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2024 Cacti and Canyons
  • Melissa Kirkegaard
  • Melissa Kirkegaard

2024 Cacti and Canyons

Camper van journey through the heart of the American Southwest including State and National Parks in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 8, 2024
    Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    Hikes from campround are not crowded and have great views
    Site A09 in Cottonwood had a nice viewGlowing Choya cactus, always careful not to get too close!Homemade Kimchi fried rice with tofu was delishGreat start to our star gazingCahuilla tribe grinding hole

    Cottonwood Joshua tree

    Feb 15–16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    First stop was lunch and browsing in Palm Springs and then a lovely sunset at Cottonwood Campground in Joshua Tree. Great hike to Mastodon peak in the morning.
    The Cahuilla tribe harvested jojoba nuts and blue berries from California juniper trees to eat raw and dry for later. They used creosote leaves and seeds for many medicinal needs. We hiked by bedrock mortar holes where they sat by the palm oasis to grind flour. They lived in this area for hundreds of years without environmental impact and always honored the spirit of the plants and animals they ate.
    Cottonwood campground is in the Colorado desert so need to drive further into the park to the Mojave desert to see Joshua trees.    Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    1So many arms on a Organ Pipe Cactus
    Ajo mountain rangeSaguaro sunset1We made sweet potato and black bean tacos with pickled onions for dinnerBuckhorn Cholla1Arch rock in AjoVictoria Mine

    Organ Pipe National Monument Arizona

    Feb 16–18, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Beautiful green desert with rhyolite volcanic rock canyons. We took a dirt road for 21 miles in Ajo mountains to hike to arch rock and hiked from the campground to the Victoria mine which was used to mine gold and Silver. The sunsets from the campground were so beautiful.
    The organ pipe cactus only grows here and across the border in Mexico. The indigenous Tohono O’odham collect the organ pipe fruit in summer to make syrup. The palo verde trees are so beautiful with green trunks for photosynthesis and serve as nurse trees for saguaros.    Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    A few ocatillo are blooming
    The woodpeckers make holes to store nuts and seeds and then the cactus wren makes a nest.Desert poppies are starting to bloomThe barrel catus fruit looks like pineapplesEnded the day at Harvest Host brewery and tried a Elote navhos and Sonoran DogSeven Falls in Sabino CanyonSuch interesting clouds

    Saguaro NP and Sabino Canyon in Tucson

    Feb 18–19, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We hiked up the Hughes Norris peak trail to get a view over the Saguaro National Park. We have learned a lot about the saguaro, they have shallow roots and during monsoon rains they can capture and absorb about 1,300 gallons of water! We need to learn how we can store water like the saguaro in Southern California for the dry periods. The saguaro live up to 200 years and don’t branch arms until they are in their 70s. We had dinner and stayed the night at Catalina Brewery in Tucson.
    We got the last spot at the trailhead for Bear Canyon and 7 falls trail in Sabino Canyon. We had about 9 stream crossing each way and eventually just walked through and got our shoes wet. There is lots of water from the recent rains in Tucson. Hike was 7.5 miles and we were tired at the end but a great hike!    Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    2Unique rhyolitic sphyerulitesLooks like a meditator

    Chiricahua National Monument

    Feb 19–20, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We really enjoyed Chiricahua monument. It was called “Standing Up Rocks” by the Chiricahua Apaches. It’s called a "sky island" because it doesn’t connect to any other mountain range. The pinnacles and geological formations are so interesting. We hiked through Echo loop, crossed the running stream and through the last snow and ice. The sunset from Massai Point was beautiful.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
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    White Sands National Park

    Feb 20–21, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    We arrived at White Sands just before sunset to enjoy this amazing place. It looks like you are driving through snow packed roads but it’s all pure gypsum. The wind came up as we walked on the dunes erasing everyone’s footsteps. We were one of the last people out of the park and then stayed at Icebox Brewery in Las Cruces New Mexico.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    So many nice stores in MarfaTop of the courthouse to see MarfaMarfa Burrito was so good, owner has had many famous visitors

    Marfa and Wassermann Ranch HH

    Feb 21–22, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    Fun afternoon in Marfa, Texas and meeting all the rescue animals at the Wassermann ranch where we stayed in Alpine Texas with Harvest Host. Such a fun experience. Marfa is an interesting art town with great food, galleries, and art installations. We stopped at the Prada store art installation out in nowhere and a musical bus. We ate at the famous Marfa Burrito, had excellent wood fired pizza and a fun visit to Cactus Liquor.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    1
    Vermillion Flycatcher

    Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive Big Bend NP

    Feb 23–24, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Started the day seeing the Rio Grande at Santa Elena Canyon. The cliff on the left side of the river is Mexico. The water level is low but beautiful. We hiked Mule Ears next and looked at amazing vistas and wild flowers and many shades of prickly pear cactus, some were heart shaped. The hike ended with a small fern spring that attracts birds during the spring migration. The last hike was Lower Burro Mesa to see a pour over where an intermittent waterfall has done an amazing job dramatically carving the sheer cliffside.
    The park has so many microclimates in the different elevations, the highest is 7,825 and lowest is at the river at 1,715 feet. The park is in the Chihuahua desert.    Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler

    Rio Grande and Boquillas. In Big Bend

    Feb 24–25, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    On our last full day in Big Bend we went across the border to Boquillas, Mexico for lunch at one of the two restaurants. We paid $5 for a boat ride and then walked 3/4 mile to town, we could have taken burros. It was fun to get a little Mexican experience and then came back across border with a virtual meeting with border control in El Paso. We hiked into Boquillas Canyon along the Rio Grande and then did a sunset hike on the nature trail from the campground. Eric replaced our water pump, we bought the part in Tucson because we knew it was failing. The moon was full and fun to watch rise but we never had dark skies to see the stars, maybe next time.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    2View from top of Devils Hall hike
    Para Llavar restaurant is worth a stop!McKitteick Ranch

    Guadalupe National Park

    Feb 25–26, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    When we arrived in Guadalupe National Park we did the Devils Hall hike up the rocky dry creek bed to the fossil reef the park is known for. In the morning we hiked the McKitteik Canyon trail which transitions from dry desert and Permian Reef to a running creek and pines by the old ranch house. So incredible to think this area was at sea 260 million years ago!Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler

    Carlsbad Caverns National Park

    February 26, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    The caverns are an amazing experience, it’s like going into another world. Photos cannot do justice to what it’s like seeing the cave. We were alone on most of the self guided tour, which really added to the experience. They have done electron microscopy on the pool finger formation and found they are fossilized bacteria, the colonies hung in strings in the pool water. They recently explored other areas and keep finding more amazing rooms. The Mexican Swallows migrating through the area had recently arrived to the entrance of cave.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler

    City of Rocks State Park New Mexico

    Feb 27–28, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    We decided not to go to Santa Fe since it was so cold and explored the Gila area of New Mexico instead. The City of Rocks campground has spots 41-48 as first come first serve and we got a great spot in the rocks with a perfect view of the sunset. It was very fun hiking around the rocks that were formed from volcanic ash from volcanos that erupted over 30 million years ago! We finally had our dark skies for viewing lots of stars.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler

    Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument an

    Feb 28–29, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    The Mogollon people made the Pueblo style housing inside caves used by prehistoric peoples for thousands of years. The dwellings were built in 1270, they know the date because of the age of the timber used to build the roofs. They only stayed there 30 years and had migrated there from the original village due to a drought.
    We drove over winding passes with blue skies when we arrived but when we woke up in the morning the passes were covered in snow so we had a slow beautiful drive out.
    We drove to the other side of the park to the Catwalk Hike with walking bridges through the canyon where catwalks were when a mining company was using the canyon to create power for their steam engines.    Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler

    Petrified Forest National Park

    March 1, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    This park was more than I expected and really blew my mind. The petrified trees died approximately 216 million years ago and were buried under layers of silt, sand, and volcanic ash, which protected them from decay. Mineral layered ground water percolated through the layers, carrying silica from the volcanic ash and the absorbent dead wood became saturated with these minerals and slowly bonded with the cells of the tree replicating the organic material in perfect detail. This was when the land in Arizona was at the equator and part of the landmass Pangea! Dinosaurs were just getting started and no flowering plants would exist for close to another 80 million years. Really puts in perspective how short a time people have been on the planet since we have only been here 300,000 years!
    The park also has great examples of badlands. We didn’t have time to see the petroglyphs or examples of native peoples that lived in the area so we will need to come back at some point.    Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    1

    Sedona

    Mar 1–4, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The beauty of Sedona always takes my breath away. We stayed three nights at Dead Horse State Park in Cottonwood and did great hikes to the ponds in the campground, to Coffee Pot Rock and to Chicken Point in Sedona. We had a nice dinner in old town Cottonwood at Merkin Vineyard and lunch at Javelina Cantina in Sedona. We went to the Tlaquepaque historic shopping area in Sedona which was new to us and fun to walk around all the shops in the village of beautiful courtyards.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    1

    Mesa Arizona

    Mar 4–7, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We spent three nights in Mesa, one night at Usery State park, one night at Lost Dutchman and a night at a HH. Karen and Jeff were great tour guides, there is so much to do! We watched Jeff race his remote controlled sailboat, had a picnic at the Riparian Water Ranch to bird watch, went to Desert Botanical Garden, hiked the Wind Cave Trail at Usery, went to the amazing Musical Instrument Museum, and hiked the Treasure Loop trail at Lost Dutchman.Read more

  • Melissa Kirkegaard2024 Cacti and CanyonsTraveler
    1

    Anza Borrego

    Mar 8–9, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We ended our trip at Anza Borrego State Park and a hike in the canyon. The wild flowers are starting to bloom and there will be a great cactus bloom soon.

    Trip end
    March 8, 2024
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