Saguaro National Park
Saturday was a mostly cloudy day so my picture taking at Saguaro National Park was sort of flat. I admit to enhancing the color on these pictures a bit. Tucson is in the Sonoran Desert, home of the Saguaro Cactus (say su-WAH-row). We visited the eastside portion of the National Park and once again used our Golden Age Passport, getting in free.
Here's the mandatory comparison picture to show how huge these guys are. They don't start getting arms until age 75 so this one at about 30 feet tall with all the arms is probably 150 years old.
This picture gives a sense of the "forest" aspect of the park. I'm looking down into a canyon covered with various types of cactus (or is it cacti) and thick with huge saguaro.
Here's a baby saguaro. In order to survive (only 1 seed in millions will) the saguaro has to be protected from the elements and animals by another plant.
This National Park does not have the "wow" factor that many others do but it is a great exposure to the many facets of the desert. Lots of hiking, biking and running trails and city close. I was a bit leery of venturing out too far because of the spider and snake population. But all in all...a relaxing afternoon.