Organ Pipe cactus National Monument

For my birthday, three of my sons went on a hike with me and visited Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We were interested to learn that this is the northernmost point in the US that is home to these organ pipe cacti.

We were also a little worried about safety when we went to this area because of the illegal aliens who cross here and the drug smuggling. They have literally destroyed miles of native habitat which can never be replaced and threaten lives as well as plants. We tried to put those thoughts aside as we enjoyed the beautiful natural habitat.

Note the wooden "skeleton" that is inside the organ pipe, saguaro or cholla cacti which is sometimes visible on an older dying specimen.

After walking past a wash, we spotted a woodpecker making a hole in a cactus. Later it will make a lovely home for a cactus wren. We also spotted a bit of desert mistletoe hanging from one dying tree.The views were magnificent, and I even enjoyed taking close ups of the smaller flowers. There is so much beauty on the desert.

Visiting The Cloud Museum

We went on a field trip to The Cloud Museum.

The place was full of old cars and old machinery. Kitt loved sitting in the old cars there, and I even posed in one with him.

Sonny's favorite thing in the msueum was this scooter, which he thought was in good condition for its age.

The old-fashioned bicycle fascinated me, and I wondered how people ever got up onto it to ride it. Of course, the old typewriter reminded me of the one I used when I was younger.

We were also amazed at the "3-minute wonder" washing machine. Does that it used to actually be that fast to wash clothes? We learned alot from seeing all the old stuff there but realize we have more to learn about how things used to work.

Painted Desert Trail

Since Lukas was off from school on Jan. 16, we decided to go for a hike at Painted Desert Trail in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. We did actually stop for 2 letterboxes on the way to the parking lot. On the left, you'll see Lukas rehiding the letterbox we found underneath the rock.







Welcome to the Painted Desert Trail.

These were the very first hoodoos that we saw, and we were interested to learn more about them. We read that they are formed when two washes have met and the water erodes the stone away. Kitt was trying to imagine what the different hoodoos resembled. He thought the second one looked like a profile of a person.

This was really the only uphill part of the hike and wooden stairs had been put there to help in the climb.

We enjoyed the view from the top and were interested to find out what had caused the different colors of rocks in these hills. I can foresee more research into the geology of this area.

Kitt did take time to examine various rocks along the way, as well as look at the various colors covering the hills. We saw reds, orange, brown, black, white and a tinge of green.

Kitt wanted his photo taken inside this small crevice, as if he was holding the boulder apart himself.

After we made it back to the parking lot, we had a small snack at the ramada there before driving back.

On the drive back , we glimpsed Martinez Lake and the Colorado River. I stopped the car, so I could take a photo. Water in the desert is so beautiful.