May 27.
So here I am, sitting in my underwear sweating to death at 10:30pm. I have finally settled down in my tent and I am going to try this journal thing. The camp here at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (OPCNM) is huge, but for all the 200+ sites it is just me and someone else farther up. I arrived here about an hour before the sun set, ate cold oatmeal, then after the sun set, I tried to find some organ pipe and saguaro cacti blooming...
...I got completely spooked walking around in the dark. My idea of taking a stroll down this primitive path looking for cacti blooms, snakes, tarantulas, Gila monsters, or anything that comes out after dark proved to be just a little to spooky for me. I was just fine for a while but then all of a sudden, I started thinking about mountain lions. Never ever hike alone in mountain lion country, especially in the dark. "Hey! guess what I'm doing?" From then on every little rustle and twig I hit with my tripod nearly gave me a heart attack. I get so scared of the dark sometimes.
When I was figuring out what to cook I realized I forgot matches or a lighter. Idiot! I tried to light a piece of paper on fire using the cigarette lighter in the car but all I could manage was a smouldering mess. I even tried using a few drops of Coleman fuel to see if that would get the spark to kick over. Failure! I actually felt pretty disappointed I couldn't get a flame going.
So tomorrow should be nice I will go drive around and take pictures and try to stay cool. In other words, I will just do whatever I want. It will be a nice break from my Las Cruces life. Yeah I'm having fun but deep down I wish Brianne was here. Sharing these things with someone makes the experience just that much better.
May 28.
Sleeping alone in the desert was new for me. (And when I mean alone I mean alone. The only other person I knew about was that camper about a quarter mile up the road.) After I spooked myself silly last night hiking around in the dark, sleep was tough. I woke up several times thinking something was stalking my tent. Then, suddenly, I heard footsteps! I wasn't imagining it this time! Something was definitely snooping around out there! Unfortunately I was in that paralyzed state where I couldn't move but I was aware of everything around me. Yes, I hear footsteps! No question about it! All I could do, being paralyzed and all, was whisper (gibberish probably), wiggle just slightly, and rub my foot against the side of the tent. The mountain lion that was about to eat me was probably laughing and thinking "how cute, he is having a puppy dream... I hope he catches the rabbit." But really I was not having a dream. I was fighting for the words to yell, and save my life. Then, suddenly and without any warning I snapped out of my paralysis. It began slowly and quietly as my sleepiness wore off but across the quiet desert plain you could hear me yell from my tent "...mmmmmMMMMRRRRRAAAAAA!!!" I don't know why I didn't just yell "Hey!" or "Get" but my wailing seemed to do the trick because I never herd it again.
That first day after I pitched the tent, I placed it on the gravel that had been sitting in the sun for weeks so it was pretty warm to say the least. I read that the ground in OPCNM gets up to 175 degrees during the day. The air was cooling off nicely by my back was sweating profusely from trying to sleep on lava. Hopefully the next night the ground will cool slightly.
There are so many wonderful birds and calls happening right now. A second ago this band (technically a flock right?) went hopping through the brush about a foot from me. They appeared so curious and intelligent. They were small too, like mice with beaks and about the same color.
Well the sun is coming out and I am starting to get excited. I have four cacti I want to see here in OPCNM before I leave:
- Organ Pipe
- Saguaro
- Senita
- Queen of the Night
11:00am. I have been laying down for 30 minutes and it's way too hot to nap. I think I'm going to check out the visitors center.
Got back from the visitors center and driving around. Sleep was impossible! I was just sweating up a storm. As long as I am going to sweat and be miserable I might as well be seeing the sights and taking pictures. The lady at the visitors center said I could either go into Mexico or the off limits area of the park to see the Senita cacti. Neither was an option. Rats! She didn't help much either on suggesting ways to find a Queen of the Night cactus. She did say they were very well camouflaged and looked like dead sticks. Duh, that's why I'm always in the shrubbery getting scratched and entangled with spiders. Check out the pictures I took of one of the Queen of the Night cacti in their garden of you don't believe me.
So the drive was nice. Not too exciting. I didn't really see anything new. I did see a blooming agave though. That was pretty exciting if your a nut like me. Then I started seeing familiar things I saw when I was here with Brianne over a year ago. I sure do think about her all the time. I can't understand how she thinks I've moved on already. How can that be if I'm here alone and every little thing reminds me of her. I think how much she would enjoy this trip. She is such a trooper, one to always jump at the chance of an adventure...
...It's funny, maybe funny isn't the right word, but going on these little trips alone with only your thoughts really lets you see what is important in your life. Take away all the little distractions and you are left with the top most important things in your life. Hey! this is good! I am going to list the top, most important things in my life and then try to rank them:
- Brianne
- Triathlon
- Plants
- Cycling
- Running
- Mom and Dad
- Quiet alone time
- Friends
- Living healthy
- Simple life
- Pictures
- Weather
- Getting this damn fly buzzing in my face to leave me alone
- Swimming
- Warm sunny weather
- Canoeing
- Being satisfied
- Traveling
- Ocean/Waves/Surfing (even though I don't surf I think I would really like it.)
- Dogs
- Details
- Waterfalls
- Music
- Socializing
- Getting a masters (I feel I am supposed to say this because I have been brainwashed for so long into believing a masters is EVERYTHING!)
...Whoa! the pop tart I placed on the ground for about 20 minutes while writing is completely covered in ants. Man these guys are quick. Hungry too...
...But I don't have to be an athlete. I don't want to stay in Las Cruces and start training, I want to go see Brianne. But after I see Brianne I will want to start training. It is hard to rank the top three. Can I have all three in a package deal?
Dang its hot! I wish the sun would hurry up and set so it wouldn't be so blasted uncomfortable.
It's 7:20pm and the three bird band is back! This camp robber bird also came by a moment ago and hopped around looking for something to eat I think. It took a good long look at the book of matches (this couple up the road was kind enough to let me have) sitting on my plate, ruffled its feathers, and looked at me likely thinking, "You are boring and more importantly, don't have anything to eat." Then it flew away.
I also took a quick shower in the bathroom. It felt wonderful! But I did feel kind of guilty doing it in one of the hottest and driest places in the world.
May 29
Luckily this most recent night wasn't nearly as scary as the first night. Maybe it's because I talked with that couple down the road for some matches and I at least knew someone knew where I was... or something. But the evenings in the desert are magical. As soon as the sun sets, temperatures cool off, critters come out to play, and the sky changes from orange to pink to purple. Then the stars come out. check out my pictures. I actually got some pretty good shots of the Milky way. I even managed to "catch" some shooting stars and I never even saw a single one. Even when I was looking for them. Goes to show my camera is super bad ass! I awoke about 2:00am to go pee and I could see the Milky Way much better so I said "What the heck", grabbed my camera and tripod and proceeded to take pictures of the sky standing in my underwear. Good thing the border patrol didn't drive by like they did last night when I was trying to "shoot" stars. Yeah! so this truck pulled up right where I was taking star pictures and proceeded to intimidate me with their overly bright flood lights and walkie-talkies while I was just standing in the dark. I politely waved, pretending to be excited to see them, then put my hands on my hips and waited for them to: 1) Drive away; 2) Come talk to me; 3) Come yell me; 4) Come cuff me and take me away at gun point. Luckily they drove away.
Now I'm just sitting here at my camp deciding what to do. I have already driven the entire park and hiked most of it. Finding out that the Senita cacti and Queen of the Night cacti are impossible to find (unless you look at planted ones in the visitors center). My drive and motivation to stick around is dwindling. Plus hanging out in 100 degree weather with no shade or real shelter isn't much fun. Let's just say my tan has never looked so good. Hellooooooooo leather skin!
It is happening again Brianne uses a word to describe old feelings of happiness brought on by current experiences that remind you of of those times. I just ate a bowl of oatmeal and made instant coffee. For some reason that reminded me of the times of camping at Priest Lake, Idaho with Dad. Especially in the morning. I think it is the warm sun and solitude. In the morning those things are really noticeable. Those sure were fun times, hiking up to the rock slides, canoeing up to Upper Priest Lake via the thoroughfare, taking a hike to Frog Pond, going huckleberry picking, riding my mt. bike on obscure logging roads in the mountains, and seeing all the wildflowers. Not to mention the crystal clear water... something I miss sometimes. Even though my surroundings are strikingly different, they strangely remind me of Northern Idaho. Maybe I am homesick. From what Brianne and I have been talking about, I think she would think Priest Lake was thee coolest place in the world. At least Priest Lake back in the 90's before it became a popularity contest. I wonder how it looks now? Probably pretty disappointing with all the boats, jet skies and nonstop noise.
The camp robber bird just came back looking for stuff again and was followed by a woodpecker and then the tiny hummingbird I haven't mentioned yet. All three were were just watching me checking me out. "What's this all about" I said, "are you trying to tell me something?" I guess being alone all the time you start talking to things like they understand. Still no sign of the three bird band by the way. They have visited me every morning and evening since I have been here.
Just got back in a last ditch effort to find a Queen of the Night cactus. I failed again. They are out there somewhere but I can't find any. Thus, I have decided to leave. I have seen the majority of the accessible parts of the park. Even though I really don't want to, I should get back so I can start organizing myself for the defense on June 7.
Driving back will be interesting I'm sure. The border war activity and drug smuggling is out of control right now. I will have to pass through two checkpoints on the way back. I hope they don't interrogate me too much but they probably will. I always get so nervous going through security. I'm a young white male traveling alone in a beat up truck with expired license plates. When they ask me what I was doing I will honest tell them, "I was camping alone in the desert on the border of Mexico officer". I bet I get a lot of crap for that statement. But It's not like I have anything to hide...
A blooming Agave.
The Sonora desert in the Ajo Mountains.
An Organ Pipe Cactus.
Another Organ Pipe Cactus.
Can you find the Queen of the Night Cactus? I couldn't, and didn't...
