[A/S] (10/26/00) Why, AZ

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

What's in Why?

We're at Hickiwan Trails RV Park in Why, Arizona. It's located 10 miles south of Ajo, AZ and SSW of
Phoenix. This new campground is at the edge of Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation out in the middle
of the Sonoran desert. There is gravel on the roads (no mud when it rains) and red rock chips
everywhere else within the campground. It's owned and operated by the Indian Nation Council, has a
brand new convenience store, casino, gas station, laundromat, showers, pay phones and 95 full hookup
RV sites with a small tree and concrete patio at each site. The CG water supply comes from a well
over in the Indian Nation. It makes delicious coffee. 

The fee is $5 a night with a CCA nationwide membershipsystem card. For non-CCA RVers who drive-up,
the fee is $7.50. This is pre-snowbird season and we are one of two RVers in the park. Other
residents in the park are coyotes who howl in the afternoon or at midnight and wild desert donkeys
who visit late at night and crap everywhere (dries fast in the desert). The Indian Nation Council
has assigned 5 members to run the campground, the casino and convenience store/gas station. From
what I've seen, they are diligent and friendly, take their jobs seriously and want RVers to be
comfortable in their campground.

Across the street in the desert, is Roberts RV Park where full hookup sites are discounted to $10.50
per night with an RV Club membership card. We saw no advertising for additional discounts associated
with any nationwide membership systems. There were many ruts in the campground roads where RVs had
been stuck in the mud. Flash floods can be a problem in the desert, especially when water from the
nearby mountains cover the valley floor or are funneled into desert washes with a powerful rush. It
takes time for the ground to absorb standing water. Efforts were underway to re-smooth the roads.
This park didn't spark our interest, so we didn't check it out further. It could become a top notch
park if the owners continue their efforts to grade the land.

Right in the town of Why, AZ is Coyote Howls Campground. It has been operated by the town utility
company for 30 years. They offer primitive camping in the desert on large sites with cacti growing
between sites. The rule here is there must be 50' minimum between RVs. Seasonal RVers may leave
their things in a storage shed (8X10) on their site from one year to the next. There are water
spigots and dump stations are located at the restroom buildings. Most RVers have at least one solar
panel and many have a bank of panels. Cost is $8 per night, $35 a week, $70 a month and $300 a year.

Mail can be received here and there are pay phones. There's a recreation hall, library, internet
access area and a full time, husband/wife manager. Jim & Mona Bean have been managers 10 years and
do the job competently and professionally. All sites have to meet a standard for being clean and
neat. They let us send/receive email from the campground office even though we didn't rent a
campsite this year. The park is within walking distance of the town (tiny town) grocery store and
garage. 

The local constable is very good at hiding in the bushes with his radar gun, burning rubber when he
spots a speeder, turning on his siren, hauling them over and writing tickets. For those watching him
in action, it's the best entertainment in town. He always wins.   

Moving right a long. At mile marker 55 on Route 85 south (across from a rest area), is one of the
entrances to raw desert BLM land. The desert is a vast expanse of volcanic mountains and valleys.
We've camped here on BLM land with a dozen or more RV families and never saw any sign of them,
until they came out of  the desert for groceries or water (at the fuel station in Why near MM52). 

The water spigot in town is located directly in front of the fuel station service doors about 50'
into an acre sized parking area. RVers staying on BLM land routinely get their water at this spigot
(free). Trash dumpsters are in the same parking lot. After a week or more on BLM land, many RVers
rent a site at Coyote Howls for week or more, use the dump station, fill their water tank, receive
their snail mail, send/receive email and enjoy the enthusiastic camaraderie in this socially active
park before moving on. 

Further south (25 miles) is Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Campground. There is a pay phone,
water spigots, dump station and six restrooms. Each campsite is well marked, has a concrete patio
and dense cacti growth between sites. For all practical purposes, the cacti provide a formidable
barrier (spikes) between sites. There's a 14 day limit. Many trails are available for hiking (not
biking). There are two driving loops (2 hour and 4 hour) in the park. This campground is situated
near the center of the Sonoran Desert. Between the Continental Divide on the east and the Pacific
coastal ranges on the west are four distinct deserts in North America: Great Basin in Nevada; Mojave
in California; Chuhuahuan in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico; and the Sonoran in California, Arizona,
Baja and mainland western Mexico. The Sonoran desert is an unusual area. It's warmer than the other
three deserts, seldom has freezing weather and has more animals and plants than the others. The
massive number of Organ Pipe Cacti in this desert is awesome. The campground is close to the border
into Mexico with easy access to many gringo RV Parks in Puerto Penasco. 

Later this week, we'll revisit friends in Ajo. Five years ago, I gave them a 12" Escapees decal with
a big piece of aluminum for attaching it to his house - denoting courtesy parking. We watched as it
was nailed to a high point on the house. Now, it's time to see if the decal needs freshening. The
desert has a way of drying out decals. The courtesy parking area can accomodate a dozen or more RVs.

There are several additional entrances to BLM land we've heard about during the last four years and
are still trying to locate them. If we find them, we want to learn how much of a climb is required
and if the hard pan extends all the way. Much of the desert is mountainous. One of the nightime
activities we enjoy in the desert is watching shooting stars. Occasionally, they appear to land
beyond the next rise, out of our reach. With no bugs or mosquitoes, night viewing is a pleasure.

Since Oasis RV installed the new orifice in our refrigerator, our main box is consistently cool at
37-41 degrees. That's just right for a cold beer on a hot afternoon. I wish I had installed that
orifice last year instead of mucking around with cleaning and more cleaning and a lot of fiddling
with the adjustment sleeve. Live and learn.   

Later,

Terry & Sandie
'77 31' Airstream Excella 500     
mailto:Tylerbears@airstream.net