Ajo, AZ
Today is the last day of January. Wow, this month sure has flown by way to fast! Can you believe 88 days ago we headed off on our winter journey? It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long ago. I also hate to say this but we have experienced more cold days then we have warm days.
We started out with a lazy morning. Just taking our time and moving slowly. For some reason I was cold all night long. I just couldn’t get warm. Maybe because it was a nippy morning? I’m so tired of being COLD! I am sure missing my Florida warmth!
once it warmed up enough and we were moving, we took the dogs on a short walk to do their business and wear them out while we did some site seeing.
we decided to take a drive and head outside of town up one of the mountain roads. Since it’s too cold to do any outdoor activities taking a drive was the next best thing .. So off we went to do some exploring ..
We are in the Sonora desert
The Sonoran Desert is an arid region covering 120,000 square miles in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California, as well as most of Baja California and the western half of the state of Sonora, Mexico. Subdivisions of this hot, dry region include the Colorado and Yuma deserts. Irrigation has produced many fertile agricultural areas, including the Coachella and Imperial valleys of California. Warm winters attract tourists to Sonora Desert resorts in Palm Springs, California, and Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona.
This is the hottest of our North American deserts, but a distinctly bimodal rainfall pattern produces a high biological diversity. Winter storms from the Pacific nourish many West Coast annuals such as poppies and lupines, while well-developed summer monsoons host both annuals and woody plants originating from the south. Freezing conditions can be expected for a few nights in winter.
Trees are usually well developed on the desert ranges and their bajadas. Often abundant on these well-drained soils are Little-leaf Palo Verdes, Desert Ironwoods, Catclaw and Saguaro.
The understory consists of three, four or even five layers of smaller woody shrubs. Tall chollas may occur in an almost bewildering array of species. The alluvial lowlands host communities of Desert Saltbush, wolfberry and bursage. On coarser soils, Creosote Bush and bursage communities may stretch for miles. Where the water table is high, Honey or Velvet Mesquite may form dense bosques or woodlands.
Other species are restricted to alkaline areas. Stream sides may be lined with riparian woodlands composed of Arizona Ash, Arizona Black Walnut, Fremont Cottonwood and various willows, with a dense understory of Arrow-weed, Seep willow and Carrizo. The Sonora Desert is rich in animal life as well, with many species in all groups derived from tropical and subtropical regions.
Approximate Desert USA Boundaries: Bordered on the west by Borrego Springs, and San Gorgonio Pass in southern California, on the north by Interstate 10 in California and Interstate 40 in Arizona, on the east by Arizona's U.S. Route 191, south to the tip of Baja California, Mexico.
after driving a bit we came upon this sign and decided since we were low on diesel and we were not sure where we were at or if it was safe we decided to turn around and head back the way we came.
once we saw the cross on the mountain I knew we were heading back in the right direction. I just got a better view of it on this side.
going back down the way we came up .. ekkk!!
coming down we got a great view of the Shadows RV park
We came home and took the dogs on a longer walk. The sun is out but we still think it’s on the chilly side. It sure didn’t make it to no 70 degrees today as they had predicted. The rest of the afternoon was spent laying around and watching TV.
Dinner tonight was hamburger and Rice and the rest of the evening was spent relaxing and trying to get warm. I sure hope I’m not coming down with something as I’m chilled and aching all over.
