Painted Rock Petroglyph Site

Organ Pipe National Monument, Part Three - Victoria Mine Trail

 Victoria Mine Trail is an easy 5.2 mile trail located in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  

It Is

 Delightful start to my morning...   I was camping on BLM land called Gunsight Wash.  I had an interesting conversation with a very upset, elderly neighbor the day before.  She was struggling with getting rid of her trash.  Both of her vehicles were not working, she was stacking the trash on top of her cars.  I told her I would pick up a couple bags of her trash when I left this morning.  While I was FaceTiming my daughter I watched several campers walked over to her campsite and took bags of her trash off the car roofs until there was no more left....  it does a heart good to witness acts of kindness.

I also talk to my daughter for over an hour.  I really miss these silly conversations with just the right amount of seriousness.  I plan on doing this weekly.  I also took a pictures of her “rugs.”

I have been in a quandary on what to do and where to go.  A part of me wants to go back to Tucson then head to Texas and the other part of me wants to continue west.  I decided to continue west and made a reservation for three days by a river.  There are petroglyphs I want to see and trails to hike.  So onward and upward.

On the road, between Why and Ajo, I chipped my windshield.  I decided to call my RV Insurance (Good Sam) and have them pay for it.  It is small enough so a new windshield won’t be necessary.   You can imagine my surprise when the claim department called to confirm my identity and policy and discovered I was a man living in the Carolinas...  she said “until this is resolved you basically do not have coverage.”  

WTF

I called my insurance and explained to them what was going on and eventually found myself on the phone with my insurance representative and a claim representative.  The claim representative tried to pull up my referral number but it no longer existed.  So he took my name, address, date of birth, VIN number...  and discovered I do not exist...  Basically there is no claim.  I have all the documentation that shows I have insurance and that is one less worry.  Other than that, if, god forbid, something does happen and I require more than a chip repair will I be going through all of this again?  I have to pay for the chip repair and submit the paperwork for reimbursement.

I am reconsidering my auto and RV insurance.

When asked where did this accident occur...  I had a hard time making him understand there is a town called Why.  

The scenery between Why and I-10 is so pretty and the drive was relaxing.

 

Organ Pipe National Monument Part Two - Victoria Mine Trail

Victoria Mine Trail is an easy 5.2 mile trail located in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  

Organ Pipe National Monument

Victoria Mine Trail is an easy 5.2 mile trail located in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The trail begins at the south end of the campground, located about 1.5 miles from the Visitor Center. It is a very well-marked trail. You will see creosote bush, greasewood, cholla, ocotillo and palo verde trees and saguaros and an Organ Pope Cactus or two. You will run into occasional drops into washes. Looking around, you can see the distant crest of Pinkley Peak to the north and of the Sierra Cubabi across the Mexican border and the Sonoyta Valley.


Victoria mine is the best-preserved historical structure at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. During its 40 years of operation, it produced more than $12,000 worth of gold, silver, and copper. Victoria Mine is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as one of the oldest prospecting sites in southwest Arizona.

A stand of Organ Pipe Cactus with a Saguaro

Ocotillo 

Teddy Bear Cholla is a safe place to build a nest.

She Is Out Of The House

 I am out and roaming southern Arizona!

Since I am attempting to blog while on my phone I have no idea how this will work.  Last night was my first night out and I slept like a baby.  I woke up at my usual time, 4 a.m. it was 40 degrees so I just snuggled under my blankets with a book.  Later I played my flute and meditated   This is the most relaxed I have been in a month   Right now I am just relaxing   Tomorrow the hiking will begin   

I have been asked about having no heat when I travel.  I never sleep with a space heater on or a propane heater in a small space.  

I was living in a small - itty bitty apartment in Springfield MO with my then two-year old son, James.  He slept in a bedroom- I was on a couch.  There was a gas leak during the night.  My friend called me early (thank goodness) and James answered the phone.   He told her mommy won’t wake up.  We were both hospitalized. Had a three or four day migraine.  We both suffered from severe headaches since.   Mine has diminished over time.  I am terrified of that happening again.  

Detectors are a crap shoot.  In my little truck camper, it would go off if my dog farted.  So I bundle up.   When you wake up to this...  it is so worth it

 

Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Site

The monument marks the tomb of the men that died during the Dawson Massacre of September 1842 and the ill-fated Mier expedition of November 1842, also known as the “black bean” incident. Nearby citizens reinterred their remains here in a common tomb so that they can be honored for their sacrifice. The site is now marked by a 1936 Centennial monument. In 1849, German immigrant Heinrich Ludwig Kreische purchased 172 acres of land including the Dawson/Mier tomb, now known as Monument Hill. Master stonemason Kreische built a three-story house for his family. In the 1860s, he utilized the spring water from the ravine below his house and started one of the first commercial breweries in Texas. Walk the ruins of this once bustling brewery and envision how Fayette County citizens would come and enjoy a pint of Kreische’s Bluff Beer while looking out towards the beautiful Texas landscape. The Kreische Brewery and home are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1849, master stonemason and German immigrant, Heinrich Kreische built his home and in the 1860s one of the first commercial breweries in Texas. Walk the ruins of this once bustling brewery and see how it remains a lasting example of prosperity by immigrants in Texas. The Kreische Brewery and home are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.