Hitting Arizona’s High Country in Cottonwood

After our stop at Picacho Peak we skipped right over the Phoenix metro area and landed in the historic town of Cottonwood, nestled along the Verde River at an elevation of around 3,500 feet. That increase in elevation meant a few things: our arrival just days after a major snowstorm meant we encountered plenty of … Read more

Saying Adios to the Sonoran Desert at Picacho Peak SP

Our final stop in the dramatic and beautiful Sonoran Desert was a short stay at Picacho Peak State Park, located about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix. The day after we left Tucson, the state of Arizona experienced a freak weather pattern that brought several inches of snow to Tucson and Phoenix, and dumped a record-breaking … Read more

Desert Immersion at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

One of our bucket list items for our time in Arizona was a visit to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, located deep in the heart of the Sonoran Desert along the border with Mexico. We weren’t sure whether the government shutdown would impair our experience, but we decided to stick with our planned schedule and … Read more

Boondocking Outside Quartzsite, Arizona

We arrived in Arizona after our week at Joshua Tree with the federal government still shut down and still throwing a wrench into our plans. Fortunately we had built some flexibility into our schedule, so we decided to hunker down for a week near Quartzsite, Arizona to see how things developed in Washington. Quartzsite The … Read more

Enjoying Joshua Tree NP Despite the Shutdown

Our visit to Joshua Tree National Park coincided with both the park’s traditional busy season around the winter holidays and the ongoing government shutdown. While this made for more stress in our planning, including finding a new place to camp outside the park when all the campgrounds were closed, we were still able to enjoy … Read more