Southern Deserts Jan 26-29

 It's curious how different deserts can be. Some, as open, rocky and barren stretches of land like in Nevada and near Joshua Tree seem desolate and uninhabitable, although there are many inhabitants that wait until night, or sleep in the cold weather (thank you rattlesnakes) or choose to stay away from the highways. Other desert spaces seem chock full of life, although perhaps not the life you would like to go traipsing

around with. The Sonora desert is such a place. Lots of cactus variety, scrub, little flowers. The great saguaro cactus lording over their spaces, some pocked and sculpted with holes of a visiting woodpecker. There were a fair amount of hawks around which says to me there were a fair amount of small things to eat. I have yet to see a burrowing owl or a roadrunner and would like to very much. There is more desert to come. 

I drove through Gila Bend, Arizona, which I loved the name of and was rewarded with yard art to grace your adobe home. It is no surprise to me that much of it was painted gaudy colors. It's not like you can have a cutting garden after all. Many of the homes had rock arrangements or iron yard art. Like dinosaurs. Why? why not? I snagged an overnight spot at Picacho Peak State Park. It was one of their overflow spaces which was good for me because although I couldn't plug in from the cold I was away from campgrounds and had few neighbors. I plugged in my battery blanket and passed the night just fine.

The following day I looked at my Roadside Attractions phone app and found there was the Biosphere 2 fairly near by. Of course I wanted to see it. My friend, Molly had told me it was interesting and it was. A large complex that used to hold 8 people completely self sufficient to see if people could live

some place like on the moon. For various reasons the experiment was not as successful as they hoped but the folks made it though 2 years and lessons were learned. Now the complex is used to test environmental theories and for educational seminars. It was interesting. (Look it up to know more-biosphere2.org)

Onward we go to Tombstone. Yes, that Tombstone- "the town too stubborn to die". I expected some tourist kitche and that's what we got. Gina could walk around with me so that was pleasant. She was wearing her bandana so fit the part. We got an old timey picture taken which was fun and started to watch a gunfight drama unfold, complete with a Marty Robbins song of Old El Paso. Gina really hated the crowds interactions and  gun noise and was shaking so we left. It was a hokey show but we got enough of it. I had hoped to stay in Bisbee, a little artsy town nearby but it was chock a block full (3 day weekend) so we did more driving than I intended. Found the Dos Adobes trailer park which was pretty far from towns and heard a lot of coyotes on our night walk. It was cold though! The water froze in my hose hook up. No damage but a nuisance. I must say I am getting a little tired of the cold!

The next days drive brought us through Deming, a Mimbres Pottery capital, I love their designs. We also drove through Hatch, Arizona which I found later was the chile capital of the world. Opportunity missed! But now I know where you are Chile Capital!! 

The border/immigration situation is palpable here. We don't get much in Maine because immigrants don't want to come that far. I wish they would. It is sort of creepy though to see helicopters scouting the skies for immigrants and there are occasionally patrol stations with dogs that you have to go through and claim you're an American citizen. I guess I looked white enough....

A crummy Sleep 8 motel for the evening as I wanted a shower. It served it's purpose.