Walking in the Desert

February 27th, 2023

Here in the La Paz Valley, we have had over a week of high winds and even a couple of nights of rain. Some nights, my trailer was rocking, and it felt like if my 200 pounds were not in it, it might tip over. Temperatures have been in the high 50s rather than the usual low 70s. Yesterday was a little warmer and sunny with less wind, so I did my daily 4 mile walk.

In the valley here, the trails a very flat, other than the occasional dry wash where you descend 10-15 feet cross the gravel and then climb back up. Plant life is very sparse except in the washes. There a some Saguaro Cactus here and there.

The trails aren’t very exciting, but they do furnish exercise. The main loop I hike towards the south, parallels a wash on the other side of which is what is known as the “Magic Circle”. This is the informal area for camping which is for the clothing optional campers. Don’t get excited, nothing is less interesting than seeing 60+ year old naked people out on the trail. I usually look at my feet while walking, so that I don’t accidentally observe a searing image that I can’t then erase from my mind.

Due to the recent rain, small flowers are beginning to appear along the trail. These join the rock art that appears here and there. I believe people get bored with their surroundings, so they paint rocks, or cover them with patterns of glitter. This art is then left randomly along the trail. Sometimes you see where white or pinkish quartz stones are shaped in patterns that stand out from the black and gray volcanic stones. The favorite pattern is the heart, many times with a rock arrow piercing its middle. Maybe cupid hikes in the desert.

The Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) has slowly emptied during the month of February, as the big RV tent show is over. This makes it easier to get your laundry done. You no longer have to be there at 6 a.m. to get a machine. Traffic in town has disappeared. The dump station and fresh water refill lines are much shorter. Best of all, there are less noisy generators running at night and in the morning.

The few remaining campers near me are aware of my sojourn at the hospital. They keep an eye out to make sure I return from my hikes and check to see that I have gotten up each morning to re-position my solar panels to the morning sun.

I have the month of March left here. Then I will pack up and move near Prescott, Arizona, in search of cooler temperatures. After that I will pass through Sedona and Flagstaff and possibly stop a couple of days at Petrified Forest National Park. By May, I will have worked my way through New Mexico, turning north into Colorado, on my way to visit my son near Boulder, Colorado.