Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument - 2020

The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a true desert experience. It is located along the Arizona Mexico border in south western Arizona and it part of the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which covers large parts of the Southwestern United States in Arizona and California and Northwestern Mexico in Sonora, and Baja California Sur. It is the hottest desert in Mexico. It is the greenest desert in the world. This portion of the desert is designated as a National Monument and was established to protect this unique species of cactus. The blooms open in summer and are pollinated by the nectar-feeding Long-nosed Bat. Beautiful and unique this is the farthest north region in which these cactus can survive. 

 

Organ Pipe Cactus

The Sonoran Desert has five seasons, dry summer, summer monsoon, fall, winter (rainy) and spring. Abundant wildlife thrives here and includes many species of reptiles, birds, kit fox, deer, bobcat, cougar and coyote. There are big blue skies, blazing orange sunsets and beautiful silence. This is a dark sky community and there are so many stars. There are other surprises too in this incredible land and we were happy to stumble on this organ pipe cactus cristate. The cristate is a somewhat rare mutation which also appears in other species of cactus.

Cristate Organ Pipe Cactus

The Ocotillo has spines on woody stems and basically looks rather dead most of the year. It's not technically a cactus but it looks like one and is an incredibly drought tolerant plant that you do not want to touch. It is a beautiful contrast to the other desert plants with its skinny tall stems. In the spring when it blooms, it has flame-shaped orange-red flower clusters atop each long thin stem. 

Ocotillo

To say that Arizona sunsets are the best is an understatement. They win hands down for consistently providing endless variety and evening entertainment. The dry desert conditions combined with upper-level clouds creates amazing shows of iridescent pink, orange and purple hues. We were rarely disappointed. 

We drove the Ajo Mountain Scenic Loop, stopping along the way and reading the road guide. This scenic drive crosses the Diablo Mountains, passes along the base of the Ajo Mountains and crosses the Sonoyta Valley. 

Ajo Mountain Scenic Drive

We attended several ranger programs. One about the history of places within the park. Another one about coyotes (song dogs) and another one about stargazing. 

Super Moon

We hiked the loop around the camp several times and also hiked the Victoria Mine Trail twice, but, not on the same day. Rangers here have one of their scheduled days as a hiking day so often we would pass a Ranger on the trail. 

When we first arrived, I was concerned, we would stumble on distressed people making illegal crossings. There were signs posted to alert us. We did not see anyone, but, it's not entirely uncommon. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) are diligent here and busy. You could see where the land was in need of restoration due to the destruction of illegal crossings. There were lots of CPB patrols, roadside checkpoints and helicopter patrols.

We also drove a portion of the Puerto Blanco Road which runs along the international border where the wall is being built. It was quite an emotional experience. When you see the harshness of this environment, how vast it all is, you see an unforgiving land. I think about the people who traffic others with a somewhat false hope of helping them cross the border. Everything out there can hurt you and there are many things that can kill you. I think about distressed people, trying to flee their homeland for what they hope is a better life. I look at this terrain and see how difficult it would be to traverse this unforgiving land. I believe they must be so desperate they are willing to die just for the chance. I think about how humanitarian aid has become a crime and how human rights advocates have carried gallons of water into remote areas of the Sonoran desert and been arrested. 

Mural, Ajo, Arizona

On a happier note, this was definitely one of my favorite places while we were on the road. In fact we loved it so much we returned to for a second time while in Arizona. Pristine beauty and incredible silence. It was here at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument that we both earned our Desert Ranger Patch. I've always been an advocate and a conservationist and it was a fun and interesting exercise. We made our way through the workbook, completed the requirements and pledged to preserve and protect the National Parks and Monuments.

How incredibly blessed we are to have the life we have and to get to see so many unique and beautiful places. Our new van has made things so much easier. Travel makes me happy and I intend to do more of it for as long as I can.

"If you don't die of thirst, there are blessings in the desert. You can be pulled into limitlessness, which we all yearn for, or you can do the beauty of minutiae, the scrimshaw of tiny and precise. The sky is your ocean, and the crystal silence will uplift you like great gospel music, or Neil Young." - Anne Lamott

Laissez les bon temps rouler - New Orleans 2019

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux

Laissez les bon temps rouler” (lay-ZEH leh BAWN taw ROO-leh)
Let the good times roll... 

New Orleans is one of a kind. It is steeped in history and traditions like no other City in the United States. There is so much more here than the French Quarter of which I would bet that most visitors rarely get out of. Great museums, parks and culture. 

How can one not be intrigued by the tradition of the Mardi Gras Indians? The Mardi Gras Indians came about because cultural separation did not include the black neighborhoods in Mardi Gras celebrations. The Mardi Gras Indians named themselves after Native American indians to pay them respect for their helped and accepted slaves into their society when they made a break for freedom. Their krewes are named after imaginary Indian tribes according to the streets of their ward or gang. Their costumes are amazing and the craft work that goes into them astounds me. 

We have spoiled ourselves. We are at the beginning of the longest road trip we have ever been on. We started out our journey by renting half of a double shotgun home in the uptown area of New Orleans. It's not exactly living in a van just quite yet but more Van-in-the-city. I just keep saying it's all good and we have plenty of camping in our van coming up over the next few months.

Our extended stay in this city has allowed us to drink in the culture and see more than what you would do on a long weekend. We have both been here a few times before but this time is more close up. We are perhaps living like locals. We have discovered great urban walks, fun music venues and cozy little lunch spots. We also have great direction from my extensive research of things to do and we have friends in town that are leading us to places we would have never found on our own. It's not exactly budget friendly fun but we hardly missing a thing and it some how balances all out. 

There is great music all around this city. Something for everyone. You really can't go wrong with attending the monthly Fa Do Do at  the legendary Tipatina's with Bruce Draigrepont. He is a fantastic front man and plays those dance tunes like no one else. What a fantastic night with a great band. It doesn't even matter if you can't or won't dance, the music is fantastic. He is integral to the history of Tipatina's and a nice guy too that took time at the end of the gig to talk to us for a few minutes. 

Bruce Draigrepont

The Iguanas at the Circle Bar pretty much every Wednesday is an amazing treat. It's the most intimate setting just like someone's living room and they are indeed world class. With two multi instrumentalist and languages in English and Spanish, I was in tiny venue heaven.

The Iguanas

Chubby Carrier Rock n Bowl

We looked for the Tree of Life in Audubon Park more than once and when we found it we realized we had just been driving by it repeatedly. So many old and large live oaks all around and in this park. Once we got out of the van we could see why it is so special. They think this one is about 300 years old. There are so many amazing trees in Audubon Park but this one clearly deserves special attention. 

Tree of Life - Audubon Park

Another great place to take a walk is the Bestoff Sculpture Garden at City Park adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art. It's not only free it has a great mix of 20th Century Sculptures. It's a beautiful setting with several places to rest and enjoy the surroundings. We loved it and went there twice. 

Studio BE. Absolute Truth and Beauty. What an extraordinary exhibition by Brandon "B-mike " Odums, artist, activist and mentor. The pieces reflect the impact of Katrina on the community, the Black experience, history and the Civil Rights Movement. Very very powerful social justice statement. It is probably one of the most moving exhibits I have seen in quite some time. Emotional. Brilliant. 

We made it to Grand Isle, the mouth of the Mississippi and that was a great place to spend the day. It's kind of off season here so we basically had the place to ourselves. Who doesn't love a deserted beach stroll?

We went to the Garyville Louisiana Levee along the Mississippi River to see the 45 foot Alligator Bonfire but I was at the mercy of my friends and they didn't want to wait the 15 minutes before they lit it up. We started driving north toward Gramercy because there were more fires there, the possibility of food and drink but the traffic got so crazy there was a quick U-turn and our adventure ended without climax. I did see a few stray fireworks over the distant levee from the backseat window of the car. The tradition of the fires is strong along the levee to light the way for Papa Noel. .

We attended the Big Nine Second Line Parade and walked several miles along side the parade. I loved seeing people with a connection to their club, neighborhood, city or traditions, something I do not feel apart of in my own home city. Fantastic display of home made costumes, feathers and lively steppers. Brass bands and decorated floats. We ended up visiting the St. Roch Market and stopping in for a snack. It was a nice renovation of the old market place oddly upscale for the neighborhood, cold and loud inside. We walked back through the neighborhood and looked at all the houses, most of which in this neighborhood were needing a some TLC but some were darling little gems.

A week later we had the honor of meeting Ronald Lewis, culture bearer who curates a cultural museum which is based on his participation in the culture of the Mardi Gras Indians, Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs and the skull and bones gangs. His work preserves and shares the culture and passes on the knowledge and traditions for the next generations. Ronald is president of the Big Nine Social Aid and Pleasure Club, former Council Chief of the Choctaw Hunters, former King of Krewe de Vieux, a lifelong resident of the Lower Ninth Ward, survivor of the two worst hurricanes in US history, Betsy in '65 and Katrina in 2005.

Update: Sadly Ronald passed away on March 20 due to complication from diabetes and other medical conditions. He will be surely missed by all those whose lives he touched. He was an amazing spirit, a beautiful light. I am especially honored to have met him. 

We entered the nondescript building with hardly a sign, took a number and waited at Domalise's for a while to order up our po-boy sandwiches. While we were waiting we met a couple were thought were just typical football fans and it ended up one was a Jazz guitarist and the other a second chair violinist for the Memphis Orchestra. So never judge a book by its cover. Be nice to people. They were delightful and we ended up sitting with them and eventually ordering and eating our po-boys 

Revellion Dinner at Brigsten's was a real budget buster. You can catch my honest review on Trip Advisor. As we entered the creole cottage there was a magazine photographer and he asked us if we would be willing to be in the shoot. He then came indoors to our table and took some photos as we dined. We then were asked to sign a release for our images to be used in the Eating Well Magazine. Be on the lookout for me in an upcoming issue of Eating Well Magazine, because I am pretty sure that my curly hair will appear in one of those photos! The one where my smoked salmon toast point broke apart when I bit into it. 

The Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve is just 25 minutes from New Orleans and it is like another world. The Park has a beautiful boardwalk trail that goes through the bayou. On property nearby were were booked on a swamp tour where we were able to get out into the channel and see marshes, swamps and alligators. 

Mardi Gras World is an insanely huge warehouse and artistic building space. They build and created floats for their clients. We were able to see the artists working in different studios. There were also countless props in storage from previous Mardi Gras float builds. 

We visited the Whitney Plantation which is the only plantation museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people. Expertly presented with highly knowledgeable docents. There are many memorials and restored buildings on the sugar plantation property. Remembrances for those that built and worked this property. Our guide provided many fantastic examples of how the 1% has always and continues to create a culture which will always create ways to divide the people against themselves. Through their research they have developed some excellent educational materials that can be used with curriculum in the schools. 
Please read more about it here: https://www.whitneyplantation.org/

What an amazing time we have had. Oddly we are leaving right as the Mardi Gras season begins, Twelfth Night. We say good bye to our fake New Orleans home and neighborhood knowing that New Orleans will not disappear. It's spirit is strong. It's people proud. There are some amazing and lovable characters here in this community that eats, dances, hugs, makes music, parades, laughs, lives large and is always talking about the next meal. 

"Just relax, darlin'. This is the Big Easy. Folks have a certain way o' doin'things down here. 
~ Remi McSwain.

Next Stop: Houston

Big Bend National Park - January 2020

It's a long drive from Houston but everyone should drive across Texas at least once in their life. I've done it twice in the last few years. Each time I see more and more of what makes Texas great. The night skies are dark in far west Texas and the whole reason is to make our way to Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend National Park is massive and it's border stretches nearly 120 miles along the river. It is the largest, most remote and least visited National Park. It's not on the way to anywhere. It is its own destination. The park has been described as splendid isolation by the National Park Service and that is not an understatement. There is a great silence here amid the expansive beauty. It is indeed the end of the road. It's a strange feeling to look across the river at another country. It's beautiful and sad at the same time. The desert cactus scorched by the southwestern sun and the vastness of this amazing Chihuahuan desert make this a very magical place. I feel honored to be here.

I catch my first glance at the Rio Grande River. I have my first worry that I will see distressed people crossing over from Mexico. I did not. What surprised me most was that the Rio Grande is not so grand at all. Nothing like I remember from the old movies. Water being tapped for irrigation up stream makes for an easy swim across if you are so inclined. I was not.

Rio Grande

We hiked in to where there was a small hot spring perched along the river. It was actually in the remains of a foundation from a former bath house called Boquillas Hot Springs which was long before the land became a National Park. It was a thriving little getaway between 1927 and 1942 during which time it had a little post office, store, motor court and community market. People would come from miles around to trade, shop and take in the healing properties of the hot springs. Big Bend became a national park in 1935. The owner sold the land where the springs are located to the state of Texas in 1942, it became part of the the national park, the buildings were abandoned and fell to ruin in the 1950's. 

Boquillas Hot Spring

Big Bend is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. There are 800,000 acres of stunning views, scenic drives and dozens of hiking trails. You can even take a row boat across the river and visit Boquillas village in Mexico if you have your passport handy. We did not. 

It takes a lot of time just to get here. You will want at the very least 3 full days to just skim the surface. If you only allow that I can guarantee you will leave wishing you had allowed more time. Don't cheat yourself, do your research and allow enough time to properly see it. Once you are there you will quickly realize how big this park really is. Just go slow and enjoy what you can. Revel in the solitude.

Leaving Big Bend National Park we make a quick stop in Terilingua. It is a small little ghost town about 5 minutes outside of Big Bend. It was a small but booming little mining town which was abandoned around 1946 after WWI when the need for mercury declined and the mining company went bankrupt and left. It has a small number of residents these days. It's worth driving through town. There is a smattering of local business and restaurants. Make a stop at the cemetery perched along the road with views of the Chisos Mountains and Sierra del Carmens. It's a beautiful example of makeshift graves with a bit of folk art thrown in for good measure.

We made another little stop in the town of Marfa, Texas before heading toward our next destination in Arizona. We've been to Marfa before but we stop again to walk along Donald Judd's legacy. The story of how he came to Marfa, the purchase of abandoned buildings from an old United States Army fort and his important contributions I find, quite interesting. 

Beautiful Texas

“You can live on the plains or the mountains / Or down where the sea breezes blow / But you’re still in beautiful Texas / The most beautiful place that I know.” 

~ Willie Nelson

Next Stop: All kinds of places in Arizona

More information:
https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bend_National_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Judd 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinati_Foundation