Organ Pipe National Monument

(Click on the picture to enlarge it)

We left the park and headed south through Blair Valley, which was just beautiful. We will be going back here someday and doing some real exploring. We spent two days in Yuma relaxing, doing our laundry, and enjoying the $5.00 dinner specials put on for the 55+ community of RV’ers. We went swimming and soaked in the hot tub, where we met some very interesting people. We could not wait to head to our next destination.

Organ Pipe National Monument is located just south of Why, AZ. Interesting fact - this community was originally named"Y" because of the intersection of highways 85 and 86. The spelling later changed when residents petitioned for a post office. Organ Pipe National Mounument is surrounded by the Mexican border to the south, the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Gunnery Range, and a very large reservation, which is the home of the Tohono O’Odham Native American people. This entire area is some of the hottest and driest desert land in the USA. This entire area is very densely covered with over 28 different varieties of cactus, including the famous Saguaro and the much rarer Organ Pipe Cactus.

The Organ Pipe Cactus grows in the far south of Arizona and can only be found exclusively in this pristine area of the desert. The Organ Pipe is much more common in Mexico and is distinguished from the Saguaro by having thinner stems that branch from it’s base. The Saguaro branches higher up it’s central trunk.

We took a wonderful hike to the Victoria Mine. This was a center for gold and silver excavations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ruined stone buildings, rusting pieces of iron equipment, and sealed off mine shafts can be seen. Perhaps, the biggest attraction of the hike was to see the abundant Sonoran Desert plants and the expansive views of the Sonoyta Valley into Mexico. The “night sky” was brilliant as we viewed the “Milky Way” and the many constellations in the clear, cold night sky from our $6.00 (nightly fee) Twin Peaks campsite.

CLICK HERE to see our pictures of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument area. This is one of our most favorite places that we have been so far in our travels..