More from Las Cienegas and a stop in Portal AZ

June 1, 2022

On the road again! 7 years ago today we started our travels with no plans to stop.

We've been stationary for a month and a half in Tucson and Portal AZ.

Here's a few pictures left from our time at Las Cienegas Nat'l Conservation Area (Empire Ranch).

April 3, 2022

With about a week to go we changed sites to a choice location on top of a small hill.

Pronghorn posing for us in the afternoon light.

The golden light just before sunset.

April 4, 2022

Biking the Andrada Loop. Some of the hills were too steep to ride.

A long way from home.

April 6. 2022

Day trip to Patagonia AZ.

Patagonia Opera house.

Good eats that day!

Patagoina Lake State Park

This is just a finger of a much larger lake system.

May 14, 2022

After a month in Tucson, to finish some dental work, we stopped in Portal AZ to help with the annual Garden Party.

Offering "FREE" breakfast 

and lunch!

May 21, 2022

Riding back from the Saturday morning Farmers/Flea market.

May 31, 2022

Cathedral Rock (Portal AZ) at dusk.  Last walk up canyon until our next visit!

Las Cienegas Nat'l Conservation Area

March 25, 2022

Rolling grasslands of Las Cienegas NCA (aka, Empire Ranch).

March 22

After leaving Ajo AZ, we returned to the area outside Madera Canyon (near Green Valley AZ) for a few days.

With some cool days coming, the elevation near Green Valley (about 3000') made for warmer temps than Empire Ranch (4900').

March 22 site outside of Madera Canyon (Green Valley AZ)

March 25

Empire Ranch site.

Now the elevation was working to our advantage with mid 80's in the forcast (mid 90's in Green Valley and Ajo).  There's also plenty of roads and trails to explore in this 45,000 acre site.

This is still a working cattle ranch so it's not unusual to have visitors in your site.

On one of our bike rides we came across a small herd, this must be the Nursery Tree!

March 28, 2022

After a few nice days there was more weather moving in.  We put the bikes away and took a drive to scout for future campsites.

Pronghorn Antelope

March 29, 2022

Tuesday was a hunker down day with high winds, cold temps (high in the 40's) and intermittent rain.  Even a few claps of thunder.

The end of a blustery day.

The day after...

A fresh coat of snow on the Santa Rita mountains to the west.  Madera Canyon is on the western side of the Santa Rita's.

More to come from Empire Ranch.

A week IN Ajo AZ

March 14, 2022

We came into town for laundry, dump and fill tanks ($10) and a little grocery shopping.  With the Pasport America discount, it cost $8.50 more to stay the night at Shadow Ridge RV park and get an early start the next morning.

We had two destinations picked out, both with unsettled weather. Then we thought, lets just stay here a week and do some urban exploring.  We've walked a lot of  Ajo on previous visits.  On the bikes we covered just about all of it.

Here's some pictures ...

The plaza.

"Here's looking, looking, looking at you kid..." 

New Cornelia copper mine "The Pit", operated from 1917 -1983.

Some of the many ghost statues located around Ajo.

Local artists Stained Glass hanging in a coffee shop.

A relatively new entry, dated 1-5-2021.

Shadow Ridge site.

A week IN Ajo AZ

March 14, 2022

We came into town for laundry, dump and fill tanks and a little grocery shopping.  With the Pasport America discount, it cost $8 more to stay the night at Shadow Ridge RV park and get an early start the next morning.

We had two destinations picked out, both with unsettled weather. Then we thought, lets just stay here a week and do some urban exploring.  We've walked a lot of  Ajo on previous visits.  On the bikes we covered just about all of it.

Here's some pictures ...

The plaza.

q

"Here's looking, looking, looking at you kid..."

New Cornelia copper mine "The Pit", operated from 1917 -1983.

Some of the many ghost statues located around Ajo.

A relatively new entry, dated 1-5-2021.

Shadow Ridge site.

More from Ajo AZ

March 9, 2022

After almost 2 weeks, went to town (about 6 mi.) to dump and fill tanks then moved to a different location outside of Ajo.

Early morning sun at our new site.

The desert south of Ajo is known for mountain biking.  

Stylized mountian biking trail map you can get at the visitors center in the plaza.

Here's some pictures from one of our rides.

The "trails" are a combination roads (in various degrees of maintenance), trails and washes (dry river bottoms).

Some are nice and smooth...

... and some aren't.  We usually walk rough gullies like this.

A weather station along one of the roads, out in the middle of nowhere!

Another interesting sunset.