Ajo
This is my third and final log on this set of journal entries! This would pick up on leaving Anza and heading towards Ajo, Arizona. The drive in crossing Cali into Arizona was pretty much seamless with the exception of the border control, at which point I knew we were nearing the US-Mexico border. I felt confident in knowing I am a US citizen, especially among my classmates, though I do feel that the border agents give me a second glance whenever I say I am actually a US citizen lol. Ajo was a pretty nice place to be even though it would kinda pale in comparison to Anza and the Granites.
But oh the places we went and the stuff we saw in this little town! We caught glances of the famous Saguaro during the drive, organ pipe cactus that we heard hum as the wind filtered through them, military planes practicing maneuvers over the mountainside, some scorpions (During a night walk with some blacklights we were able to see one pretty large on fluoresce!), and possible the best observation - a Gila monster with its deep scarlet and black patterns scampering from the dirt road!
During the trip in Ajo, compared to Anza and the Granites, the effects of Covid-19 were most apparent with some restaurants not letting us, a party of 12 in (A*riba (though honestly I wouldn’t either)), and us having to get meals to-go than just eating there! There was also a pleasant little coffee shop that covered breakfast for the two days we stayed there, so I would say that in our brief passing, we definitely left some type of impact on the town.
During our brief stint in the Organ pipe National park, we also participated in a not-so-junior-ranger activity in order to get some really cool looking patches that I would use a souvenir for the trip! One place that we visited while over there was the little spring that was very close to the border of Mexico that had little endemic fish that are federally endangered! I was able to look at them from afar in order to respect their space, as well as looking at the aquatic birds and turtles that were sharing their space. We also found some chain-fruit cholla which are my favorite iteration of cholla that I found on the trip because I think the fruit are cool!
During the drive from Ajo to Phoenix, I realized that I am going to miss the West with their mountains spanning the horizon, the dry air, and the abundance of cacti along the bumpy and sometimes sandy roads! However, it also made me more thankful for living on the eastern side of the US, being only a few minutes away from the beach and not having to moisturize nearly as often! This experience in the West really opened my eyes and I would recommend anyone who has even a tiny bit of interest in the desert to take this course! Hopefully there isn’t a global pandemic that can put a hamper on the travel or a super-rare torrential rainstorm that forces the itinerary to change for the next time!
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