We did not have anything planned for the day, so Evelyn finished the laundry and we decided on a road trip. We got away about noon, filled the gas tank in the van and headed north west on the Maricopa/Casa Grande Highway. We picked up sr 238 at Maricopa and took it across the Sonoran Desert to Gila Bend, picking up sr 85 to Ajo. The drive to Ajo was all desert through the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range and then into the mountains as we neared Ajo. On south to Why, (I don't know why, it just seemed the thing to do) and down 85 to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. This is a very interesting place with nice displays in the visitors center and an explanation of why and where the Organ Pipe Cactus grow. We toured the campground. It is a bit primitive, no hookups, but is nice with great views of the surround desert and the mountains. There is a drive you can take called the Ajo Mountain Drive. It is 21 miles long and takes 2 to 3 hours to complete. It was getting late so we did not take this drive, however I was tempted but it would have been near dark when we completed it.
We headed back north on 85 to Why and took sr 86 east through the mountains to road 15. This road, on the map is a narrow gray road, not broken like a gravel/unimproved road, but not red like other state roads. It was just getting dark when we made the turn north on 15. We were in the Tohono O'Odham Nation and their roads are not marked as the state roads are. This was a nice wide smooth road two lanes but very easy to drive and straight for miles up past Santa Rosa and other Indian towns that I can not pronounce or spell and into the southern part of Casa Grande and back to the RV park. Got in just at 7pm and thanked the Lord for a great trip and a beautiful day. We drove 276 miles in all, further than we normally go, but it was a great day on the road.