After Sedona, I decided to head in the opposite direction, towards Mexico. It’s about 150 miles (approximately 240 km) from Phoenix, a two-and-a-half-hour drive to the Mexican border. Right at the border area is the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
After leaving Phoenix, I first headed west on Highway 10, then south. Shortly after passing Gila Bend and Ajo, you enter the National Monument area.
As the name suggests, this area has a large distribution of a type of cactus called Organ Pipe Cactus. When you think of desert cacti, this is probably what comes to mind.
This is a Saguaro Cactus. There are just as many of them.This is the Organ Pipe Cactus.
I didn’t choose this place specifically to see the Organ Pipe Cactus. I simply wanted to visit this far southern edge of the U.S. near the Mexican border and trek in a less touristy area to take photos. Of course, I also want to take a close look at the Saguaro Cactus.
I arrived early in the morning and first headed to the Desert View Trail, which is right next to the Twin Peaks Campground. You can see how large the cacti are from the road.Over the hill, you can see the border and a Mexican town. There are many warnings as it’s said you might encounter illegal immigrants here.Surprisingly, there are quite a few birds in the desert. This time, I’ll be looking for wild birds as much as the scenery. Cactus Wren.Although it’s larger than a wren, the way it sings with its mouth wide open is very similar.
Here’s what the trail looks like.
The top of the trail is a small hill.A heavily branched Saguaro Cactus. When fully grown, it reaches about 12 meters in height. It takes about 75 years for this cactus to start branching. So, most impressive specimens are likely over 100 years old (their lifespan is said to be 150-175 years). For this reason, they are protected by law in Arizona to prevent damage. However, along the trail, you can still see cacti that have clearly been damaged by people.With the mountains of Mexico in the background.This appears to be a juvenile Verdin.Zebra-tailed Lizard. Perhaps due to the high temperature, the lizards are incredibly quick to escape.Returning to the trail parking lot, I spotted a group of quail. They resemble the California Quail I encountered on the North Ridge Trail, but in Arizona, they are Gambel’s Quail. The parents are on alert while the young ones are busily foraging.The male has a red head. It’s perched on a bush, keeping watch. You can see them all over Arizona.The familiar House Finch.The cacti are in bloom.A woodpecker, the Gila Woodpecker, makes holes in large cacti and uses them as nests. If you look closely, there are hardly any spines left around it. Perhaps that’s the case with older cacti?It busily flies back and forth, collecting insects. It even came to a cactus about 40 cm behind my head while I was sitting.While parked, a female Hooded Oriole was fighting with its reflection in the mirror. I’ve seen a Daurian Redstart do this… By the way, Orioles belong to the Icteridae family and are rarely seen in Japan except as vagrants.During the day, I trekked and scouted for evening landscape photography. The heat and dryness are severe, and there are no stores, so I brought a lot of water. I also brought salt.
