Mosey'n Millers: Why?

My last blog ended with the question “So now it’s time to move on west. Our next destination: Why?” If you submitted the correct answer, Congratulations. Actually that shouldn't have been Why with a question mark, it was actually Why with a period. Our destination was Why, AZ. Check the map. It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.

According to Wikipedia, Why is a tiny unincorporated rural community in Pima County, Arizona which lies near the western border of the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation and due north of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Southern Arizona. It is approximately thirty miles north of the Mexican border and ten miles south of Ajo, Arizona.

The town derives its name from the fact that the two major highways, State Routes 85 and 86, originally intersected in a Y-intersection. At the time of its naming, Arizona law required all city names to have at least three letters, so the town's founders named the town "Why" as opposed to simply calling it "Y." The old Y-intersection has been removed for traffic safety reasons and replaced by a conventional T-intersection south of the original intersection.

We decided to stay in Why because some friends we met in Tucson recommended seeing Organ Pipe Cactus National Park. Why is a logical place to stay outside the park (more on the park later). Since we had never been in the area before, we decided to camp in a private campground, but one that allowed Boondocking: Coyote Howls.

We arrived with plenty of time for a nice relaxing supper and evening. We didn’t set up the whole 9 yards because only planned to stay for 2 nights. See the National Park the next day and then move the day after.

On the way south to Organ Pipe we had to pass through a Border Patrol Checkpoint. Not the first one we have encountered in this part of the country so close to Mexico. There is a lot of illegal border crossing and drug smuggling down here (obviously not something we see in Indiana). The agent would just smile and ask, "Having a good day, folks? Both American citizens?" And wave us on our way. Nice, courteous guys that we met.

Organ Pipe was a beautiful place. Its unique geology and ecology produce an remarkable landscape. It’s a place we will return to explore in greater detail. We had time for the shorter 21 mile loop. But it took us 3½ hours because the road is washboard gravel and we stopped to take a LOT of pictures.