Ajo, Arizona and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

It was a sunny late-September morning for a ride into Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona.

 After a quick stop for breakfast at Granny's Kitchen in Why, AZ, we continued south on AZ 80 to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Why supposedly takes its name because it is at a 'Y' intersection of highways 85 and 86. The highway intersection has changed, but the town keeps its name and Granny's Kitchen is a fantastic stop for breakfast or lunch.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument was established in 1937 to protect and preserve this scenic area in the Sonoran Desert that borders Mexico. It's the only place in the US where organ pipe cactus grow wild.

The organ pipe cactus is the second largest columnar cactus in the US (saguaros are taller) and grows up to 23' tall. Arizona is the northernmost limit of the organ pipe cactus which are extremely sensitive to frost.

We watched a 15-minute video in the visitor center and Mike talked with the park service staff about riding the BMW on the dirt/gravel/sand roads in the park. They suggested we head out on Puerto Blanco Drive since the Ajo Mountain Drive is closed for construction and turn around where the road becomes one-way because the next section has a number of sandy washes.

Mike stuck to the more hard-packed truck tracks on the loose gravel/dirt road, and we were really happy that the hillier parts over the washes were paved.

We saw only 2 other vehicles over the 10 mile ride, and enjoyed looking at the wide variety of cactus and other desert plants with the mountains in the backdrop.

We then decided to continue south on AZ 85 4 miles until we came close to the border before we turned around and headed back north to Ajo.

By this point it was late morning and the temperature was in the mid-90's so that we felt like we were riding in a convection oven. We decided to park the BMW, get out of our motorcycle gear, and walk the 3 blocks to the town square.

Ajo was the site of the New Cornelia copper mine, and in 1914 John Campbell Greenway came to town and decided to design the town with wide streets and beautiful planned public spaces in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. At the mine's peak 7000 people lived in Ajo. After the mine closed in 1985 many people left and the town declined. Thanks to the International Sonoran Desert Alliance townspeople came together, wrote grants, and were able to bring in millions of dollars to revitalize the town's historic buildings plus bring together people from the Tohono O’odham Nation, Mexico and the United States to preserve and enrich the environment, culture, and economy.

We enjoyed an outdoor lunch from the Ajo Farmer's Market and Cafe, walked around the historic square and looked at the many murals that cover many walls in the downtown area. Tomorrow we ride back north to Prescott, looking forward to cooler temperatures.