looked to be either abandoned or just total crap. Campo Mazatlán (green #153, 154) was a shaded and peaceful location right on a very large beach. I stayed two nights with only one other camper both nights. Of course, I stayed there on a couple of weeknights. I think this campground gets a lot of locals action on the weekends. I went into San Felipe to have lunch on the malecon with all the other gringos (this is like California south here). It was okay, but this town was never one of my favorites.
the green countryside in the hills east of Ensenada
West to Ensenada, a big and busy city with lots of tourism from up north and via cruise ships.
the Estero Beach Hotel pool area
The temperatures were chilly and the wind was blowing and it was getting late so I took a room at the Estero Beach Hotel. They also have an RV park here, but they charge a fortune so I took the room which was okay but dated and a bit worn. Just south of Ensenada is a tourist trap called La Bufadora. This is a water spout caused by the Pacific getting squeezed between some rocks. It was one of those "guess I gotta go see it" deals.
La Bufadora
For me, the overall view of the rocks and ocean was the best part as the spout didn't seem to be that special? There is a whole cottage industry in place to serve this one attraction and the gauntlet you have to walk to get to it must be 1/4-mile long. All food and t-shirt and trinket shops. It's amazing so many people can make a living off this. Well, I got my picture, so there.
the Silver Guy
As I was leaving the city, I took this photo of a guy on the side of the road. He was taking pails of water out of the puddles and throwing the water into the weeds. For some reason he was painted in silver. The whole thing was...curious.
some of the vineyards
After that I drove north out of the city to find the main wine region of Mexico. This is a relatively small area that nonetheless has garnered much attention from folks from Europe, the U. S. and even Russia. It's a happening place. Driving through the tight winding roads I saw a sign that looked like an impressionistic drawing of a camping trailer. I thought, aha, camping, so I followed these signs as they took me through a jigsaw of vineyards. I arrived at what I first thought was an Airstream graveyard since that's all I saw. Driving in, though, I come to find out this is a glamping set-up with about 10 Airstreams, all old collectibles that have been refurbished and located in a field in the middle of all the vineyards.
camping amongst the Airstreams
one of the Airstreams. They each
have a different interior "scheme"
The owner is Caesar, a recovering lawyer from Ensenada who started it as a lark but it now has a life of it's own. He runs it with his wife and a few others. I stayed there for eight days and it's quite popular, especially on the weekends with both locals and with Americans making a weekend of it from the San Diego area. You can find out more about it by starting here rutadearteyvino.wixsite.com/rutadearteyvino/home. This is a beautiful part of Mexico and probably my favorite on the Baja. I suppose I prefer living in the hills and visiting the beaches. Over those eight days I visited five different wineries (vinados) and did their wine tastings and bought some of their wine. The wineries run the gamut from big money operations to small specialty spots.
the borrego...this pic makes my mouth water, except for the cilantro, which is gross
the tortilla station
Whenever I told local people where I was staying they would respond, oh, that's near the Cocina de Dona Esthela. This is a very popular restaurant that is famous in these parts for their borrego, or lamb. I had to try it. Man, it's good. On the menu it's called Borrego Tatemado, with consommé on the side (which was excellent all by itself). Only the refried beans were a little bland. And the tortillas are made right there by the lady in the picture, so they come to your table fresh and warm. They don't sell booze, but you're allowed to bring in your wine, or whatever.
the Tecate factory
my favorite beer in Mexico
From here it was a short drive up to the border town of Tecate, which is home to the huge brewery. It's also a Pueblo Magico and one I'd not been to. Tecate Titanium happens to be my go-to beer in Mexico, one you can't buy in the U. S., I don't think.
I spent two nights camping near Tecate at the Rancho Ojai (some of the best showers in Mexico!) and then crossed back into the U.S. via Mexicali, a few hours to the east. I had intended to cross at Tecate but I could not find the banjercito, although I've been told there is one.
I waited about 30 minutes in this line in
Tecate before finding out there was no
banjercito for me to access.
A banjercito is a necessary stop before crossing back over the border. They collect your vehicle pass and cancel it out of the system thereby clearing the way to bring that same vehicle back into Mexico in the future. It also means you get back a $400 deposit that Mexico collects when you first cross into Mexico as a way to incentivize you to not leave that vehicle in Mexico.
more detail of the north Baja area I saw
leaving Mexicali
Mexicali was jammed with traffic trying to cross back into the States, but with the help of the very nice man in the banjercito and another one in the aduano (where you need to get your passport stamped proving you left the country...also very important), who helped direct traffic so I could cut back in line, I made it back to the U.S. after about two hours. Whew!
