Van-Tramp adventures 2015

[mockturtle]

I have kayaked Mittry Lake but much prefer Squaw Lake. It's also BLM but there is a charge for camping there. Just left Organ Pipe for the second visit this winter. It's pretty populated but there are always spaces left. Gorgeous park! $6/day with my senior pass.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feb 12 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/organ-pipe-cactus-national-monument/

It is funny how I go into an area with huge misconceptions of what it will be. I had always figured that Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument had one (alright, maybe a few) massive Organ Pipe Cactus and some land around it. I was hoping to gawk at this one massive cactus, snap a few photos, then move onto a hike.


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The reality of the situation is quite depressing. Basically, the park houses “most” (not all) of the organ pipe cacti in the USA. This might  make you believe they are rare, but that would be incorrect. They are common in Mexico, and considering that the land that the park resides on was most likely Mexico not long ago… well, it makes the park seem sort of “stolen” if you ask me.


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Don’t get me wrong, it is some beautiful desert with something akin to 25 different cactus species in the park and the 21 mile Ajo Mountain Loop drive is worth the 2 hours needed (and good shocks). Lastly, I went out on the Arch Canyon trail (3/4 mile each way) in the 80 degree heat which made for a great bath later that evening.

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[mockturtle]

I can only shake my head in silent wonder that anyone could find OPCNM depressing.  :huh:

Incidentally, the territory was bought [Gadsden Purchase] by the US from Mexico, not 'stolen'.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Thanks mockturtle I learned something new today.
Yes, I assumed it was part of the now-Texas land stolen from Mexico (sorry, "forced sale" as history says) following the Mexican-American War.

But, in no way do I find Organ Pipe depressing. It is an amazingly beautiful area and I am happy I went there. It was my own misconceptions that ruined it for me, not the actual park. I thought I had conveyed that sarcasm better than I did actually, sorry.

 

[mockturtle]

You needn't apologize.     I wasn't offended, just surprised.  Glad you liked it, too.  When I was there in December it wasn't even 1/4 full but last week it was pretty busy.  Still nice.

 

[simply lesa]

congrats Van-Tramp!
I'm liking both the pictures and an update to THE story!

 

[flying kurbmaster]

great start to the new year....enjoy!

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feb 15 - Darby Wells Cemetery
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/darby-wells-cemetery/

Searching for some information online about Darby Wells turned up little other than blog posts from other’s who have camped here. One thing that did pop up as out of the ordinary was the Find A Grave website which mentioned a cemetery just down the road from where I am camped. It sounded like a cool adventure!

I knew nothing about the cemetery prior to visiting, but have since found that the land for the cemetery was donated  to be used as Burial Grounds for Native Americans. There are a good number of Native Americans already buried here, mostly in recent(ish) years. Then there are more than a few unmarked graves which makes the mind wander… 

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[mockturtle]

I must not have gone out far enough on Darby Well Rd. I got off the dirt road and onto a sand wash and drove down it for a while in 4WD. Stopped for lunch and considered camping there but decided against it.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feb 17 - Saguaro National Park
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/saguaro-national-park/

Even though I have already visited Saguaro National Park in early 2011 I tend to visit said when National Park camped nearby. This week my “home” is in Gilbert Ray Campground just outside the National Park boundary. Yep, you heard right, paid camping is this week’s deal.

With a beautiful 70-degree day to spend off the computer, it was an easy decision to spend a portion of that day-off in Saguaro National Park (West). I set off to visit the Visitor’s Center, then drive the Scenic Bajada Loop as I did back in 2011. This time instead of a full loop I cut off to Golden Gate Road. This means I have now traveled every foot of paved and unpaved road in Saguaro National Park… not something I can say about any other National Park.

Lastly, I got a new sticker to put on the rear of the van to replace the  old – and much faded – sticker that has been there for 4 years.

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[mockturtle]

Nice photos!

BTW, say hello to the hosts at Gilbert Ray, Harry & Gwen, from Pat, the Tiger lady at Organ Pipe. They are primo folks! 

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feb 19 - Captain Van-Tramp
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/captain-van-tramp/

Even though I had my first kayaking adventure only two weeks ago, I am now the proud new owner of a used [beginners] sea-kayak, complete with rudder, paddles, and air bag (for addition floatation and easier rescue-ability). I have been keeping my eye out for a kayak or canoe for the past year and this guy fit the bill perfectly, including a storage port in the rear that will easily convert to a seat for Moose.

I plan to sail the seas – or at least the local lakes – in my manly 15 foot vessel (Ooo, that sounded weird didn’t it?) Since it is a single-seater, that makes me the Captain by default, right?

[img=474x474]http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_2287-1024x1024.jpg[/img]
s it turns out, Tucson is a great place to buy a used kayak. Since there are so few places to kayak in the desert, people who move here from other areas of the country tend to get rid of a kayak after a few years in storage. This kayak was over $1300 new, sells currently for more than $600, and here in Tucson I bought it for $250. And get this, it fits *inside* the van with just over 1 inch to spare before touching the dashboard.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feb 22 - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/arizona-sonora-desert-museum/

I must preface this post with the truth that I left my camera back at camp, so I am using the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Instagram pictures in place of my lack there of.


On my final full day in the Tucson area I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum which is right up the road from the campground I have stayed this week.The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles of walking paths traversing 21 acres  of desert landscape. – Wiki
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Upon arrival I had quickly realized that this is not your average museum. I was expecting  single indoor area with some displays, but as it turns out this is more of a zoo and botanical garden than a museum. Sprawled across the desert with paved walk ways is display after display. Many having nothing to do with the desert at all. For instance, there was an entire section dedicated to animals of the sea. I found this odd considering the name and that it is known as the #1 attraction in the Tucson area.

Other displays, such as the bee and butterfly displays, were simple and  well thought out planting of the specific plants that would attract each of the insects, although I did not see a single bee when I was there. Other displays were very zoo-like but depressing in that there was nothing in them. The wolf display? Empty. The aviary? A half dozen non-local birds. The Bighorn sheep? Gone. The tortoise? Hibernating…. yea,  hibernating they say. And many more of the displays simply lacked any “umph” to justify the $19.50 per adult admission. Basically, if they had advertised that half the displays would be empty or “under construction” I would have asked if I could pay half-price as well.
However, at the end of the loop trail (by the way, I went the wrong way by accident), after the empty wolf enclosure, was their star attraction; the mountain lion. Now, I’ve seen a few in other zoos and what-not, but this one was active and playful at the time I happened to be walking past making it even more of a blunder that I forgot my camera.
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[Van-Tramp]

Feb 24 - San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/san-pedro-riparian-national-conservation-area/

I have visited the San Pedro National Conservation Area once before in 2011 during my first adventures in boondocking thanks to the McCarrell’s offering up their land to me back then. Since then I have been in the area just about every winter, but have only just decided to revisit San Pedro. What was once an 1800’s ranch is now a 57,000 acre conservation area for wildlife including some 84 species of mammals, 14 species of fish, 41 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 100 species of breeding birds.

[img=474x473]http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_2310-1024x1021.jpg[/img]
After spending this past week caged up indoors, I brought Moose out for a hike around the trail system that first meanders out to the San Pedro River and along it’s banks before turning back through the fields of tall wind swept dried grass. Unfortunately, the wind today kept most of the wildlife ‘inside’ but that did not take away from Moose’s time off leash and adventuring over the roughly 2 miles hiked. He enjoys the trails and wildlife so much and slept like a baby after.
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Afterwards, and thanks to the wind, my allergies kicked in full force and my ability to breath was severely hampered the remainder of the day (and night).

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feb 25 - Van-berry muffins
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/van-berry-muffins/

With it being a cold and gloomy day in Arizona, I had to find another way to occupy myself between work periods. I could have read a book, or watched a movie, but I had the urge to bake instead.

Sure, my version of baking is not baking-proper as my limited storage prevents me from storing the necessary items to bake anything from scratch, but for a van-dweller any time we get to turn on an actual oven it means there is some hardcore food preparation going on. So I set out to bake the only item I had in my stores; Blueberry Muffins, which were quickly renamed to Van-berry Muffins.


One may think I do not have the correct tools for such a homely task, but this van-dweller has been around the block a few times already. The mixing bowl, rubber spatula, and even the muffin pan were thought out years ago. You may be surprised what I have in the van… in fact the phrase “I got that in the van” escapes my lips many times more often than you may think, some times to the annoyance of the person lacking such an item.

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With my recently purchased Camp Chef Oven it took no time at all to have my muffins cooking away for the prescribed 14-17 minutes at 425 degrees. And only 22 minutes after inserting the muffins into the oven (I had forgotten to monitor the temp) I had beautifully cooked Van-berry Muffins, and a much warmer van to boot.
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[mockturtle]

Nice-looking 'yak and nice-looking muffins, too! I had to sell my kayak last May as there was no way for me to carry it or load it by myself on my new Tiger [used to carry it on my toad]. But I enjoyed it for many years. When I worked winters in Yuma, a colleague and I would kayak Mittry and also Squaw Lake on our days off. Squaw lake is much better and I hope you'll get a chance to paddle up there. You can camp there, too--it's BLM--but it costs a few bucks.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I will have to look up Squaw lake for when I am in the Yuma area again, thanks

 

[mockturtle]

It's technically in CA but is actually NE of Yuma off Imperial Dam Rd.  
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/recreation/camping/dev_camps/squaw_lake_campground.htmlhttp://

 

[Van-Tramp]

March 2 - A week in the Tombstone desert
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/a-week-in-the-tombstone-desert/

I have spent this past week boondocking not far out of Tombstone, Arizona. Even though I have been in this area multiple times in recent years, it has become something of a tradition to pop in here for at least one week when I am in Southern Arizona.


This year I had decided to hit a couple of the landmarks that I had missed in years past. Most prominent was my failure to visit the Coronado National Memorial which commemorates the first organized expedition into the Southwest by conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. It was a quick visit to the park, stopping into the Visitor’s Center and driving up to the Montezuma Pass Overlook where there is one heck-of-a view…

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I was going to hike into the Coronado Cave but the park map gave me the wrong place to start the hike and I was no longer in the mood to drive back to it’s proper location. Next time…

I woke early each of the next few days just to revisit some of the places I had visited in the recent past. Mainly these were just good reasons to wake up well before my work day and get outside. On one morning I hiked out to Brunckow’s Cabin which is purported to be the “bloodiest cabin in Arizona history”.

[img=1024x641]http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_07601-1024x641.jpg[/img]

On another morning Moose and I adventured out to the ghost town of Charleston, AZ located on the west bank of the San Pedro River. I had visited here back in 2013, but even so I found a new area of the town that I had not explored before. Moose enjoyed the roughly 2 mile hike more than you could imagine. He has grown so much in the past year and a half, venturing further from me when off-leash then I am comfortable with. To prove his maturity he returns when I whistle each time with that big puppy  smile.

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And as a grand finale, on the final night camping here I ventured into Tombstone, which I had visited in the past, for a night on the town. This means I had the choice of one of two bars open past sunset as the entire tourist town shutters up pretty early. I ate a mediocre burger at the Crystal Palace Saloon where karaoke was the entertainment choice of the night. It was sad unfortunately, with the dozen or so patrons just not making much of a “party” in the huge dining area. So I chose to mosey on over to Big Nose Kate’s Saloon which had a live band, scantily dressed waitresses (so did Crystal Palace to be honest) and a lot bigger crowd. A few drinks – and songs – later my night, and time in the Tombstone area, was complete.

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[JannaB]

Nice photos of Arizona. I'm hoping to see for myself some day soon [emoji261]