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| Hiking | 4.00 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 4.00 Miles | 4 Hrs | | 1.00 mph |
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| no partners | | Newly appointed superintendent Lee Baiza, has stated it is his goal to reopen the many sections of Organ Pipe National Monument closed to the public the past few years due to border security issues. In one of the initial experiments to reopen an "off-limits" area, I was invited to join a Ranger Guided excursion to Quitobaquito Springs (a true desert oasis located near the extreme southwest reaches of the Puerto Blanco Loop) on 2/19. This will be an experiment allowing the public to explore this area for the first time in 5 years...
I drove down to Ajo Monday evening having booked the last available room (cabin actually) at La Siesta Motel to allow for an early start Tuesday morning. Hearty breakfast before 6am at Marcela's Café and Bakery and made good time driving Hwy85 for a 7am rendezvous at the Kris Eggle Visitor's Center.
Once there, Ranger Viv Sartori delivered the bad news - illegal activity in the vicinity of Quitobaquito Springs that morning is preventing the Border Patrol from issuing us safe passage. Plan "B" would go into effect, a Ranger Guided excursion on Puerto Blanco Drive beyond 5 mile gate to observe the emerging wildflowers...
We drove out 10 miles along Puerto Blanco Drive before disembarking the Ranger vehicle at a poppy-filled wash. Ranger Viv and Betsy radioed our position back to the Border Patrol and within a minute we were buzzed by a helicopter acknowledging our presence. Not too surprising, a well worn trail blazed south to north. Discarded beer cans and water bottles seemed to be the cairns marking this "border-security-issue" trail. We invoked our park beautification program and gathered up the garbage leaving only the stunning wildflowers behind... |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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Route Editor
Route Scout
