A Tour of Desert Pete's Desert

So it's the beginning of March, and, armed with a fresh Social Security payment, I decided to get my hair cut (it's been two months; and by 'hair', I mean 'beard'). And that was so I wouldn't look like a homeless person when I made my monthly visit to the hot spring at Tonopah. And I decided, on this trip, in between soaking, I would explore a little to the north of the springs, a place I'd never been.

Happily, winter seems to be over. At least the birds, returning from their southern vacations, seem to think so.

So, after checking in to my camping spot with Matt at El Dorado, I retraced my tracks toward the I-10, but kept going, which took me into the Tonopah Desert north of the populated area of the community.

Oh, this desert isn't uninhabited. I could see trailers scattered widely apart, here and there. But for the most part it is bare land, albeit greener than it will be in summer, after the recent winter rains.

The Tonopah Desert is part of the larger Sonoran Desert ecosystem. This complex ecosystem provides habitat to hundreds of species of birds, bees, butterflies, mammals, hummingbirds, and reptiles. Even though you can't just stand there and see them, they're there, all part of the interconnected web of life an ecosystem describes.

Supporting the animal life are plants, like poppies, bright, showy flowers that should be blooming here in a few weeks; lupines, with their tall spikes of colorful flowers; and of course various species of cacti, including saguaros and prickly pears, are common in this area.

And then there's the pack of (I assume) wild puppies that poured over the sides of the hills like a tidal wave of happiness. They weren't vicious, just delighted to find something new to sniff. They were unafraid of me (though of course I didn't push my luck by trying to pet them or anything) but also didn't seem to be begging for food. In fact, they looked, as Mark Twain would have put it, prosperous. So maybe they live on one of the remote places around there, or maybe they're descendents of a couple of abandoned pups. Either way, they are clearly doing well for themselves and in no need of rescuing.

So, back at El Dorado, I thought I'd continue with my photojournalism at this memorial to Bill Pennington and his partner, who created El Dorado out of the desert decades ago; and whom I was privileged to know, when I first started coming here in the 1990s.

I'm not the only person who goes car camping at El Dorado, not by a long shot! Next door to me this time was a fellow named Rory from Scotland, and his 13-year-old white lab Bonnie. Bonnie just slept most of the time, although she did perk up long enough to get some pets from me.

When Rory was off soaking, the peacocks came to investigate, along with the rooster.

When I woke at 6 in the morning, well before sunrise, I decided to go soak. No one else was in the communal Desert Pete area, of course; so I took advantage of the fact to take some shots of this area where I've spent so much time (and once got hit by lightning!).

But all good things must come to an end; and it's a good thing, too. These photos aren't going to post themselves! And besides, this way I can look forward to my next trip.