Ajo, AZ (2/7-2/9/2017)

I want to wrap up my time in Ajo with a few random photos that help complete the story of this very different and interesting place.  A photo found on the internet of a mural on some building certainly illustrates one perspective of this town: it is extremely remote and a large percentage of its winter residents is made up of people in RVs.

Spending a lot of time driving the nearby desert roads, it was surprising how many RVs were parked in the desert.  A couple of solar panels and portable LP tanks would meet the energy needs, but I wonder how water was obtained or waste disposed of.  The few people there I spoke with said they enjoyed the solitude and beauty of being in the desert for extended periods.  I was reluctant to ask about water and waste, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

I had to admit it was a beautiful place to be at sunset, and I tried to be out there every evening.

 

During the daytime I looked for wildlife, but had little success.  With so much territory, animals had lots of places to hide.  While there were many birds to be seen, they were mostly skittish and stayed in the distance.  Even the few I was able to photograph were too far away for good detail, but I include them here because they are unusual specimens.  The Harris' hawk is the first I've seen in the wild, and the phainopepla is totally new to me.  The gilded flicker I've seen before, but not often.