http://www.blogger.com/html?blogID=4316350785635987648 Cave Dwellings: ORGANPIPE CACTI AND ROSE QUARTZ
Cave Dwellings

Buckhorn Creek, Lake O' The Pines, Jefferson, TX

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

ORGANPIPE CACTI AND ROSE QUARTZ

  The photo above was taken last night from our camper window....unbelievable! I actually took about 12 pics and then weeded out the best...Here is another of my favorites...

..It just doesn't get any better than this!!
 Last night Den said he actually SAW the illusive Wild Burros outside his side of the bedroom window....He said he saw three of them about 4AM....I still have yet to see one and seriously think he was dreaming..
  We had heard from a couple who frequent this campground that if we walk East and over the ridge we would be rewarded with many Organ Pipe Cacti and also a lot of Rose Quartz....So, about 9:45 AM we headed out into the desert again...with our GPS this time, so we could find our way back..Den just headed off the trail and we started picking our way through lots of prickly stuff and burro poos...In fact, I think I am so busy watching for burro poos that I will miss seeing the actual burros! 
  This next  picture is called and Elephant Tree because of all the many trunks at it's bottom....

  I started our walk wearing a flannel shirt over my T-shirt, but soon shed the flannel as the sun warmed us up..We hadn't spotted any Organ Pipe cacti yet and I was starting to think we were in the wrong spot until I spotted this one after walking up and over a ridge....

...the ridge we had just come around is right behind Dennis...note how tall the cactus is...Called Organ Pipe, well, because it looks like church organ pipes...Do they still even have Pipe Organs in churches these days??
Here are a few more pics I took on our walk....

...this cactus that looks like a tree with many branches is called Ocotillo...and the little "furry" ones around him are called Chainfruit Cholla.... I knew we were getting close because the rock was starting to become rosy colored and you could see lots of little sparkles on the desert floor ahead of us....

..See how rosy the rock is here?? It was right after I took this picture that I found this rock....

...very cool! The rosy quartz were almost everywhere..We picked up a few and studied them...there were some tiny pieces on the ground, too.....very small and pure rosy quartz...We put them down....This was a great place! Here is a really neat Organ Pipe Cactus....

We came upon this one just rounding the ridge to go back in the direction of our campground. I just couldn't resist climbing upon the rocks behind it and pose for this one....

...Here is a photo of the rocky ridge we walked all of the way around....

...All in all we walked 3.3miles today...and here is my fearless guide, Tonto.....

He was leading me up and over the ridge...We had to rely on our GPS, though, because you lost sight of the campground almost immediately when we headed out.

...A small Organ Pipe, with a few little baby branches starting at his base....Doesn't this look soooo like the "Old West"?? We got back and each had a big glass of ice tea...The sun was heating up and after lunch I sat outside for a while....Another perfect day in the desert....Weather today was 71 degrees and not ONE cloud in the sky!!! Ribs on the grill tonite...yummo! Laundry tomorrow....yuchho!..It could be worse, thought...I just walk it up (with Den's help), put it in and go back to our camper...Go back , put it in the dryer and go back to the camper....Go fold it and take it back to the camper....this is as tough as I work tomorrow..We need to go into the grocery store, though. I called this morning and the beer sale is ON!!....and they actually have some!!
 I have to quote a gentleman named Al, whose blog we follow. They are also in Arizona RVing...over by Bisbee..and we may run into he and his wife at Hickiwan later this month. At any rate, here is Al's favorite saying..."The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now"....ain't that the truth!!..more later....

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