PALM CANYON~Quartzsite-AZ

January 19th: Holland has been very good this year about getting me to places I've been wanting to see - so, this week we have been focusing on things he's been wanting to see before we leave Arizona (specifically Quartzsite, where we are currently parked), and head back up North for a while.

This morning, his choice was to see the native palm trees of Palm Canyon - just a mile or two up the road from here. The majority of the palm trees in Arizona are transplants … these ones are reported to be originals of this region - that alone, makes them interesting ;-)

The sunrise this morning was a light-hearted orangish shade.

Palm Canyon-AZ from Quartzsite-AZ; 44 min (27.1 mi) via US-95 S and Palm Canyon Rd

Palm Canyon road (at milepost 85) leads to the only official trail in the Refuge. The trail is uphill but not anything to really worry about. The purpose of this drive was to see the native California fan palm trees. Holland did not know such a thing existed in Arizona (other than this grove, none do), so he was curious.

On the quest to find Palm Canyon; BLM Land, Kofa-AZ

Holland & Bleu.

Across the desert landscape we spotted a huge building … looking out of place, here. There were no signs indicating what this thing was; internet searches, also showed nothing.

The mystery building was huge, yellow, and run by a massive generator with a drainage pool behind it.

Kofa Wilderness Information Station.

Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Quartzsite-AZ:

 (https://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/kofa/wildlife_refuge.html)

Red pumice rock was spread out like a red carpet entrance ;-)

Warning Plaque; the Kofa wilderness was a military testing ground.

Map indicating watering holes, and mine locations.

Habitat Plaque.

Rules Regulations Plaque …

I had to keep after Bleu to stop him from running up to the Cholla cactuses that were e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e: I finally put him back in the pickup, where he'd be safe.

Speaking of safety … the KOFA BLM land was at one time used by General Patton for desert military training during WWII, and there may still be undetonated military hardware laying around the peaceful looking desert sands. There are warnings posted: DO NOT PICK UP ANYTHING THAT APPEARS TO BE MILITARY HARDWARE - make a note of the location and report it to the address and/or phone number provided.

As we drove along, passing the devil cactus (Cholla = “choy-ah”), I spotted blossoms! I said, "Stop here! I want to check out those yellow flowers." Holland asked, "What flowers?" I said, "Those yellow flowers on the devil cactus, there by the roadside". He looked out his side window and said, "I didn't know they had yellow flowers." I said, "This one does."

These cactuses will literally shoot you - if you get too close, this cactus species will shoot a sharp, barbarous needle (similar as porcupine needles) that causes an immediate sting, followed by lingering irritation that could cause severe complications for people with physical sensitivities.

I stood way back - and used the zoom feature to get this blossom pic ;-)

Cholla Cactus; Kofa Wilderness Refuge-AZ

Cactus: 

(https://www.desertusa.com/cactus/cholla-cactus.html)

Cholla Cactus, fruiting.

I found out later, after further zooming the pic at home … these weren't flowers - they were cactus fruits, that follows when blossoming ends. At any rate, neither of us had ever seen this particular cactus with anything on it beside it's hellishly sharp, and dangerous, spines.

This Saguaro Cactus looked like an 18-ft., 5-armed candelabra ;-)

Saguaro Cactus: 

(https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Saguaro%20Cactus.php#:~:text=Habitat,frost%20can%20kill%20the%20saguaro.)

Climbing in elevation - no internet, though internet is reported to be active here.

Kofa Wilderness BLM area; AZ

Kofa Wilderness: 

(https://peakvisor.com/park/kofa-wilderness.html)

Palm Canyon a 'no-go' exploration.

Palm Canyon, Kofa Wilderness BLM Land-AZ:

 (https://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/kofa/palm_canyon.html)

We drove up Blevens Rd, to connect with the Pipeline Rd; and was locked out.

The no-access-gate is something new …

We got to the location of the palms … but the access road had been gated to vehicles! We drove a little further and Holland struck up a friendly convo with a couple campers, who told us that the hiking trail is "at least half a mile - maybe a mile, one way": no way Holland could do that, and if the trail was steep, I wouldn't be able to do it, either. They also told us that the gate is something new - it was installed a year ago (nothing about this on 'tourist information' web sites; we are finding that this is typical AZ Tourist Info silence). Of course, we were disappointed; but these campers told us, "Just a bit down the road here, you can walk the Crystal Mountain Wash and look for crystals among the rock debris."

Well, Bleu needed a walk, so off we went.

A heart-shaped rock on trail leading to the wash; and a standing heart rock - in the wash rock bed.

A pretty, mustard colored, rock among the grays.

Hiking trails and mining trails scar the mountainside & RZR tracks run the wash; Kofa Wilderness area-AZ.

A nice area to camp in - in something smaller.

I didn't find any crystals, but I did see another big fat heart-shaped rock, some brightly colored rocks, and quite a bit of quartz rock chips; I brought a few finds back with me - they won't mean anything special to anyone else, but they mean something special to me :-)

My 'finds' raw quartz; Red-veined Hematoid (ˈhiməˌtɔid, ˈhemə-) Quartz, White & Golden (honey) Quartz, White & Silver Milk Quartz.

Most people drive to Crystal Mountain looking for pure, clear, crystals (and some actually get lucky, walking away with their find), since this is the only area on the Refuge where you can legally take rocks and minerals … and only without tools or metal detectors: you are limited to ten rocks or ten pounds per person per year. 

To me, the desert is a beautiful place; Kofa Wilderness BLM area-AZ

Strange Ocotillo Cactus-Succulent-Shrub (pronounced oh-koh-TEE-yohs):

 (https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/fouquieria_splendens.shtml & https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-unusual-ocotillo.htm#:~:text=Ocotillo%20is%20not%20a%20cactus,a%20small%20part%20of%20California.)

Road traffic increased significantly as the afternoon unfolded.

There were great views of the Sonoran Desert all along this route but we didn’t see any sign of wildlife; other than the 2-legged variety ;-)

Leaving the Refuge and turning onto the main highway, a power tower to the left of my passenger window made me laugh out loud - looking at it, with it's striped cap …"Where's Waldo" instantly popped into my thoughts.

This power tower cracked me up with it's Waldo caps. Hahaha

When I stopped laughing, I asked Holland why those caps were up there (Holland has worked on power towers, and strung power lines); he said those caps are grounding caps - and they also alert low-flying planes of their presence.

We had a good day - 1 disappointment, but otherwise pure sunshine :-)