Ajo, a Misnomer?

Let's clear the air, there is no garlic grown in Ajo, the Spanish word for garlic, unless the name refers to the desert lily which is an onion-like plant that grows in the surrounding hills!  The Spanish may have named the town using this familiar word in place of the similar-sounding O'odham word for paint (oʼoho). The Tohono O'odham people obtained red paint pigments from this area.  That said, you also need to not judge this book by its cover, as in driving by on Highway 85 and letting first impressions rule your stay.  Like a lot of small town America, Ajo has its share of for sale signs and closed businesses.  However, once immersed in the local scene and scenery, we are totally enamored with Ajo!

This may be true!

Our slice of the Sonoran Desert pie lies on the western edge of Pima County, about 125 miles from Tucson,  and we intend to devour our fair share.  Parked here on BLM land we have access to hundreds of square miles of jeep roads, forests of giant, gesturing Saguaro and Organ Pipe cacti, soaring peaks and rock formations, sunsets and starry night skys.

On a morning hike to Black Mountain, our site sits amid a forest of Saguaro with the tailings of the old Cornelia Copper mine in the background.

The multiple personalities of Saguaro.

A group hug!

So...let's buckle up, grab the maps, GPS, and lots of water...we're off to tour the neighborhood.

Locomotive Rock is an impressive outcrop that graces our horizon.

As is Ajo Peak...Can anyone else see the Indian Head on the left?

Darby Wells Cemetery is located on Mica Mine Rd., just off the Scenic Loop drive.

A lot of the these photos are taken along the Scenic Loop, a 10.9 mile drive from town over a well maintained gravel road. It takes us through the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Essentially all Sonoran desert plants, for this elevation, are readily spotted on this easy self guided tour. 

The Brittlebrush are blooming!

Organ Pipe cacti are plentiful!

Palo Verde tree

I am in search of the "model" for my painting, done by a friend in 2006, of an old, twisted Palo Verde tree somewhere here on Darby Wells Road.

These brightly lit Cholla are deadly.  They break off and jump at the slightest movement.

I call these mud hills Elephants' Knees...Any idea what their geological name is?

Isabella Greenway took a floral cross that the employees of the New Cornelia Mining Co. had made for her husband's funeral after his death in 1926 and had it encased in concrete and carried to the top of the highest mountain in Ajo, known as "A" Mountain.  The cross is visible for miles.  (More on Ajo Townsite, its history and current affairs, when my brain is less overloaded.)

We've gone from rock art in Anza Borrego to can art here in Ajo along the Scenic Loop! It's comforting to know there is an artistic use for shot-up, rusty litter.

Wild poppies are popping up, indicating our wildflower season is commencing!

These folks may be Stillhowlyn, but for now yours truly is in need of bed and book!

See you soon in town....Nighty night!