Anza-Borrego to Yuma to Ajo

 Time expired on our stay in the southern reaches of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southern California.  Heading south to the small village of Ocotillo we picked up the I-8 and headed back east.  The rest area east of El Centro provided a place to dump, fill and deposit garbage as we made our way back to Sidewinder road, just outside of Yuma, Az

There is a mixture of BLM and private land in the area.  Some private land previously camped on had a few new 'no trespassing' signs along one edge, so we moved a bit further off road, past some land that used to have crops, but has been abandoned for decades, and found a nice quiet spot near a shallow wash.
 

 Not that appealing, but it gets high ratings for the convenient access to Yuma, and Los Algodones, Mx.

I hoped that my problems with getting Amazon stuff delivered would be solved by the convenience of the Amazon lockers scattered about Yuma, but it was not to be!  The shipping gods were still out to get me.  Right on schedule the package arrived at the lockers, and I went to pick it up - usually a simple task by scanning a bar code or entering a code.  Nope! Not this time.  Upon entering the code, I could hear the latch on one of the lockers clicking, but nothing popped open.  Numerous tries all failed, though I could narrow it down to one of about 3 lockers.  Well, I evnetually managed to get a helpful, partial English speaking person on the phone.  She re-booted the computer that controled the locker all to no avail.  But she could tell me exactly which locker was failing to open, and promised to expedite a replacement order.  One more try, knowing which locker door to wiggle, and voila, I managed to pry it open!

(Desert art off Ogilby rd)

I think that package was the one that contained a new USB plug that I mounted in a convenient spot right by the bed.  I did not even have to run new wiring, as there was an unused wire pair that used to be used to turn the inverter on and off - now accomplished via Bluetooth.  This one has two usb-A plugs and one C.  It came in a two-pack, so I have a spare one to install in the truck camper next summer.

Most of our time camped in this location involved mundane things like laundry, groceries, fuel, propane, and wandering through the required stores like Harbor Freight, CAL Ranch, Best Buy, Sports Warehouse, Tractor Supply.  It also included a run across the border to Los Algodones for a $5. haircut and $30 teeth cleaning.  Big jump in parking fees at the border, from $6-10.  No photos ...

Next move was further east on the I-8, with a stop in Gila Bend for dump, fill, and fuel, before heading south down to Ajo.  We went a bit further down Bates Well road to some spots that I checked out on my bike last year.  There were fewer than normal campers near the entrance at Darby Well road, but a good scattering further south.  There were still lots of potentially good spots to choose from, but my choices were limited to those without cholla cactus.  While I can usually avoid contact with the nasty things, I don't want any chance of Bailey getting into them while on the hunt.  They are so bad because they are needle sharp and have barbs, so they stay firmly imbedded in any flesh that contacts them.  And there are often loose balls of thorns laying around on the ground, or blowing about in the wind to attack sandal feet or paws.  They can also be hard on bike tires, as I've found out the hard way - having had to carry my previous bicycle several kilometers back with flat tires.  Present e-bike has puncture resistant tires filled with 'slime', so I haven't had an issue for a while - knock on wood.  And now, I also carry a spare tube, tools, and a tire pump for such occasions.

 So this was the selected spot with no cholla cactus, but almost every bit of brush here still will snag clothing or scratch you upon contact.   

Being winter here, I have never seen a scorpion or rattler, who stay out of sight during the cooler months.

This is right on the boundary of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, so there are a few of these Organ Pipe Cactus, found in few other locations.

There are a few lizards out sunning themselves that keep Bailey occupied.

There are a myriad of old trails and dusty roads leading all over the desert, and most are pretty good for biking and exploration.  Behind the fenced area is a water collection facility, designed to collect and save rainwater for wildlife in the area.  This one had a whole flock of Quail who were taking advantage of the rare water source.

There was practically a beaten quail path leading to the water from the open desert.

I'm sure there are coyotes and foxes around here as in most desert locales, but I have not heard any coyotes, or seen them on my trail cameras, though there are lots of tracks.  I did see a pair of Javelina foraging in their natural habitat - in the trash back of a Dollar Store in town!

Decided to power up the Starlink (V2) so it could download it's updates, even though it is not on active duty for this winter.  Once again tested the new 12v power supply and router, and all seemed to work fine!

Funny thing is, it seems to work just fine, indoors, sitting on it's tripod on the bed!  Who knew!

We haven't yet formulated a plan on where to go next, or when.  Until then, we'll be right here, enjoying the weather, the solitude, and the scenery!