North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness

Having a few days each week with no Internet requirement is a wonderful thing. It allows the both of us to venture further away from asphalt, seeking out new adventures and places to explore. I had one of those places in mind for this weekend, and with the upcoming eclipse the extra distance off asphalt would suit it well. If you have ever driven on Interstate 8 East towards Tucson, AZ, you have driven directly through the Sonoran Desert National Monument. I have done this numerous times, yet have never stopped to explore the area. This was all to change over the next week.

The GPS was not helpful at all but we eventually found ourselves on a rutted and wash-crossing OHV trail leading us directly into the heart of the North Maricopa Mountains Wilderness, the Northern section of the Sonoran Desert National Monument. After a few slow miles the road was coming to a dead-end. It was here that I was hoping we could stay our first night in the area. The end of the road is two things; the beginning of a hiking trail and a free small campground with only three sites total and a vault toilet. I fully expected it to be empty, but two sites were already occupied by two hunters from Colorado. We fell into line, pulling into site #3, and took the rest of the afternoon to relax, read, practice our knots, and eventually took a hike down the trail and back. It was surprisingly pretty, and green, for a desert.

After sunset, we made sure to take the time to see that lunar eclipse everyone was talking about. Big Blue was well positioned, with the rear windows facing the moon-rise. This made it easy for us to lay in bed, glancing out the windows every few minutes to watch the eclipse unfold, on the correct night this time. We both zonked out within seconds of the eclipse finally taking place.