After our yearly social event this year, Ray and I discovered a wonderfully quiet spot away from the crowds at the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. But … what’s all this socializing about?
Well, during our snowbird seasons in the American Southwest, we always go to a little town called Quartzsite, Arizona, where the annual RV show draws tens of thousands of RVers.
The RV show itself is much like any other exhibition with some RV stuff thrown in, but the real bonus is being able to meet up with our many RVing friends. Since everyone goes to the show, and there’s free camping for miles around, it’s turned into the social event of the season!
We had lots of meet-ups with friends old and new and some meet-ups that grew and grew until we had a whole collection of RV’s arranged in a circle. Each evening we would all get together for happy hour and campfires.
On the drive to Quartzsite, there is a spot that has drawn my attention and curiosity: the beautiful jagged mountains in the Kofa National Wildllife Refuge. In fact, we could see them from our boondocking spot in Quartzsite! So I did a little research and found out that there are some boondocking spots both in the refuge and just outside the refuge.
Excellent! We love us some free camping in stunning locations!! 🙂 And, after a week or so of constant socializing at Quartzsite, we were ready for some quality alone time. So off we went to Kofa, our first new discovery of the season.
Kofa is a protected area that is 25 by 40 miles of wilderness with no paved roads or facilities of any kind. Just miles and miles of beautiful wild space.
There are almost as many teddy bear cholla cacti here as the cholla garden at Joshua Tree!
Our first campsite was outside the refuge where we found this cool spiral labyrinth. Ray actually spotted it on Google Maps and we found it only a couple of hundred feet from where we were camped. I had to stand up in the back of the truck to get enough height to show the textures of the labyrinth.
After a few days and a little exploring, we decided to move further towards the mountains to a campsite inside the refuge that was close to some sunset locations I scouted out.
I love to spend my days exploring and finding interesting things and good compositions and then, when the light is nice, I return to make my images.
These mountains were quite magical because at the end of day, just when the sun goes below the horizon, there is a moment when everything goes dark, and then suddenly the mountains light up in a brilliant red. You have to be ready though because the red light on the mountains only lasts a minute and you’ll only get one composition for each sunset.
I’ve never seen any photographs from Kofa before, so I’m happy to add this spot as another fantastic new find!
Gorgeous captures Anne, I thoroughly enjoyed your posts, always refreshing and inspiring. Arizona definitely an artists paradise.
Thank you very much Angelito! Yes, Arizona has no shortage of photography opportunities, love it here!
Nice write up! My girlfriend and I love Arizona (especially this time of year as we’re in Montana). Those Teddy Bear cacti can be a huge nuisance, they break off whenever you brush up against one! I suppose I don’t have to mention it but I will anyway. Stunning photos!
Much appreciated Jim! I got one of those Teddy Bear Chollas in my leg the other day. Ouch! It’s like they come out and grab you if you get too close.
Just gorgeous Anne. You have captured the real desert. Watch out for rattlesnakes, they’re definitely out now!
Janet
Hi Janet, Thank you so much for your kind words! I love the desert. Funny since I always considered myself and Ocean Girl, which I am in the summer, but now I’m a Desert Girl in the winter 🙂 I haven’t seen a rattlesnake yet, but I’m keeping my eye out!
Sounds like great fun 🙂 and great pictures
Thank you Spencer, much appreciated!
Hi Anne,
This is stunning. A lovely place. You have captured its beauty very nicely. Thank you for sharing.
regards
Muji
Thank you very much Muji, much appreciated.
Fabulous images, as always, Anne! And now I have another camping spot to put on my bucket list. We just got back from the New Mexico high desert, where we camped at Bandelier National Monument. Not as primitive as some of your and Ray’s spots – there was a restroom with flush toilets in each camping loop! – but we did have relative privacy from neighboring sites, and plenty of hiking over the mesas and down in the canyons to view Anasazi ruins.
Hi Diana, Well now I have another spot for my list as well! We’ve never been to Bandelier, although it sounds familiar. I think I came across it while researching Bisti Badlands. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it too! Thanks for your visit and comments.
Hey, I love Arizona. Especially for its attractive places. In Arizona, there are some attractive place which must impress you. So I suggest you all to visit this place for once. Hope, you people enjoy your travelling very much.
Hello Anne. There are a ton of natural arches in the Kofa Mountains and they make great photography subjects. Check out my web site http://arches.stonecanyonadventures.com
I think the spiral “labyrinth” you found is actually a ground target for military aircraft on the Yuma Proving Grounds. It’s probably the navigational type (not used for dropping bombs!).
There are so many natural arches in the southwest! It’s always fun to find them on the hiking trails. The labyrinth was definitely in the Kofa wildlife refuge, but maybe the military aircraft use it even there? I don’t know. I thought someone just made it for fun 🙂 Thanks for your visit and comments.
Would you happen to have coordinates for the spiral intaglio? or maybe which road it is near, or a landmark?
It’s on Palm Canyon Road.