Saguaro National Park West – Tucson Mountain District

I thought I’d seen a lot of saguaros in the Sonoran Desert, but Saguaro National Park is a forest of giant cactus people.

Sunset from camp

I arrived in the late afternoon so stopped first at the visitor center where I watched the orientation film and picked up my Junior Ranger book. Then I went to the recommended Gilbert Ray campground in Tucson Mountain Park for the night.

Great place with lots of private sites in the middle of the desert all with electricity for $20.

Hohokam Road

In the morning I returned to the visitor center to get my Junior Ranger badge and some information.

Ocotillo and Avra Valley from Sus picnic area 

President Franklin D Rosevelt first established Saguaro National Monument in 1933. Then in 1961 President Kennedy expanded the monument to include Tucson Mountain Park. In 1994 congress established Saguaro National Park.

Birds nest

Saguaro National Park is composed of two distinct districts, the Ricon Mountain District east of Tucson and the Tucson Mountain District to the west.

To many these giants symbolize the American West yet saguaros only grown in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

Saguaros can grow to 50 feet tall and are the largest member of the cactus family in the US. They normally live for 150-200 years.

For a saguaro seedling to survive, it needs the protection of a nurse plant which provides protection from the sun and freezing temperatures.

Fishhook barrel cactus

I saw many of the parks 25 species of cactus along the .5 mile Signal Hill Trail.

Which took me to a rock pile with various petroglyphs left behind by the Hohokam people.

Imagine pecking away at the desert varnish to leave a message behind.

Looks like some modern folks decided to leave their messages as well.

There’s some very crazy cactus out there, but that’s for another post.

In the mean time, I had a Very important lunch date with fellow blogger Susie of Arabia at El Molonito in Tucson. We talked for at least three hours just like old friends. What a treat to meet this amazing woman who moved with her husband to his so culturally different homeland.

Casa Grande Ruins

I’m trying to visit a few National Park sites I haven’t seen before on my way to Texas. Even though I live in Arizona there are So many parks I haven’t been to yet.

I’ve seen a few Southwest native ruins but nothing built like the “Great House” at Casa Grande National Monument. Almost 1000 years ago the Hohokam people constructed this four story 60 foot long building using subsoil called caliche, a concrete-like mix of sand, clay and calcium carbonate.

It took 3,000 tons of caliche mud piled in successive courses to form walls four feet thick at the base and tapering toward the top. Juniper, pine and fir trees used to form ceiling or floors were carried or floated 60 miles down the Gila River.

The walls face the four cardinal points of the compass and a circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun at the summer solstice. Other openings also align with specific solar and lunar occurrences.

And the Great House is only part of this 2-acre compound surrounded by what was once a 7 foot high wall that contained houses, work areas, courtyards and storage rooms. Plus this is only one neighborhood in a larger community of compounds that covered nearly a square mile housing possibly 30,000 to 60,000 people. The Hohokam were farmers that built the most extensive irrigation ditches lined with caliche from the Gila River.

When Americans began visiting the area in the late 1800s souvenir hunting threatened to destroy the site. In 1892, Casa Grande became the first archeological reserve and then declared a National Monument in 1918. The Great House has been sheltered since early excavations started in 1903.

How did I learn all this? Well of course, I became a Junior Ranger.

SWF – Sunset at Freeman Rd

What a marvelous way to end a day in the desert.

I could spend weeks here.

Getting lost…

…and found.

To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

 

Freeman Road

First day on the Texas road trip only took me a bit over 100 miles.

I have this favorite place I like to stay on BLM between Gila Bend and Casa Grande.

There’s really nothing there, that’s what makes it so perfect. Actually there’s lots there, just no civilization. My kind of place.

I was introduced to the southern Arizona desert, and this place, 14 years ago, been in love ever since.

Just a might too hot during the summer. Well, and the wind does tend to blow a bit much during the winter. But Tuesday afternoon was just right for a walk in the desert.

I found a lot of cool rocks, but decided to take pictures because they weigh less.

Even had company, for a few moments, when a friendly Border Patrol agent stopped into my camp. Don’t mind a bit if they know I’m there.

Later, it was just me and the song of the coyotes.

I’ll share more of the marvelous sunset and rise tomorrow for Sky Watch Friday.

False Bay drive – Western Cape South Africa

Even with the wind blowing I thoroughly enjoyed driving along False Bay from east to west with many stops along the way.

The rock lined roadway reminded me of several historic roads I’ve traveled in the western states like Highway 1 along the Pacific coast.

Kogelburg Biosphere Reserve

Plenty of wide places to pull off “Jack’s” road and just enjoy the view or small parks with picnic facilities.

So nice to see almost all of the False Bay coast starting on the east, following around the north including a little unexpected detour through a shopping mall parking lot near Somerset West.

Then the west with more beach stops.

Today I’m off on an entirely different road trip. See previous post.

MWT - Going to Texas

It’s that time of year for me to visit my Mom in South Texas. I’m tired of the cold 5,000 foot northern Arizona winter weather. Instead I’ll be warm and sticky from all the humidity. Hey, why not complain about something like the weather that you can’t do a damn thing about?

Taking the truck and slide-in camper, although I’d love to have the Big comforts of the 5th-wheel I don’t need to spend any more on fuel.

Mom is asking for help.  Dusting, shopping, things that she could get assistance with, if she’d just let people in her house. But she is afraid of the unknown, untrustful. I’m really not trying to complain, just to better understand June, this woman I call my mother. I’ve been trying to learn herstory. I want to help her. Guess I’ll have to learn how.

And it’s only Mom now as my Dad passed just over a year ago. I feel so fortunate to have seen him during last years visit.

Yes, I now have a smart phone droidx and hopefully will be able to stay in touch, if I’m not in the middle of nowhere. Which I hope to be many times on this journey.

Seminole Canyon, TX

But I don’t find it easy to type much on the qwerty key board and reading blog posts on a 3x5” screen could cause blindness. I have to watch my usage on the mobile hotspot which I hope to use for posting to keep you all up to date. So I’m apologizing ahead of time if you don’t see my comments. Maybe this is when FB becomes easier.

To tour more of the world, or guide us through some of your own, go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.