Bates Well - Buenos Aires - Las Cienegas

We continued to enjoy our stay along the Bates Well road, south of Ajo, Az - me out hiking and biking around, and Bailey keeping the lizards on their toes, as well as the local quail, and a lone cottontail.

There are lots of options on places to camp, though not all are suitable for a larger rig, and I won't camp anywhere with abundant cholla cactus.  Other types are not as hazardous for little paws and noses.

 

 

Larry the lizard.

 

When it was time to go, we packed up and headed down to Why, then east on 86, through the large Tohono O'odham Nation reserve.  Topped off propane at Three Points (Robles Junction) before heading south towards Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.  Good thing I waited to fill the propane, because it was $4.89 in Ajo, and $2.29 here - a slight difference! Just south of Three Points, I swear this line of mail boxes gets longer every year!  Check out the video!

 

We've camped in Buenos Aires for quite a few times over the years, and have changed favourite sites a few times, always finding a slightly better place.  So, I had this one site in mind, just hoping to find it vacant.  Well, the stars must have aligned in our favour!  Less than half a mile from the spot, we met a couple of camper rigs exiting the area.  The gravel road is very narrow, so I pulled over and stopped to let the other rigs safely past.  Well, the guy pulling the big 5th wheel stopped beside me and asked if I was looking for a site; then informed me that he had just departed Site # (witheld), and had raked it and cleaned it up nicely, ready for the next camper!  Well, that just happened to be the spot I was hoping for!  If we had arrived a half hour earlier, we likely would have driven past, seen it occupied, and had to settle for a lesser spot!   This is the spot.

Lots of primitive roads and trails to explore in the area. 

 

It does have a few cactus, but very few of the really nasty varieties.  If you haven't camped here before, you are required to camp in desgnated camp spots - usually something I avoid.  But the refuge has likely 60 - 70 individual sites, spread out over miles and miles of back roads and trails, so many are a half mile from the nearest neighbour - which suits me just fine.  No noise, music, or those infernal generators running at all hours!  And, other than a new group camp area along the highway which might have a fee, all are free to use for the usual 2 weeks!

As usual, the trail cameras were out, and usually capture more activity in the dark, but this resident coyote was running late on his rounds, and stopped by in early morning.

There have been a fair number of nefarious border crossers here over the years.  I found the remains of this old carpet-bottomed boot cover, designed to reduce the tracks left by such individuals.

Bailey was disappointed that the lizards he chased last year were nowhere to be found.  But there were still plenty of Kangaroo Rat dens, and thick grass areas to explore.

Local ravens wanted to star in a podcast, performing in front of a trail cam.

There was a fair bit of Border Patrol traffic in the area, and flight tracking shows some of their activity along the border.

Trying out some new additions to the solar array.

Mighty hunter lying in wait for prey.  Or butterflies!

Made a couple runs into Tucson during this time, for a fuel fill and some groceries.  Also had to pick up a couple of Amazon packages - one of which became a challenge.  One item would not fit in the convenient Amazon lockers, so I had it sent to Tucson Pack - n - ship, which I had as a possible on my Amazon app.  But, being proactive, I tried to phone the business to confirm they provided this service?  The phone call led nowhere, and their web site was poor.  A Google Streetview check of the address looked a bit suspect.  I tried to cancel the order, but it was too late.  Fortunately, my timing was good, and I was waiting in front of this closed and locked business (nothing to indicate it had ever been a shipping place) when the delivery van showed up.

 

Weather during this time was a bit on the cooler side, and we were forced to turn on the heat some times at night, or at least in the morning.  Backup locations on the Texas coast looked worse, and much of the central US had snow and ice, (same at home), so nothing to do but find a jacket I guess!

 

When it was time to depart, we headed back up the road to Three Points for some more cheap propane, then through the southern edge of Tucson, then back down the the south-east, bound for historic Empire Ranch, in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.  We have camped here quite a few times, and have some preferred spots.  But some of them have sprouted new fences and gates, and others have suffered a bit of road damage from flooding.  Also, a large area usually full of campers has now been fenced off for some reason?  While we had no desire to camp in those spots, the closure might force other campers to relocate into our preferred terrain.  But, we found a nice spot, previously scouted, that would be just fine.

 

As I've seen in the past here, there was some sort of hunting dog competition going on, whereby a group of horsemen follow after a bird dog across the landscape.  My camp seemed to be right in line with their course!  While I was away one day my trail cam caught the whole posse riding by! 

 

 Made a day-trip down to Patagonia, and out to Harshaw to look at some previous camp spots.  But, as expected, the big new mining development just past Harshaw has essentially ruined the area for camping, as most sites I've used are directly roadside, and now there is heavy mining traffic 24 hours a day.

Did a few more day trips in the area, including Madera Canyon and Greaterville.  Also did a lengthly day excursion with a friend through Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas, then to Rodeo, NM, before taking a rough forest service road through from Portal, to the entrance of Chiricahua NM, and then retracing our route through Tombstone, and back to camp.  Lots of great scenery, and even a tiny bit of snow and ice in the high  mountain pass.  There was plenty of snow at even higher elevations.

 It will soon be time to move along down the road.  Distance and direction - to be determined!

Anza Borrego to Bates Well - start of a new year on the road.

Bailey loved having some trees to explore at our camp in Anza Borrego!

(Tree cat!) 

We’d already spent our full two weeks in the Anza-Borrego area, so it was about time to seek other horizons. Add to that a weather forecast heavy on clouds and rain—courtesy of a looming atmospheric river aimed squarely at much of California—and the decision made itself.

Risking a disruption to Santa’s carefully planned delivery schedule, we pulled up stakes on Christmas Eve and pointed ourselves toward Yuma. Forecasts in that direction looked marginally more cheerful, and besides, any route that includes free RV dump stations and water taps is hard to resist. The rest areas west of El Centro offer both, and we never pass up a free dump and fill. It’s practically a rule.

We rolled into Sidewinder Road near Yuma on Christmas Eve and promptly settled into a week of civilization: city shopping, family visits, and the simple joy of fuel prices that don’t require a small bank loan—thank you, Arizona. 

                                 (The usual iPhone night shots - note the stars visible)

Camping along Sidewinder Road, much like nearby Ogilby Road, comes with a built-in soundtrack: a distant but constant duet of interstate traffic and freight trains, both of which apparently believe sleep is optional. A visit from the Santa Ana winds only added to the ambiance, and our plans for leisurely afternoons basking in warm sunshine were… revised.

 (Flowers near Sidewinder road)

The surrounding desert, however, offers some excellent biking, and I took advantage of it whenever conditions allowed.

(Spooked a couple coyotes while biking across the desert) 

  

One ride followed the railroad tracks as far west as Ogilby Road before looping back along Sidewinder. Riding the tracks, I discovered, is a bit like beach combing. Containers—and occasionally their contents—shake loose from trains, leaving behind a trail of oddities. Over several miles I found thousands of tiny plastic cups, along with an impressive number of lids. Other debris looked like the remains of children’s dollhouses or play sets, reduced to colorful, unrecognizable fragments. You truly never know what you’ll find. On previous rides, I’ve even stumbled across full documentation for the trains themselves, detailing car numbers, hazardous materials, and routing information for distant cities.

We had one night of fairly intense rain, enough to form shallow pools in low areas, though not quite enough to send water coursing through the nearby washes.

Still, the location had its perks. At 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve—while technically still in California—we had front-row seats to Arizona’s fireworks display just across the state line in Yuma. Festive enough for us. No need to stay up until midnight local time. We declared victory and went to bed.

We spent the next week taking advantage of opportunities to shop, fuel, eat, visit relatives, and do laundry.  

Bailey got me to bail him out of the Humane Society here just two years ago, so I took him back there to show him off!  Did I tell him I'd leave him there if he didn't behave? 

By New Year’s morning, it felt like time to move on. We packed up and headed east to Gila Bend, making good use of the free dump and fuel stop near the Chevron, followed by the traditional road-trip fine dining experience at McDonald’s. From there we turned south, with Darby Wells Road beckoning before we swung onto Bates Well Road.

There were campers scattered along the usual pullouts, but we had our sights set on a spot we’d enjoyed last year. Luck was on our side—it was vacant, patiently waiting for us to roll in and make ourselves at home.

The reward was immediate: silence. Real silence. Border Patrol traffic and passing vehicles were minimal, and it felt as though the desert exhaled along with us. Mornings here come with their own soundtrack—cactus wrens and quail holding animated discussions about the day’s agenda while we sip our coffee and listen in. It’s hard to imagine a better way to begin a new year.

(Some local fauna to keep Bailey entertained) 

 

The area is laced with primitive roads and trails, offering excellent opportunities for exploration by bike. Some sections are a challenge, especially where loose sand takes over, but in many places you don’t even need a trail at all. Just point yourself in a direction and go—true desert freedom.

(Bailey grazing on some nasty cactus!) 

I did notice a bit of “industrial” traffic on the road past camp, morning and evening, including a water truck making multiple trips each day. Curiosity eventually won, and I set out on what was supposed to be a short drive to investigate—assuming, of course, the washboard didn’t rattle me into submission first.

That “short drive” of a mile or so turned into something close to epic.

The road was in surprisingly good shape, and before long I found myself at the northern boundary of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, with no obvious signs of construction. 

 

There was a large old white bus with a Starlink dish on the roof parked on a side trail, but I couldn't tell if it belonged to the border patrol or simply another camper?  Still curious, I kept going, and soon enough came across a grader and a packer actively smoothing the road. With conditions now positively luxurious, it was nearly impossible not to continue.

Along the way, we passed several Border Patrol rescue beacons: short towers topped with solar-powered blue-and-white strobes, complete with cameras and emergency buttons.  

Nearby, tall blue flags marked barrels of drinking water, presumably maintained by aid organizations.

 

Farther south lay the remains of the Bates Well Ranch, a turn-of-the-century operation now preserved within the National Preserve. By this point, I was fully committed. The miles ticked by, interspersed with rocky sections and patches of washboard that had me clenching my teeth. At one remote intersection, I stopped to chat briefly with a Border Patrol agent before continuing south on Pozo Nuevo Road.

Before I quite realized what was happening, I reached the border wall—some 33 miles (53 km) of desert track from where I’d started. From there, Puerto Blanco Drive runs east alongside the imposing barrier for another 14 miles, eventually intersecting Highway 85 just north of the Lukeville border crossing. From that point, it was a mere 40 miles of paved road back to camp—proof that “just a quick look” can sometimes turn into an all-day adventure.

A somewhat rare rainy day turned up, and proved to be a good time to update the blog. 

Daylight shot of camp.

Moonlight shot of camp.