March 7, 2012
Day 11: Touring Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
It was cold and windy in the morning. No shelter from the wind at my campsite. I slept late and went to the visitor center at 10:30.
Afterwards I pedaled 6 miles south, downhill, to Lukeville, Arizona. It's a tiny settlement at the border crossing with Mexico. A mile past the border is the small town of Sonoyta, Sonora which is much bigger than Lukeville.
64 miles (102 km) beyond the border is the Sea of Cortez and the resort town of Puerto Peñasco, which most Americans call Rocky Point. It's considered the Arizona Riviera because it's the closest coastal resort to Tucson and Phoenix. Maybe I could pedal there someday...
I had lunch at the restaurant in Lukeville because there are no services at Organ Pipe. Lukeville has a restaurant, grocery store, and duty free shop. Nobody spoke English very well.
After lunch I backtracked 6 miles uphill and into the wind to the Organ Pipe scenic drive. I noticed several signs warning visitors that this area is a popular smuggling route for both drugs and humans. In this remote area the border has a vehicle barrier, but no wall to stop determined pedestrians.
The Organ Pipe Scenic Loop is an unpaved 21 mile loop that climbs into the edge of the Ajo mountains. The first half is mostly uphill, the second half is mostly downhill. I started at 1:45 PM because the Ajo mountain views are best in the afternoon.
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The narrow 1-way dirt road puts visitors very close to the desert. I appreciated that there was basically no traffic. Less than 10 cars passed me.
The temperature was fairly cool. 60F (15C) with a strong north wind. But the sun was shining.
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The road climbs 1000 feet into the Ajo mountains. The steepest part is paved for 3 miles.
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I stopped and hiked the Arch Rock trail, hoping to get close to the arch rock. I hiked 2.5 miles, climbing 900 feet, but never did get close to the arch rock.
It was nearly sunset by the time I finished the hike. But the descent on the Scenic Drive is very fast and I got back to my campsite before it was too dark to navigate.
The evening was quite cold. Temperature in the 40's, still a strong north wind. Many of the visitors here are bird watchers. This area has many bird species that are mostly found only in Mexico.
Distance: 36.5 mi. (58.4 km)
Climbing: 1900 ft. (575 m)
Average Speed: 9.0 mph (14.4 km/h)
Hiked 3 mi. (4.8 km)
Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 618 miles (995 km)
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