Why, Ajo?

 C'mon!  It can't have been over two weeks since my last post?

How time flies when you're having fun ;-)

I guess when we last left off, we were still camped out in the southern reaches of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California!  That seems like a long time ago now.  Well, we had to head back to Yuma and the Humane Society to get Bailey his last shots. 

 Here is his official pre-adoption portrait, while he was living in Yuma, under the assumed name of Carter!  Not sure if he was in the feline witness protection program or not, but his background was a little bit murky!  He was pretty much skin and bones, with a few medical issues that were being dealt with.

 

The Humane Society scared me a little bit when they said he had to come back for yet another vaccination in another month!  Luckily, that was a mistake, and he is stuck with me now - full time!

Since then, he's put on a few pounds, and is rather sleek and sassy, with lots of attitude.

Since we had already spent a fair bit of time in the Yuma area this year, the plan was just to make a quick stop of only a night - or two at the most.  Debated not even putting the slides out or anything, as we stopped again along Sidewinder Rd.

But the it turned out that Don & Donna, friends from Canada, were rocketing south from the Edmonton area, and would be arriving just as we had planned to head out.  So ... plans changed, and we spent a great week getting caught up on everything with them, making day trips to El Centro, Los Algodones, Quartzsite, and many runs into Yuma.  And I guess we were having so much fun and eating so much good food that I took approximately zero photos to document the good times!  Their blog is further behind than mine, but Donna does remote work, so she has a good excuse, unlike me.  Perhaps when their blog is updated, there will be some photos? 

They were planning to move out to Fortuna Pond, but on a recce trip, we found that at least for the short term, camping is no longer permitted there!

At any rate, after a fun week with them, it was time to move on, and move on we did.  Found this guy hiding under the wheel blocks as we packed up to leave. 

Mr Bailey seems to be adapting to the mobile lifestyle rather well, so far. 

 

This time it was to Gila Bend, and southbound.  I wasn't sure about camping at the Darby Well area, just south of Ajo, or Gunsight wash, just south of Why.  I have camped at both areas, several times in the past.  It turns out that there was a pretty nice spot calling our name between Darby Well and Bates Well roads, so that's where we ended up!

 

Turn up the volume for this video!

The desert here is very green, and relatively lush, with lots of Saguaros, and even a few Organ Pipe cactus - as we are not that far north of the National Monument named after them.  There were even a few puddles of water remaining after some recent rains.

Locomotive Rock.

One day, I found that my leg was bleeding onto the floor!  Never did figure out it it was from an outdoor thorn attack, or an indoor ambush from sharp kitten teeth and claws!

Ocotillos have leafed out after the rains.

I think this windmill may have been left over from the areas earlier ranch days, but now it is maintained and operated (by the BLM) to provide water for wildlife in the area.

Gila Woodpeckers were nesting in cavities in these cactus,

Not sure why the authorities thought it necessary to announce the dirt road, as there is nothing but gritty dirt and gravel roads for miles in all directions!

Another of my all time favourite signs is at the laundromat in Ajo.  No trespassing?  Kind of hard to access the washers without trespassing, no?  And loitering? What else does everyone do at a laundromat?

 

Thank goodness the police are 'authorized'!  I felt a lot safer, trespassing to put clothes in the washers and dryer, then loitering till they were dry ;-)   I was not involved in any soliciting.  That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

 

Downtown Ajo plaza

This little saguaro won't grow old and tall :-(  Bailey is getting his desert education, and he actually stepped on this cactus, but didn't seem fazed by it!  Like with previous four legged companions, I try never to camp near the dreaded Teddy-bear Cholla cactus, as it's thorns are barbed and very difficult to remove.

No trip to Ajo would be complete without a look into the old mine pit!

Where are we off to next?  Stay tuned to find out!