Posted by Rob Graham on November 11, 2015 at 8:07 PM
Hello from Kansas. We will be travelling to Ajo, AZ the week of Thanksgiving. It looks like I may have 2 or 3 days to explore while the girls do their own thing. We should arrive late on Sunday, 11/22, and stay through Thanksgiving. What are good spots to visit and photograph near there? I am open to day or night suggestions. Thanks.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on November 11, 2015 at 9:12 PM
Rob, just to the south of Ajo is Organ Pipe National Monument
Posted by Howard Cihak on November 12, 2015 at 7:27 AM
And this is a great time of the year to visit it, too. During summer months daytime temps can easily reach 120 degrees. I especially recommend getting there before sunrise for the morning light. By the way, there are actually two separate "units." Be sure to check them both out. The more northerly one has more Organ Pipe cacti, and the one on the US/Mexican border has a number of different other varieties.
One word of caution: be very careful to avoid brushing up against any cacti spines. They can easily penetrated clothes, and even thin shoe leather. Pulling out a cactus spine is a very painful experience and it's a ways to the nearest emergency room.
Posted by Bob Miller on November 12, 2015 at 8:14 AM
Hey Rob. I make visits down there a often enough that I can put together a list for you. Meanwhile, here is a link to some of my OP images.
Posted by Rob Graham on November 12, 2015 at 11:41 PM
Thanks for the suggestions and information. Howard, can I assume that pond is at the Organ Pipe NM?
Bob, beautiful gallery of photos. The roads looked well maintained. Will they still be in good shape after monsoon rains, assuming the area got any?
How safe is the area? I like to do some night photography, but is it safe to be out alone?
On a different subject, is there a definite part of White Sands NM that we should visit? The plan is to be there in the afternoon, so not the best light, but since we are staying nearby, I can probably go back out by myself.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on December 8, 2015 at 9:13 AM
Rob, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving trip to Ajo and you were able to photograph around Organ Pipe.
Posted by Rob Graham on December 16, 2015 at 10:53 PM
It was a good trip. We had to cut the trip short by a couple of days due to an ice storm heading towards Kansas. We beat the ice by a couple of hours on Thanksgiving :). I am working on photos from the trip, and will post some in the coming weeks.
Discussion
6 repliesOne word of caution: be very careful to avoid brushing up against any cacti spines. They can easily penetrated clothes, and even thin shoe leather. Pulling out a cactus spine is a very painful experience and it's a ways to the nearest emergency room.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobmiller_scottsdale/sets/72157661095646722
Bob, beautiful gallery of photos. The roads looked well maintained. Will they still be in good shape after monsoon rains, assuming the area got any?
How safe is the area? I like to do some night photography, but is it safe to be out alone?
On a different subject, is there a definite part of White Sands NM that we should visit? The plan is to be there in the afternoon, so not the best light, but since we are staying nearby, I can probably go back out by myself.