Breaking the Inertia

I have been in Why, Arizona for a month now.  During that time, I have had the most relaxing time doing not much of anything.  I'm really waiting for the winter to get over so I can head north and explore again, in relative comfort since I'm wimpy in the cold weather.  There are hikes in the desert, socializing, and we go play Bingo once a week.  Otherwise, everyone has settled into a relaxed mode and there are no projects that seem urgent.    Obviously, since I can sit waiting for a hummingbird to come by and actually get a picture of one of these guys who whiz around at the speed of light.  I even caught one with a bee flying away from the feeding dish.

 

I'm totally amazed at how fast their wings move - they can hover, fly backwards and when they're on a trip to the next feeder, you can hear them fly, sounds like a little motor when the buzz right by you.  There are other birds hanging around, the Gila Woodpeckers keep coming to eat out of the hummingbird feeder and other little ones I have no idea what they are. 



 

 

Now that it's almost the middle of January, I want to start moving again.  So, in the next few days I'll be moving down the road to a national monument I wrote about in a previous blog, the Organ Pipe Cactus, they have a great campground there.  No hookups, so I might just stay there a few days to do some hiking.  This will get me out of the inertia that I have settled into while I've been here.  Then, I'll head on to Yuma to explore over there and then go slowly north as it warms up. 

 

Tomorrow I plan to head to Ajo ten miles up the road for a few little parts for my generator - spark plug and gasket.  I'll fill up with fuel and get a few groceries and then in the next day or so I'll head south about 20 miles to the park and get back into the traveling mode. 

 

Staying a month in one place has been a record for me, since I tend to move around while I'm exploring.  Sometimes I stay just a few days at a spot, other times it might be a week or so.  It just depends on how much I like the area and if I have seen everything I wanted to see. 

 

I already have been planning where I want to go this summer, making notes on maps and lists of things to see and do.  I'm looking forward to the warm weather and the adventures ahead.

 

 

 

Why, Arizona

 

 

The town of Why is not much more than an intersection in the desert, with a gas station, a locally run restaurant, some residences and other buildings.  Plus, there is a huge complex for the Border Patrol, which has a huge presence in the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico.   The reason it's called Why is because they wanted to name it Y for the form it made on a map, the intersection of 3 roads coming together. The state told them the city name had to be at least 3 letters long - so they just lengthened the name to Why.

There are multiple RV parks in the area and it's one of the areas that Rvers come from Canada and northern states to live for the winter. Some of them leave their rigs year-round and just drive a car down. There's lots of hiking, a few trails, but you don't really need trails, there are big hills around and you just have to go up a few feet, look around, and get a bearing on how to get back to the park.  There are a quite a few hikers in the park; I met 2 out there in the desert today, they were collecting rocks, as I do when I see something interesting.  These burros are a different group than I saw the other day - they were just standing there staring at me as I passed.

 

I found the remains of an old Ford pickup truck, in pieces - it had been there quite a while.

 

 



There are 2 gas stations - the one on the main road is called Why Not? The gas station across the street is closed and up for sale.

Next to the gas station is the one and only restaurant - Granny Mac's.  I haven't tried it yet, but Robin, my traveling friend, will be here over the weekend and I'm sure we'll check it out. 

The other operating station is at the casino, most likely the smallest casino in the state. The casino shares the building with a convenience store and I think the store has more space. 

 

Along with another old gas station that is closed and up for sale, and a few homes in the neighborhood - that's the grand tour of Why.