Adventures in the Southwest Desert

(2023 Alaska Revisited Ep 6)

After a short hike at Tonto National Monument where we visited a small cliff dwelling and enjoyed amazing desert flowers, we arrived in Lost Dutchman SP that afternoon. 

Lost Dutchman SP

The park, named for a fabled lost gold mine, is located in the Sonoran Desert at the base of the Superstition Mountain, 40 miles east of Phoenix.  We didn’t find any gold, but did enjoy hiking to the base of the mountain and seeing colorful sunsets each evening.

Camping at the base of Superstition Mountain in Lost Dutchman SP

Bitterweed was in full bloom during a morning hike to the base of Superstition Mountain

Sonoran Desert Near Tucson

Further south near Tucson, we camped at a county park for two nights in the midst of a ‘grove’ of tall saguaro.  Our truck was due for an oil change and tire rotation, so we took the camper off the truck.  Taking the camper off for the first time, stabilizing it with jack stands and putting it back on the next afternoon was a stressful experience.

We succeeded with no sharp words or other mishaps!

Sunbaked Sonoran Desert near Tucson

Stately saguaro cactus in bloom

Abandoned building in saguaro ‘forest’

Joined by Pat’s Brother

We continued south of Tucson and camped near Whetstone, AZ, where we were joined by Pat’s brother, James.  He arrived earlier that day after driving his blue RAM pickup and Adventurer truck camper from Florida.  We would spend the next week camping and enjoying the sights together.

Hard hat mining at Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ – Ed and Pat’s brother, James

Gunfight at the OK Corral

We visited Tombstone, the western town where the gunfight at the OK Corral took place.  There’s a lot to see along the dusty main street, including an entertaining reenactment of the famous faceoff.  Justice prevailed once again as the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday defeated the roughneck cowboys.

Dusty main street in Tombstone – looking for a gunfight?

Bird Cage Theater and Gunfight at the OK Corral: James poses with the Earp brothers and Doc Holiday, while we pose with the cowboys

At nearby Bisbee, we had a delightful lunch on the outdoor patio of Contessa’s Cantina.  I’m not sure if the meals were Tex-Mex or authentic Mexican, but the food was very good. 

Queen Mine – Extracting Copper from Deep in the Earth

Queen Mine Tour in Bisbee

We didn’t have time for a post-lunch siesta, as we were scheduled to tour the Copper Queen Mine. The mine opened in 1877 and continued until mining operations were discontinued in the mid-1970s.  Today, the City of Bisbee offers the tours.

We donned safety vests and hard hats, and climbed aboard an electric mine train that took us more than 1500 feet into the mine. There are more than 143 miles of mine shafts across seven levels.   

Ore was produced by drilling 25 seven-foot-deep horizontal holes and filling them with dynamite.  The blasted rock was loaded onto one ton ore cars and transported out of the mine where it was smelted into copper plates. 

We highly recommend this tour if you are ever in the Bisbee area.

Saguaro NP Sojourn

Hiking in Saguaro NP

Lizards and horned toads are well camouflaged in the desert landscape

Two days later we hiked a trail in Saguaro National Park that led to a rugged canyon lined with blooming saguaro, barrel and prickly pear cactus.  We encountered curly-tailed lizards, horned toads and even a small snake on the three-mile trek.  We finished in the late morning heat, a sample of the hot days soon to come to the Arizona desert.

On the Border at Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Organ pipe cactus

Camping at Organ Pipe Cactus NM five miles from the US-Mexico border

Later that day we drove a few hours southwest to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, where we camped just five miles from the US-Mexico border.  We saw organ pipe cactus, in addition to the other types of cactus mentioned above, amidst brilliant yellow palo verde trees in full bloom.

Joshua Tree NP

Joshua Tree – inspiration for Dr Suess?

Pat photos Skull Rock at Joshua Tree NP

Our desert travels ended a couple days later with a drive through Joshua Tree National Park in southern California.  Joshua Trees are related to the yucca and have interesting shapes right out of a Dr Suess book!

There are many interesting rock formations in the park as well, including haunting Skull Rock.

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During our final few days touring the desert, it had finally got hot with daytime temps approaching 100F.  Evening and nighttime air conditioning was a must. 

We were ready for cooler temps and a change in scenery.

NEXT WEEK:

The crazy freeways of Southern California, Vasquez Rocks and more.