Life in the Desert

This week we enjoyed our first full week in the Sonoran Desert. Most of our stay was at North Ranch – Escapees RV Park – Congress, AZ. We fell in love with this park. Congress offers as much quiet or activity as you may want, and we supped liberally of both. At the end of the week, we drove to Arizona Sun RV Park In Quartzsite, AZ.

Pioneer Cemetery

Our stay here in Congress began with Nakai’s first trip to the desert on BLM land. We jeeped out to the old townsite of Congress near the abandoned gold mine. The old site contains the old Pioneer Cemetery, but the rest are roads and trails connecting dispersed campsites. The present Congress is a little under a mile away at the train tracks and was initially called Congress Junction.

One of the campsites included this medicine wheel, a place of healing and hope in the desert. These wheels focus the energy of the four directions. Native American culture sees the desert as a place of life and vitality. The ancient Athabascans who entered this area 13,000 years ago saw a place of power and hope. Later, Northern Europeans saw desolate wastelands. They brought their faith with them, and the land supported them until Anglos showed up three hundred years ago and drove their descendants out. This modern medicine wheel offers me a glimpse of the power and hope that caused those ancient people to settle there. The desert deserves great respect, not just for the everpresent existing danger but for the life it fosters.

We took a Chill and Chore Day to get caught up on the routines of life. Fortunately, there was more chilling than chores. The first day of Spring was welcomed with these Iris. Marlene put out her birdfeeders, and we soon had feathered friends flitting through the tree. Hummingbirds came by for a visit. They appeared to be nesting nearby. We took an extended walk around the park, including a beautifully maintained cactus garden. This was a day to bathe in the desert's joyful living.

On our way through the Cactus Garden, a Curve-billed Thrasher noisily flew out of a cactus. A flash of blue caught my eye. She had set up her home and had laid the first of what would eventually be three tiny blue eggs among the thorns. We heard the song of the desert’s circle of life from a cradle of sticks hidden in the heart of a very prickly cactus.

Our second journey into the desert was along Scenic Loop Drive just North of Wickenburg. The road winds its way into the hills above Congress and Wickenburg by following stream beds, dry washes, and the edge of arroyos. The Saguaros are huge. These cacti grow to 50 feet tall and live between 150 and 200 years. Most of the larger ones saw the first white settlers wander into this desert. But they are the 50^th generation of cacti that saw the first humans forage into these hills. The broad vistas and rugged slopes are dotted with Cholla, Creosote Bush, Ocotillo, California Poppies, and Lupines. These and many more lives have adapted to this area. This is the more profound lesson of life in all kinds of deserts. It requires a willingness to let go of the past and embrace the future by adapting to the present. L’chaim!

After a full day in the desert, we were ready for a good meal. Congress only has two restaurants, and we had already enjoyed the pizza at The Depot (a beer joint with food). We drove to eat at Nichols West Restaurant. This was an unexpected dining experience. It is in a small building that appeared to have been a convenience store in a former life. As we stepped in, we were greeted with the warm words, "Do you have a reservation?" in a tone that bespoke of the snootiest urban eatery. I looked around and saw that the tables beyond the bar were covered with white tablecloths. When we said no, the "greeter" gathered with his crew in a side room and then announced that we could sit at the bar or at one of the high tables in the corner. Being hungry, we sat at the table. While Marlene enjoyed her meal, I found mine to be pretentiously prepared and not very tasty. The flavorless, thin wine sauce needed to be adequately reduced, and the shrimp was overcooked. The quality of the ingredients was excellent, and the presentation was stunning. But my food itself was a disappointment. The $90 check was enough to chalk this one up to experience and move on. Later in the week, we returned to The Depot to try their other selection, Wings.

Mid-week, I began to feel the busyness of life intruding on my inner dialogue. My muse went quiet. My “want to” took a nap, and I felt "oogy." (Nope, I can't really describe the feeling beyond this word. I hope it is descriptive enough.) I have learned that such moments are opportunities for learning and growing. I spent the better part of a day “oogying.”  Marlene called it being a “Coach Potato," but she is an excellent companion for these days (as well as all the rest) because she lets me "oogy" as much as I need.

We made one more trip out into the desert and found streams flowing in the desert. We drove several roads. The first was along Date Creek Road to an old ghost town called Piedmont. There is nothing left but an active railroad crossing. The highlight was the painted Skull that adorned one of the hillsides. The second was Stanton Road, which skirted the mountains above Congress. Abandoned mines and cattle ranches dotted the foothills. Most impressive was the number of streams flowing from the hills. The crystal-clear water sparkled in the sunlight. Life depends on water, and life was abundant at this time of year. The last road was Old Stage Road which followed one of these streams up Antelope Peak to Yarnell. As we bumped along this semi-maintained road, I could only imagine how people in a stagecoach would have felt looking down into the deep canyon at the road’s edge. I was thankful to be in Nakai!

Our first week ended, and it was time to head out for Quartzsite. The drive was roughly three hours on two-lane highways. Marlene drove the first leg. She did a great job with her first experience driving Koko on the highway. I, however, do not “ride” well and was understatedly happy when she yielded the driver’s seat after our lunch stop. Along the way, we saw hints of the super bloom just starting to happen in western Arizona. The roadside was adorned with deep blue Lupines and unknown yellow and pink flowers. These California Poppies filled the roadsides and desert vistas along the way. It was a nice drive that brought us to the heart of the Sonoran Desert for the last week of the Winter camping season in Quartzsite.

 

Congress, AZ, provided so much more than we had hoped. It is not a "destination" for most folks, only a waypoint to somewhere else. But we are glad we lingered for a week and wandered about, day by day. It made all the difference.

 

The journey continues!

 

Bob