Senita Basin Hike

We took advantage of a shuttle bus offered by the visitor center to be dropped off at the Senita Basin trailhead. The 5 mile hike back to the campground took us through the desert on the old Sonoyta road to the Victoria Mine — an old mine from the 1860s. The mine tailings form mesas in the desert and the old prospector’s home is just a stone shell. Must have been a pretty solitary life. At this point the mine has been closed, but has two openings protected from people to encourage bats to live there.

The part of our hike from Victoria Mine to the Twin Peaks campground was a very pleasant trip down into many washes and up on the other side. Since it was a very hot day, 85-degrees, we were happy to get back to shade near the van and a cold beer. Janet also decided to use one of the solar showers in the camp bathroom — good decision.

We ended the evening with a dinner in front of the van so we could watch the full moon rising over the Ajo Mountains.  Unfortunately, the lunar eclipse could not be seen by the time the moon rose over the mountains.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)