V6E9 - Consequences in the Desert

Written By Chris Shontz / @venture4WD

Having spent the first 40 years of my life almost exclusively on the eastern side of the United States, I was pretty naive when it came to deserts. It’s easy to derive from pop-culture that deserts are barren, hot, devoid of life, and mostly monochromatic. Now, after having thoroughly explored the southwest, I know better. As with all biomes, there is a vast spectrum of deserts. Some are lifeless and rocky. Others are filled with wisping sand dunes. Some are mountainous and ripe with vegetation, while others are perfectly flat. It is the former that captivated me today, just west of Ajo, Arizona . A forgotten two-track wandered in and out of jagged mountains. Along this road, the cacti were abundant, including the towering Saguaro, and the somewhat more elusive Organ Pipe variety. The rocky landscape was blanketed with yellow and purple flowers, and what really set it apart were the birds. There were birds singing loudly, and they were audible in every direction. This desert was teeming with life, and it caused me to re-evaluate my preconceived notions about deserts in general. Having seen only one, you can by no means claim to have seen them all!  

Discovering Ajo

Ajo, Arizona , pronounced AH-ho, is an interesting town with a colorful history. It was founded in the early 20th century in conjunction with a very prosperous copper mine. There is an obvious juxtaposition of old, architectural opulence and economic decline, as the town diminished following the closing of the mine in 1985. In the center of the town is a plaza, which consists of a few stores, a coffee shop, and a library. It is a grand structure with a lush green courtyard lined with tall palm trees. At the far end of the courtyard is a defunct train station, now a municipal building, with three rows of tracks out back - all of which are overgrown. There are the resident who have always lived in Ajo. There is the art community who has found a home in this charming, out-of-the-way town. Then there are the escapees - the residents seeking a quiet and comfortable life off the beaten path. On top of all this, the surrounding desert wilderness is one of the most lush and inviting landscapes I’ve ever experienced. It’s warm year-round, thus the town is surrounded by campers, RVs, and boondockers, with plenty of space for all. Not only is Ajo worth a visit, it’s a place where one might be happy to plant roots.  

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

A short distance to the south of Ajo, above the Mexican border, is Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument . This desert landscape, a part of our National Park System, is named for its abundance of flora - particularly the Organ Pipe Cactus . The Organ Pipe Cactus looks as one might imagine - having a dozen or so columns that rise out of the ground parallel to one another. First, I went to their Visitor’s Center to inquire about their camping policies and options. They had one extremely large and well-equipped campground adjacent to the Visitor’s Center, with over 200 sites, many with RV hook-ups. They also had another campground with four primitive sites, located a few miles up the road at the head of a hiking trail for Alamo Canyon. Otherwise, vehicle-supported camping was not allowed anywhere else in the monument. I opted for the Alamo Canyon campground where I settled in for the night. The next day, I enjoyed the Alamo Canyon hike - a short one mile out-and-back that featured a refreshing stream, which was flowing steadily due to recent rain. Following my hike, I set off to explore a couple of Organ Pipe’s scenic drives, including one that was rated “hard” and required a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle. While this might have been true in wet conditions, the route was not the least bit demanding during my visit. There is a lot to see and enjoy in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument , but go camping, and go for a hike if you are able. Take your family and your camera. However, do not go solely for vehicle-based experiences.  

Breakdown

Following my visit to Organ Pipe, I hit the pavement and drove east, toward Tucson, Arizona, across a sparsely-populated section of desert. It was my intention to resupply in Tucson, and make my way toward historic Tombstone. However, this wasn’t to be. The paved route to the east was rough. It was rippled and ill-maintained. Furthermore, I was expecting to leave pavement again, so my tires were aired down to roughly 22 psi, and my sway-bar was still manually disconnected. Needless to say, my front-end was not in an appropriate configuration for highway speed, especially on such a poor road surface. Death-wobble ensued. It was the first time I had experienced it since my Jeep was serviced two weeks prior. The familiar shuddering was gentle at first, but then it became extremely violent. I tried to slow down on the shoulder, but I lost control and the Jeep went down the embankment before coming to a stop. Fortunately, it was a rural setting with very little traffic, so this was at no consequence to anyone’s safety, except my own. I drove back up onto the shoulder and paused to compose myself before continuing. Then it happened again. This time much more readily, and at a much safer speed. The wobble also sounded crunchy now… Something was broken. At a gas station, which I was fortunate to have arrived at, I looked underneath the front of the Jeep, and the factory track bar bracket was sheared off of the front axle housing. The Jeep was done. It was time to get a tow.  

The Recovery

I called my friends at Summit Jeep Company, in Prescott, Arizona, who serviced the Jeep a couple weeks before. They were willing to help me out if I could get the Jeep there. Although they were far - four hours from my location - but they were still my best bet. Fortunately, a fellow Jeeper from Prescott caught wind of my situation, and was willing to make the trip to rescue me with his trailer. He drove a total of eight hours to come to my aid! This selfless gesture embodies the nature of the Jeep community, and it’s one of the main reasons I love the brand so much. The next day, my friends welded on a sturdy new track-bar bracket , balanced the tires, aligned the Jeep, and installed a new steering stabilizer for good measure, as the old one was found to have a dead spot. As I resumed traveling only one day later, the front-end of the Jeep soaked up bumps with grace and aplomb, and nary a flinch when the paved surface became unruly. I could not be more grateful to everyone involved, for their part in keeping my wheels turning! Now, back to Tombstone… [gallery columns="5" size="medium" ids="https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-11-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-14.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-1-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-2-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-3-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-4-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-5-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-6-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-7-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-8-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-9-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-10-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-12-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-15-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-16-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-17-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-18-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-19-1.jpg|,https://ok4wd.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/v6e9-20-1.jpg|"]