PIRATE CAMP '24-25....................Desert SouthWest

[maki2]

^^^of course having made that decision yesterday to launch out on a new to me route does not mean that I did not wake up this morning wondering if I should strict to the same old pathway to Pirate Camp at La Posa South that feels very familiar and safe.

I ended up going to freecampsites.net and verifying that my planned first campsite had a report of useable Verison signal. Then on google maps verified that the Post Office in the small community of Paulden, AZ was an easy 6 minute drive from camp. Plus of course verify a source for drinking water. It only took few minutes fix to calm a touch of minor anxiety. A little more research to back up my prior decision 🤣

Now I need to get back to cleaning, sorting, packing and move south tomorrow or else Frosty the Snowman and his cousin Jack Frost will soon be spending the nights with me.

 

[bullfrog !]

This route avoids all those hair pin turns on 89 that are South of Prescott. I would never take that route either up or down towing my little trailer. I hate driving along roads with huge drop offs.

Basically this three segment drive is from Hwy 40 near Ash Fork get onto hwy 89 heading South. Then I will stop at the Walmart Super Center in Prescott, the street at the end of the shopping center that Walmart is in is AZ Hwy 10 also called Iron springs Rd. Then take HWy 10 to the little town called Skull Valley. I will take a rest stop break there. Then continue South on Hwy 10 until it intersects with Hwy 89 and take Hwy 89 on to the town of Congress.

That route shift from Hwy 89 over to Hwy 10 avoids all the steep windy sections on Hwy 89 that begin South of Prescott.

After it cools down more I will head further South from Congress and check out the Wickenburg AZ area. I have heard there is some good dispersed BLM camping around there. Then from there it will be on to Quartzsite and Pirate Camp!

Maybe I will enjoy that route and change of scenery and maybe I won’t. But at least I will get out of the rut I have been wearing into Hwy 40 to Hwy 95 that I have been traveling in the last 3 fall and spring seasons.

You could always make a larger route going east from Flagstaff then south eventually ending up in southern Arizona then Benson-Sonita- Arivaca then on to Ajo and north. Lots of easy free 14 day camping in southern Arizona.

 

[maki2]

You could always make a larger route going east from Flagstaff then south eventually ending up in southern Arizona then Benson-Sonita- Arivaca then on to Ajo and north. Lots of easy free 14 day camping in southern Arizona.

Maybe next time🙂
I spent the whole month of January 2023 camping just on the Southern edge of Ajo. First BLM road turn on the right past the mine tailings piles.

 

[maki2]

You could always make a larger route going east from Flagstaff then south eventually ending up in southern Arizona then Benson-Sonita- Arivaca then on to Ajo and north. Lots of easy free 14 day camping in southern Arizona.

taken at my January of 2023 Ajo Arizona campsite. There are a lot of cactus in that area. A mountain side was just out of site on the right. Some of the prettiest desert area I have camped in …once you are out of sight of the mine tailings which are not pretty. That area was spotty for cell reception due to the hills.

 

[abnorm]

....................There's a pot-o-gold out there

 

[wayne49]

Much further below Lake Ontario, south of Why, bordered by Mexico, is the Organ Pipe National Monument.

Why has a BLM dispersed camping area named "Wild Woman". Don't ask me why.

 

[maki2]

Much further below Lake Ontario, south of Why, bordered by Mexico, is the Organ Pipe National Monument.

Why has a BLM dispersed camping area named "Wild Woman". Don't ask me why.

I drove down to Organ Pipe monument area for a day trip. But I have a mail order business so I needed to camp closer to Ajo for easier access to a post office. My mail order business pays for my travels. We all have our priorities when choosing where to camp.🙂

 

[wayne49]

I was not intending for that post to indicate where one should go. Just that there is an entire National area that is dedicated to the organ pipe cacti.

i would never deign to give nomadic advice to someone as experienced as you. I have enough issues with my own travels.