{"id":466,"date":"2017-01-24T11:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-24T11:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/2017\/01\/24\/organ-pipe-cactus"},"modified":"2021-10-01T04:53:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T11:53:09","slug":"organ-pipe-cactus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=466","title":{"rendered":"Organ Pipe Cactus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
It was just an ordinary brown highway sign along Interstate 8.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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“Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument<\/a> – 75 miles”<\/i><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I had passed through the town of Gila Bend countless times on my way to Yuma, but today my travels took this exit instead, and next thing I knew I was four miles from the Mexican border, deep in the Sonoran Desert.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
It’s funny how things here in Arizona are reversed from what I’m used to. Summers are miserable and most people spend the majority of time indoors.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Camping season is November – March.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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On a weekend in January, I set up my tent, make a fire, and relax in the wonder and splendor of this desolate place.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
I see new cacti, hike desert trails to mountain peaks and sunset vistas. I kick a cholla into my ankle and scream in pain as blood soaks my sock.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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I sip whiskey in my tent as night comes and a light rain falls.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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It sounds like the sweet taste of a tangerine.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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