Mar 22 Tuesday - At Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Mar 22 Tuesday Day 64 – clear & sunny, no wind, forecast high 60’s to low70’s

We had a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, fried potatoes & toast in prep for our excursion to Organ Pipe National Monument. We got there a bit before noon. This area is part of the Sonoran Desert—one of 4 deserts in N. America. It has the richest vegetation of them all & contains a rare eco-system which, until 1930 when it was declared a national monument, was threatened by the ranchers & miners. At the Kris Eggle visitor centre, named after a 28 year old park ranger who, in 2002, was gunned down in the desert by drug smugglers, we watched a short video on the park & various types of cactus. Then we drove the 21 mile (34 km) Ajo Mountain Drive around & among the various cactus growths. We took our time and took lots of photos. After the drive we went to a Ranger talk on cactus. Lots of interesting info. The Saguaro, (pronounced sawah-row), can live up to 250 years & doesn’t form its distinctive arms until it is 70 years old. Although some Saguaros never grow arms, most do as the arms provide more storage area for moisture & places to produce flowers to attract pollinators, (birds, bats & bees.) It is made up of 80-90% water and can lose 80% of its water and survive. The myth about cutting into a cactus to get water when you are lost in the desert is just that, a myth. The water in most of them tastes brackish & contains something that will make you sick. The Saguero is a columnar shaped cactus. Its interior is composed of 25-30 wooden ribs that hold it up to support its immense weight -- up to seven tons! These ribs expand & contract depending on the amount of moisture in the cactus.

The park’s namesake, the Organ Pipe cactus, also has wooden interior but smaller ribs that look like one solid piece of wood but are actually hollow. We also saw several varieties of the Cholla, (pronounced choya), which has pretty, fluffy looking spines which end in a barb that catches hold of anything that comes too close and breaks a joint, (short branch) off which attaches itself to whatever brushes past. If the carrier drops it in favourable ground, another cholla will grow. Other cacti propagate the same way, plus animals eating their seeds will carry them to other places. Neither method is very effective. The park ranger said that for every million seeds a saguaro produces, only one ever becomes a mature plant! Besides providing a method of pollination, cacti spines also keep the plant from losing moisture. For instance, on a hot day a large deciduous tree can lose up to a 100 gal. of water thru its leaves, whereas a large saguaro would only lose one 8 oz. glass!

We also explored the campground by the visitor centre. They have nice level cement pads where you are surrounded by cactus plants nicely laid out. No hook-ups, but there are washrooms with 1 or 2 solar showers, water taps & a dump station. You can stay 21 days at a time. The cost is $12.00 a night. After all afternoon we headed back, arriving in Ajo in time to get take-out for supper at the local IGA supermarket. While we were sitting at our campsite table, two Javelinas, walked by across the road from us. These are wild pigs and they are scavengers. They can be dangerous as they are the same size as the wild boar pigs. Stayed in the rest of the evening watching TV & doing journal & photos etc.