![]() The Organ Pipe Cactus is a tropical plant and it grows to an average height of 15 feet and has a number of stems that are about 6 inches thick. For that reason, in 1977, this area became a UNESCO biosphere reserve. In the U.S., it is rare to see them except for in Organ Pipe Cactus NM in Arizona. The Organ Pipe cactus plants grow mainly in Mexico and Baja California. Early European settlers called this cactus “organ pipe” because the dried stems of the plant reminded them of the pipes of a church organ. The Organ Pipe Cactus NM opened in 1937 and was named for the unique cactus that is found here. This is the nicest national park campground that we have seen. There are camp hosts that come by and clean each site regularly. Each site is nestled among the cacti and the flowering scrub brushes and wildflowers. What really impressed us about the campground was that it looked like it had been landscaped. Some campsites allow generators and there is a no generators section. Each site has a concrete pad with a picnic table and grill and a few have ramadas to shield you from the hot sun. Also there are solar-heated showers in the bathhouses. no “hook ups,” but there is a place to fill up your fresh water tanks and there is a dump station as well. When we arrived at Organ Pipe Cactus NM, we made our way to Twin Peaks Campground. On our drive to and through the park, we saw an array of gorgeous wildflowers, cacti, and mountains and we knew we were in for a special treat. The cacti and ocotillo flowers are also adding color to the landscape. There are blue lupines, desert marigolds, gold poppies, California poppies, and many others. ![]() Everywhere we look now there are many, many flowers in bloom. Due to the plentiful winter rains, the desert is greener than others and, in the spring, it is replete with 40 different species of wildflowers. ![]() ![]() There are two rainy seasons here: the monsoon rain season with its heavy rains and flash floods during the summer months and the soaking rains during the winter months. There are different subregions of the desert and this one is often called the “Green Desert” because of the amount of rain that they receive here. The Sonoran Desert extends from southwest Arizona into southern California in the United States and then 500 miles south along the Gulf of California in Mexico. This unique place has been on our wish list of places to see for quite some time. Some might say that we are really taking the “social distancing” mandate to an extreme but that is not the reason we are here. The nearest grocery store is in the town of Ajo, AZ about 40 miles north of the park. It is a very remote area of the state and there is only one road to and from the national monument. To the east of the national monument is the Tohano O’odham Nation Reservation and to the northeast is the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The park is located right on the border with Mexico. In the meantime we plan on enjoying the beauty of this country, great outdoors, and the warm weather.ĭavid and I are at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona. We will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions accordingly. For now we have decided to remain in the desert southwest in relatively isolated areas for the time being. Another advantage is that we can decide how far we want to be from virus “hot spots” and large metropolitan areas. For one, we can decide, within limits, where we want to park our rig and how long we want to stay in a given location. Being RVers during this crisis does have several positives. We too are practicing “social distancing” and washing our hands often. Every day more and more state parks are closing and the national parks are suspending their ranger-led activities and shuttering the Visitor Centers. Even though we are full timing, we, like you, are not immune to its impacts. The novel corona virus has been on everyone’s mind lately.
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