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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 51 - Canyonlands Needles Pt 3

A deep connection to the nature surrounding you comes from the solitude of solo travel, but sometimes it is nice to have a companion!  I ran into David, a retired telecom exec from Canada a few days ago on the Syncline Loop trail at Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Then I ran into him again halfway through my Chesler Park hike two days ago, then again later in the hike, finishing the last two miles together.  David hiked his favorite trail, the Peekaboo trail yesterday, and said I could join him, but my heart was set on confluence trail, so we hiked separately. We did share a campsite though and exchanged travel stories. David was 55 and had retired at 50 from a high-level international job with Nortel and was now traveling full-time. We instantly bonded over our solo travel style. He outclassed me by leagues. He had trekked one month in Nepal, then another month in India, then some months in Asia. He had hiked and skied and adventured all over the western U.S.  and Canada....
1 comment
Read more

Day 40 Escalante Hole-in-the-Rock Road

I woke up late following a lovely slumber in a REAL bed-- such a luxury. I stayed in bed reading my maps and guidebooks, trying to put a plan together for the next months travels. I decided I would spend two more weeks in Utah and add on two weeks in western Colorado instead of spending all four weeks in Utah-- I was starting to tire of the desert and Colorado seemed like a good mix of backcountry beauty and civilization proper.  The last must do in Escalante was Coyote Gulch, so I read and reread the route description in my guidebook and went to the visitor center to get my permit. I was going to do a loop down Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch to the Escalante River and then up Crack-in-the-Wall overland back to my car. Permit in hand, I lingered by the Outfitters wifi emailing and blogging and then drove out Hole-in-the-rock road forty miles to my trailhead. The road was dirt but well graded in most parts. A high-clearance vehicle was recommended for the last five miles but my Dodg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet!  I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception.  I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton.  The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district.  Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...
Post a Comment
Read more