After wrapping up the El Camino del Diablo in Yuma, we had pretty much finished our westward trip across southern Arizona, so there was just one direction for us to go, North. It was nearing the new year and it was time to head in the direction of home. We reached Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in time to take in one more spectacular Arizona sunset.
Years ago when I first heard of the El Camino del Diablo I think I was a bit intimidated. Warnings about illegal activity close to the border, don’t go alone, all the typical chicken little things you hear, mostly from people that haven’t been. After a trip to Baja that felt safer than a lot of places you could go in the U.S., and other trips along the southern border, it now just seemed like another backcountry trip to prepare for.
The El Camino del Diablo (Spanish for the ‘Path of the Devil’) has earned it’s name, to be sure. Similar to the Mojave Trail, it was used for thousands of years by Native Americans. The Spanish used it as a path between Mexico and the California’s as early as the 1500’s by members of the Coronado expedition. Many have lost their lives along the route due to extreme heat, lack of water and the utter remoteness.
After a couple days at the Buenos Aries National Wildlife Refuge we moved a bit north for a day at the Saguaro National Park. We found all shapes and sizes of saguaros, and with each one having a bit of its own character, it was hard to stop taking pictures of them.
