Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Hike
I hiked to the old Victoria Mine before 8 a.m., walking four miles through saguaros, organ pipe cactus, cholla, and creosote bush in the Sonoran Desert. After signing out at the trail register, I left Arizona, stopped in Ajo for coffee, photographed a massive desert aqueduct carrying Colorado River water, and made my way toward Lake Mohave for the night.
Drive to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
I left Benson, Arizona debating whether to drive south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The desert drive revealed abandoned buildings, desperate handwritten signs, and miles of roadside graves. Inside the monument, I learned how organ pipe and saguaro cacti sustain birds, bats, and Indigenous communities. It was a day of beauty, weight, and reflection in the Sonoran Desert.
Saguaro National Park
I hiked Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park’s western district via King Canyon and the Hugh Norris Trail. Eight miles, mostly uphill, through dense stands of saguaro cactus, early desert wildflowers, volcanic ridges, and wide Sonoran Desert views. The climb was hard, the summit expansive, and the conversations along the trail unexpected.