AJO #1

4 March 2016:  We are camped down in Ajo, AZ now.  It is always nice to get here as we feel we have finally got to the desert.  It is one of our favorite places to hang out.  The walking is great and the little town is just a small old mining town that has got a lot of grey haired folks running around in the winter months.  The mine has long since closed and it has a lot of retired people living here now.  And a lot more like us that come down in the winter.  In fact, one of the “old guys” that I ski with has bought a house down here.  We have seen them a couple of times already when we have been in town.  We do miss the A-10s that used to fly over us while we are camped out here in the BLM though.  They have (Senior Air Force officials) been trying to retire the aircraft for quite some time.  But the Army and many of the AF special operators would really like to keep the aircraft in the inventory.  It is the best close air support aircraft ever designed.  They were stationed at Davis Montham AFB near Tucson and used the Barry M. Goldwater gunnery range which is just north of Ajo to train.

There are hardly any flowers blooming here and not nearly as many birds as there usually are.  Maybe that is why there are not as many people camped out south of town as usual.   

My traveling partners at our new camp.

 

Eating Rocky Point shrimp and Mexican asparagus.

The local cemetery just down the road from us is really kept up and beautiful.

 

A young Organpipe cactus.

Cholla.

We went down to the Plaza Saturday and caught some musicians playing some old songs.

The plaza.

It is a pretty spot especially with the churches in the background.

Zeph loves to go there for the dog smells!

Sunrises and sunsets.

 

A couple of flickers entertain us every morning.

Our camp with South Ajo peak in the background.