March 11, 2020 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Kitt Peak Observatory
I slept well in my quiet little campsite, I expect if it wasn't raining it would have been louder. Many of these people appear to have settled in for awhile. I know people come to Florida and rent a space in the State Parks/National Parks for the entire winter, snowbirds without the funds or interest in a condo. I did a quick calculation to determine if that would be an affordable option for me. Turns out, its not outside the realm of possibility, but there are no electronic hookups here. Which means I had no way to charge my phone or Fire other than my car and other battery packs that would eventually also need to be charged. Larger RVs have a generator, but that wouldn't work for me in my tiny car/home.
I started my morning with a minor panic attack due to my lack of Diet Coke. I hadn't originally planned on this stop and I didn't think through my lessening supplies when I decided to stay. The visitors center had nothing. They did direct me to the border, where there was a little gas station and mini mart. Caffiene!
Headed back into the park. I grabbed my map and started with the recommended route the park ranger provided the day before. I'm glad I had unlimited time, because I stopped a lot for photos. Didn't do any hiking, alone in the desert on the Mexican border...I'm not crazy. But I did enjoy the scenic drive and took tons of photos. There was desert and mountains and everything was in bloom. There was a list of wildlife listed in the brochure and I figured I wouldn't see a mountain lion, but I was going to pay special attention to the birds. After spending the winter in Flagstaff, when most of the birds migrate south for the winter, I was itchy to shoot some birds that weren't ravens.
I had a bunch of Gabbel's Quails running across in front of my car. The'd quickly disappear into the desert scrub and I was getting pretty frustrating trying to get a decent picture. Their backsides aren't nearly as pretty as their front. I didn't find any deer or mountain lions, but I still enjoyed my drive and took lots of photos. I think it took me 2-3 hours to make the full drive. I was on the final stretch when I found a Gabbel's Quail sitting on a tree branch in PERFECT PROFILE!!!! I was so happy. I got my shot. Some of the drives were only partially open, so I explored some of the other drives in a limited way and headed back to the Visitors Center for a final bathroom stop. Left my camera in the car. Practically walked right into a Costa's Hummingbird. Ran back to the car to grab my camera and luckily it was still in the area in the 90 seconds it took me. Was able to kick off some shots before it flew away at warp speed. I was also able to get a number of Gila Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinal and Cactus Wren on my bird scavenger hunt.
My next park was a good dive away and there was no direct route. I hit the road and enjoyed my desert drive as the GPS guided me back to Tucson. It was still raining periodically and much of the desert was flat. I could watch the clouds and the rain from the road. At some point I ran into a sign for Kitt Peak Observatory. This was on my list. I got free admission with my Lowell Observatory Membership. I remembered talking to Victoria about its location and I knew it was right off my drive back to Tucson. I continued driving my route and getting closer to the observatory as I did. when I first laid eyes on it, I was a little intimidated. It was at the top of a really really tall mountain. But I knew their had to be a road that lead to it and hopefully not a road that required a four wheel drive. When I got to the turn off, I double checked the hours (Lowell is open until 10:30pm) and was shocked to see it closed at 4pm! It was already after 3pm and I still had a mountain to climb. I decided to do it anyway. If it was closed when I got to the top, at least I could get some photos.
I got there in time, but didn't have much time. They only had one telescope open for tourists so I wandered across the campus to check that out. They have a lot of telescopes there, but unlike Lowell Observatory, they are still doing active research at this sight. The Lowell is mostly historical and all modern telescopes and research is being done at a secondary sight. The claim to fame for Kitt Peak observatory is their discovery of dark matter. I think. I read so many walls in three different observatories. I may have messed that up, but I think I got it right. I took a bazillion photos of the landscape from the top. Stopped a few places coming down and took more photos. It was raining in different spots and I could see the individual rain clouds moving across the desert. It was amazing.
Made it back to Tucson. Debated about what to do for the rest of the evening. Kind of wanted dinner, but I hit Dollar Tree and picked up some more bread. I found my way to a local casino resort and found a nice spot to sleep.
I started my morning with a minor panic attack due to my lack of Diet Coke. I hadn't originally planned on this stop and I didn't think through my lessening supplies when I decided to stay. The visitors center had nothing. They did direct me to the border, where there was a little gas station and mini mart. Caffiene!
I had a bunch of Gabbel's Quails running across in front of my car. The'd quickly disappear into the desert scrub and I was getting pretty frustrating trying to get a decent picture. Their backsides aren't nearly as pretty as their front. I didn't find any deer or mountain lions, but I still enjoyed my drive and took lots of photos. I think it took me 2-3 hours to make the full drive. I was on the final stretch when I found a Gabbel's Quail sitting on a tree branch in PERFECT PROFILE!!!! I was so happy. I got my shot. Some of the drives were only partially open, so I explored some of the other drives in a limited way and headed back to the Visitors Center for a final bathroom stop. Left my camera in the car. Practically walked right into a Costa's Hummingbird. Ran back to the car to grab my camera and luckily it was still in the area in the 90 seconds it took me. Was able to kick off some shots before it flew away at warp speed. I was also able to get a number of Gila Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinal and Cactus Wren on my bird scavenger hunt.
My next park was a good dive away and there was no direct route. I hit the road and enjoyed my desert drive as the GPS guided me back to Tucson. It was still raining periodically and much of the desert was flat. I could watch the clouds and the rain from the road. At some point I ran into a sign for Kitt Peak Observatory. This was on my list. I got free admission with my Lowell Observatory Membership. I remembered talking to Victoria about its location and I knew it was right off my drive back to Tucson. I continued driving my route and getting closer to the observatory as I did. when I first laid eyes on it, I was a little intimidated. It was at the top of a really really tall mountain. But I knew their had to be a road that lead to it and hopefully not a road that required a four wheel drive. When I got to the turn off, I double checked the hours (Lowell is open until 10:30pm) and was shocked to see it closed at 4pm! It was already after 3pm and I still had a mountain to climb. I decided to do it anyway. If it was closed when I got to the top, at least I could get some photos.
I got there in time, but didn't have much time. They only had one telescope open for tourists so I wandered across the campus to check that out. They have a lot of telescopes there, but unlike Lowell Observatory, they are still doing active research at this sight. The Lowell is mostly historical and all modern telescopes and research is being done at a secondary sight. The claim to fame for Kitt Peak observatory is their discovery of dark matter. I think. I read so many walls in three different observatories. I may have messed that up, but I think I got it right. I took a bazillion photos of the landscape from the top. Stopped a few places coming down and took more photos. It was raining in different spots and I could see the individual rain clouds moving across the desert. It was amazing.
Made it back to Tucson. Debated about what to do for the rest of the evening. Kind of wanted dinner, but I hit Dollar Tree and picked up some more bread. I found my way to a local casino resort and found a nice spot to sleep.
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