Skip to main content

Day 26 - Saguaro

Saguaro was next on my list. Known for the Saguaro cactus, which I had just seen tons of in Aravaipa, I had low expectations. I was also dealing with a minor injury, a strained ankle/calf muscle. I was able to walk but with minor pain. One of the highlights of Saguaro was the park video-- it showed incredible photographs of the Saguaro cacti, desert animals, and scenery and the Native American narrator talked extensively about conservation and how we all come from and return to the earth. At the end of the moving slideshow hidden curtains quickly are pulled apart and the screen slides up revealing a beautiful vista of Saguaro hillside through the large glass windows. Very effective. 

I kept the hikes in the park to a minimum because the scenery wasn't that extraordinary and my left ankle hurt. Here are some photos from Saguaro: a Horned Texas Lizard, a Saguaro glamour shot and a petroglyph. (Pics 1-3) 

Around 1pm, I decided to push on and drive to my next stop White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. I only had eight days until my Escalante backpacking guided trip and I had four-five more places to explore. Make that six. Two hours into the six hour drive to White Sands I saw a sign for Chiricahua National Monument.  I remembered Chiricahua as it was in my maybe list.  A quick google search on my phone showed a scene of slender rocks similar to Bryce Canyon. But short on time and being an hour off the freeway I wouldn't be able to visit Chiricahua then continue to White Sands that day-- so I drove on. 

Luckily one minute later I changed my mind. I would never be in this position again-- in a far corner of the US and one hour away from what one person called "the hidden gem of the national park system". I pulled off at the next exit, turned south down a beautiful road and drove. (Pic 4)





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 170 - JMT Forrester Pass

The mountains had a surreal glow this morning as we climbed up towards the 13,200 foot high Forrester Pass.  One of the wonderful things about the mountains is that they change appearance as the sun changes height, creating a movie-like experience as you walk. I felt so free and happy this morning--just in love with this light.  After sixty minutes of walking, we stopped in the first sunny spot we could find to thaw out and rest. Another hiker came bustling up the trail behind us and stopped at the sunspot to shed a layer of clothing. Sly was a Canadian hiker, just turned 40, who seemed happy to see us. We struck up a conversation about travels and when we pushed off Sly asked if he could join us. We said yes of course. We hiked quickly up the trail, reaching a high plateau with epic alpine views. Selfie time! We skirted around a high alpine lake and then went up a ridge line ever further higher. We were at 12,000+ feet now and the world began to look small y...
1 comment
Read more

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon.  The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion.  Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4.  The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...
2 comments
Read more

Day 82 - Yellowstone to Montana

My alarm sounded at 5:30am, a time early enough for me to arise before someone found me secretly camping. The geyser prediction said Grand at 6:15am so I set out toward it.  I ran into geyser gazer Jim there and he said it likely erupted at 4:30-- missed it. Early morning eruptions are hard to predict as someone needed to have seen the previous overnight eruption in order to make a prediction. I walked on toward Artemesia, an unpredictable geyser at the far corner of the basin. I had seen her erupt from a mile away and wanted a closer inspection. The early morning setting was momentous, yet I didn't see a geyser erupt up close until Grand at 10:30.  Then Sawmill erupted with its twirling thirty foot action (pic).   The only remaining geyser left to experience on my mental list was Beehive up close. With a predicted window of 810 to 1210, I arrived at 1030 and waited until 1pm, before giving up. The sun was hot, I had read the geyser book cover to cover, and while seeing e...
Post a Comment
Read more