Digging into the deepest, darkest, depths, of the dangerous desert

You should wear thick gloves to click these pics.

Boondocking in the desert.

Not much is going on today.  I went for a walk in the desert, but other than that, it was mostly taking it easy and relaxing.

I will head back to Wickenburg tomorrow or the next day. There's no real reason to stay in Congress besides it being a nice place to be. There's a new gas station in town, but other than that; there's very little shopping. Wickenburg is only about 15 miles from Congress, where there are grocery stores, restaurants, hardware stores, and other places folks might want to go, so there's no real reason for anybody to open a business in Congress.

I don't know for sure, but it seems like there are a lot of retired folks living in Congress, most everybody I see is old. I'm not sure why people would want to retire here. I assume the property is somewhat inexpensive, but other than that, I don't know why retired folks want to live in a little town where everything else is pretty expensive, and shopping and doctors are kind of far away.

Theboondork

I wandered far into the desert today, and saw sights that no other human being has seen. And I think my trip can only be described as an expedition. I drank three full glasses of water before leaving the safety of the Lance, knowing there would be nothing to drink until I returned; or more accurately, if I returned.

I hadn't gone very far, a hundred paces at the most before I had to return to the Lance and pee, I blame it on those two glasses of water. But one has to stay hydrated if one is to survive the vicissitudes of the deadly desert climate.

Retracing my previous steps I wandered long and far, how long? how far? I shall never know, but I know it must've been pretty long, and kinda far; but by then the desert had closed around me blinding my eyes and confusing my mind until time and distance meant nothing, and the only thing that I could concentrate on was finding my way back to the sanctuary of the Lance, and the deep regret I felt for drinking all that water at once.

This long spine Prickly Pear Cactus is protecting its new buds with 3 inch long, hard as nails spikes that can go right through a shoe

Looking more like a Hollywood movie space alien that a flower, this weed protects its soon to be blossom with fearsome spines and frightening looks.

This extremely rare Blue Bellied Desert Cactus Hopper searches the Cactus for his favorite meal, the Desert Sloth. Even though the Desert Sloth is substantially bigger than this rare bird, once located the Cactus Hopper uses its speed and agility to slowly peck the Desert Sloth to death. Yes it can take weeks, but the Cactus Hopper is patient, and will follow the Desert Sloth to the ends of the earth if need be.

When I first spotted this I thought it was a fire ring left by a boondocker. But upon closer examination instead of a firering it looks like a grave that had been used as a fire ring

Most RVers have a pet of some sort, cats and dogs being the most common. And sometimes that pet will die while these folks are on the road, and the only thing they can do is bury the beloved member of the family at their campsite. And being a boondocker I have seen several such graves in my travels.

Everything is very expensive nowadays so I can understand the need if someone has to bury their cat, their dog, or their wife, in such a manner.

This Staghorn Cactus is protecting its brand-new buds with a plethora of needles.