Ajo Peak Via Estes Canyon and Bull Pasture Trail

Thursday: (02/28) Lou made corned beef hash with eggs for breakfast. I headed off in the Jeep to the trailhead on the same 21 mile loop road we took yesterday. When I arrived at the trailhead at 9am I discovered I had forgotten my phone. The phone is also my camera and GPS so I returned to pick it up. I would hate to not recordmy hike for posterity on Everytrail.com. And I also would hate to not have any photos after the effort. So my hike began at 10am.

Ajo Peak Via Estes Canyon and Bull Pasture Trail


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I had planned a loop hike out the Estes Canyon Trail to Bull Pasture and return via the Bull Pasture Trail. However Mount Ajo was calling so I continued up to the peak from Bull Pasture. 


Estes Canyon was very nice. Along the way I say deer and quail,


The trail from there on up to the peak is very strenuous and not well marked as well.


While the Estes Canyon trail is fairly easy as is the Bull pasture to where the two trail merge, the trail from the junction on up to Bull pasture is rather strenuous.










But, the hike is worth the effort because there is no better view anywhere nearby, You can see a lot of the monument as well as into Mexico. I left the peak at 15:15 and was back at the trailhead by 17:45. .






The hike was 8.7 miles with 3252 feet of climb. It was very strenuous so I only averaged 1.3 mph

We planned to go to the ranger talk tonight so Lou had already eaten her dinner of chicken with rice before I returned. We attended the talk and then I had my dinner.

Arch Canyon Trail To Ridge Top

Wednesday: (02/27) Strawberry pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Lou also prepared some black bean soup for dinner in the pressure cooker while breakfast was prepared and eaten. it only required a little heat when it was dinner time. We started the day with a visit to the Visitor Center, when they were open, even. We signed up for a van tour of Ajo Mountain area on Sunday and I signed up for a van tour / hike to Quitobaquito Springs on Friday. With that done we returned home and extended our stay for four more days. We packed lunch and headed out on the 21 mile Ajo Mountain loop road, the same road we are signed up to tour Sunday. Seems kind of backwards.

Arch Canyon Trail To Ridge Top

 
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We stopped at the Arch Canyon trailhead. The sign said it was a 1 mile trail, a 1/2 mile in and return. While I hiked the trail Lou relaxed at the trailhead.

 
Of course, when I got to the normal return point the trail started up the mountain. It was rather rough and steep but I made it to the ridge in about 1:15. From the ridge you get a really good view of the park way below. You don't get any views of the arch and there isn't a trail to the arch either. After a good look I returned down the trail. My hike was about 2 hours and 2.9 miles. I had planned on a different hike or a couple of the short hikes today but this hike was enough for the day being a 1809 feet climb. We continued our tour of the road.

 
Above left shows where I ended up on the ridge in the saddle above. The drive back had more nice views of this desert.

We got back to the highway about 4:10 and then drove down to the boomng town of Lukeville, Arizona. Not much there. There is a big border crossing station, a gas sation/mini market and a restaurant. There is also a post office. Dinner was Lou's black bean soup.


After seeing these two cacti I now understand why there are so many saguara cacti around here.

Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Tuesday: (02/26) We headed into Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument stopping at the Twin Peak's campground. We settled in and had lunch, a Greek salad and ham sandwich. Nice day to relax. On our way into the park you travel a long way only seeing some of the healthiest saguaro cactus forests we've ever seen. You travel many miles before you finally see the occasional organ pipe cactus but when you arrive at the campground they are a little more prevalent but still not more than the saguaro cacti. We hiked the trail down to the Visitor Center but it was closed by the time we got there. We thought it might be but it was a nice hike through the cacti. Dinner was Chinese tofu, pineapple, noodle and vegetable stir fry. We enjoyed a solar shower at the park showers. The spray wash pressure at the car wash has nothing on these showers.
(GPS: 31.94139, -112.8114)


Our campsite. A big organ pipe cactus.


Some of the saguaro cacti.

Painted Rock Petroglyph Site

Monday: (02/25) Since it was getting dark we decided to stop short of Organ Pipe at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site 11 miles North of Theba, Az. We settled in as it got dark. Seems like a nice place for a stopover.
(GPS: 33.02167329, -113.04688125)


Tuesday: (02/26) Bread and gravy for me potato and gravy for Lou for breakfast. We took a walk around the petroglyph rocks then headed out to the highway stopping for gas in Gila Bend. Catching Highway 85 South turned in to an adventure. There was a sign directing us off of I8 where we then stopped for gas at Love's. Since e hadn't seen a further sign directing us to Highway 85 South we ended up back on I8 and returned to the area we exited previously but on this approach there were adequate signs for even us to understand. We headed on through Ajo and Wye into the Organ Pipe Cactus NM.

Last Day At Squaw Lake

Sunday: (02/24) I was up very early and fixed myself a ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. then I was off to the Foothills to meet the Yuma Outdoor Adventures hiking group which had a planned trek out in the desert looking for a ghost town. The weather had other plans. Last night we had heavy gusts all night and they were still at it this morning. High winds and freezzing air with dust would have made for an less then pleasant hike so we called it off. I returned home and Lou served breakfast number two chili rellenos. While the wind blew until alter 4:30 pm we tinkered at home. Lunch was potato salad with weiners. Shrimp tostados for dinner.

Monday: (02/25) We did our dutie duty, showered in the parks showers then hooked up the jeep and headed out. We stopped at the Sun Garden date shop for more dates to snack on. then the Post Office to mail some letters and then into town. Breakfast was at Brownie's restaurant, Lou had her steak and I had what they called Potatoes O'brian. (Hashbrowned potatoes with pimineto and green peppers with a slab of ham and eggs on top). Lou got one last visit to the thrift store nearby then we headed over to the laundromat to do the laundry. Parking the rig is always fun with the toad attached.Then we stopped at Walmart to stock up since we're headed out to the boondocks at Organ Pipe Cactus NM. After getting gas in the Rv, price up 6 more cents since a couple of days ago, we finally left Yuma about 4pm. Since it was getting dark we decided to stop short of Organ Pipe at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site 11 miles North of Theba, Az. We settled in as it got dark. For dinner Lou whipped up beef and rice with steamed asparagas, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.

Squaw Lake and Senator Reservoir Loop

Saturday: (02/23) A day at the lake.

Squaw Lake Hike


Lou made strawberry pancakes with sausage for breakfast. After breakfast I chatted with our neighbor about the folding boat, the Porta-bote that they have. We've been here to the lake four or more times and each time I promise myself not to return without a boat, canoe, or kayak, something that we can get out on the water. I still haven't succeeded in deciding on one or getting one. Hopefully before the next visit.


Then I took a little walk around the lake. I started out on what can only be called a burro trail then back out to the lakes perimeter roadway then across part of the lake bottom. The later is rather low today. Lou saw me going across the lake bottom and came by to pick me up. She had prepared a Chinese salad for lunch.

After lunch I relaxed at home while Lou got out to check on her chuckwalla site to see if anybody was home. It's a nice warm day and they should be out today. Dinner was chorizo peppers and onions. We got such a deal on red peppers.

Squaw Lake Near Yuma

Monday: (02/18) We were up and on the road fairly early. We stopped for breakfast at the Golden Corral then were on the way. We stopped in Parker for LPG and Quartzsite for meat at the market then headed on to Squaw Lake campground near Imperial Dam.


This is a BLM campground by the lake not the Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) we stayed at at Senator Wash three weeks ago. We only plan on being here 2-3 days so are not getting a two week permit for the LTVA. Tomorrow we head over to Los Algodones, Mexico to see  our dentist.

(GPS: 32.903629, -114.4763087)

Tuesday: (02/19) We headed off to Los Algodones after breakfast. We dropped in at our dentist where I got ,y teeth cleaned and Lou got a replacement bridge fitting. She will get the new bridge Friday. We also stopped by and got eye exams and I ordered a new pair of driving glasses. Our dentist and optical visits pretty much filled our day. Cereal with bananas for breakfast. Shrimp tacos for lunch. I had a ham and cheese sandwich for dinner while Lou had some BBQ chicken..

Wednesday: (02/20) We enjoyed being rocked to sleep all evening. i went out in the dark to lower the TV mast. It was swaying 4-5 feet at the top with the heavy gusts. We had some rain later in the evening. In the morning we had just broken clouds, no rain. We stayed at home today. I tinkered with the computer. Lou relaxed. Smoked pork chop, eggs, and hash browned potatoes for breakfast. Chicken salad for lunch. Hot and sour chicken soup for dinner.

Thursday: (02/21) We headed in to town today in search of sesame pepper oil, or at least that's how it started. We found it but Asian foods are not easily found here. Stopped by the bank to get cash for use at the dentist tomorrow. Stopped at a grocery outlet store and found a few things. Had lunch. Stopped by the indoor flea market where I picked up some caulk and another sewer hose at their RV parts store. While I did that Lou was visiting nearby thrift stores. She got distracted when she saw an RV similar to our where the owner had stripped off all the decal decorations. We intend to do that so she asked how they did it and then continued visiting. I was walking to meet her when I noticed the same RV so planned to stop and ask them myself. Then I noticed our Jeep in front of it, not the first thing I noticed but the second. We all chatted for a couple of hours before we left to complete our shopping then headed home arriving about 8:30.  Even with the visitation distraction we got all the items on our shopping list. Bread pudding for breakfast. Lunch at Eat's Chinese buffet. Guacamole and chips for dinner.

Friday: (02/22) We headed back down to Los Algodones this morning. Lou got her new bridge installed and I got a haircut and beard trim, picked up my new pair of driving glasses and bought a nice new belt. Before we returned to the US side we had lunch. Then we returned to Yuma and completed our check of the thrift stores. We got gas before heading back toward the lake. Interesting that gas prices have risen 20 cents since we filled up Monday. We also stopped by the post office and picked up our mail. That was a quick delivery, Dawn mailed the package Wednesday afternoon. Cereal and bananas for breakfast. I had more shrimp tacos and Lou had a tomale for lunch We each had vanila milkshakes as well. Dinner was chicken with fresh asparagas and a green salad.

Winter Blast At Lake Havasu

Thursday:(02/14)Happy Valentines Day!

We had our leftover omelet with leftover toast for breakfast. Leftovers are not a bad thing. Why work more often than you have to? We then headed down to the London Bridge and took a short walk around the channel by the bridge. Then we caught the ferry over to the Havasu Landing Casino on the California side of the lake. Not a big place but the ferry ride is fun. Tickets are $2 to go over, the return is free. I understand they have coupons in the local paper for free rides. Of course I learned this after our trip. We had lunch there. I had an Indian fry bread taco and Lou had a tuna salad. We arrived back home about 4pm. Lou made a hearty onion soup for dinner. The Winter Blast started with it's first big bang at 4:45. They do training firings over these four days with a big show on Saturday. The show ended just before 10pm. A nice five hour show. We have many more neighbors tonight.

Friday: (02/15) Lou went out about town shopping and looking again today. I spent the day working at the computer and doing our taxes. Lots more people arriving and parking near us on the hill above Sara Park for the fireworks. Today they installed all sorts of no parking signs and reduced the speed on the highway.

 
The fireworks started at 5pm and continued past 10pm, another really good evening of fireworks. Cereal for Breakfast. Lunch at Casa Sereno Mexican Restaurant, chili relleno and spinach cheese enchilada for me, two shrimp ceviche tacos for Lou. Leftover onion soup for dinner.

Saturday: (02/16) We did another shopping run in the morning. After lunch I got to work on the taxes finishing the first draft.

 
In the evening I walked over to Sara Park with my chair for the big show. Lou remained at home to avoid the walk over the hills. My view point was right on a hill above the show grounds. The people in the bleachers didn't have the view I did and I only had a half dozen other people watching from my hill. A good show! Here is a video of just a part of the fireworks show. Sorry for the poor quality.

Cereal and bananas for breakfast. Grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Enchilada caserol for dinner.

Sunday: (02/17) Last day for fireworks. I tinkered at home. Lou went out later in the afternoon to shop and look around. We got to enjoy more than 20 hours of fireworks over four days, 12 of those hours after dark. A nice show. This location at MM176 is better than the MM174 location. We were so close that the big booms rocked the RV.We were only about 1/4 mile or less from the show. In fact I think the show was better here than down where they launch them since we didn't have to strain our necks but our full view was often filled with the display.Toast and gravy for breakfast. Enchilada casserole for lunch. Lou made shrimp ceviche tacos for dinner. Back on the road tomorrow.

Winterblast At Lake Havasu Prelude

 
Monday: (02/11) We found a nice spot to park on the opposite side of the highway from the entrance to Sara park and should get a good close view of all the fireworks this weekend. In addition we can easily walk over for the ground show as well. After settling in and having  lunch of leftover spaghetti we returned to town and checked out the Windsor Beach State Park. We'll probably use their services when we are preparing to leave town after having sat on our hill for a week. We also stopped by the local Ace hardware and had a very helpful salesmen help us find something to hang our TV antenna from when traveling and other little hardware needs. We like to tour hardware stores. Dinner was spaghetti and broccoli. The sky was clear today but the wind was blowing. Fortunately the gust didn't cause any problems on the way down today.

(GPS: 34.45084, -114.2457)

Tuesday: (02/12) Eggs with leftovers from our gigantic breakfasts from yesterday for breakfast. We relaxed most of the morning at home. I tinkered  installing some Velcro we got yesterday to secure the TV antenna control in our media cabinet.Another task was installing a magnetic latch on the bathroom door to hold it open when needed. Then we headed out around town looking at houses on sale and thrift stores. Nothing of interest with either. We stopped for lunch at the Golden Corral. Dinner was cottage cheese and fruit. Today was a pretty nice day, little wind and fairly warm.

 
Wednesday: (02/13) Our third breakfast from our gigantic breakfasts from the Hacienda Casino the other day. Lou's ham provided enough for us both with some eggs and hashbrowns added. I tinkered all day at the computer including starting to do the taxes. Not as much progress as I'd hoped today. I also made some wands to replace a missing control wand for the blinds over the dinette. Also to make closing the front curtain easier. They were made form some huge aluminum knitting needles we got yesterday at one of the thrift stores. Lou was out shopping and exploring. My lunch was a cheese and beef log sandwich. Lou had seafood salad for lunch at Safeway. We took the Jeep out in the afternoon romping around on the moguls and in the washes near our camp. We found a back way in to our campsite in case the traffic is too much during the shows. More of Lou's leftover seafood salad on lettuce and leftover spaghetti for dinner. Even though I wasn't outside much of the day, it looked nice out and when I was out, it was nice.

Boulder Beach, Lake Mead, Nv

Sunday: (02/10) Baked ham, pepper, and onion omelet for breakfast. We buttoned up the RV and cruised on down the Northshore Highway down to Boulder Beach near Hoover Dam.


We had lunch at the hacienda Casino and then stopped at Hoover Dam for a look. Dinner was a Greek salad, lettuce, olives, artichokes, and feta cheese.
(GPS: 36.03823267, -114.80255787)

Monday: (02/11) We broke camp and drove over separately to the Hacienda Casino for breakfast. Lou had their giant ham steak breakfast and I had their giant chicken fried steak breakfasts. We both halved our breakfasts for later use and placed them in togo boxes before we started eating. Probably could have made three breakfasts out of it. In addition to big the breakfasts were very good and cheap. We then hooked up the jeep and headed out past the Hoover Dam on the nice new bridge then on through Kingman to Lake Havasu.