Arizona CatchUp

 

I realized that my blog is two states behind which is a sorry state of affairs. In an effort to catch up, Arizona 2022 will have to do with one whirlwind post. Hang on girls and boys!

The main reason to visit Tucson is to see Cousin Ann, my 96-year-old second cousin. I love Ann to pieces – she is sharp, hilarious and the stories she tells could make you blush.

I was staying at the Elks Lodge in northern Tucson which was basically dry camping in a large parking lot. They rented part of the lot to Pod People and I got to see how they move those big Pods around.

It was President's Day and the Elks decorated.

My brother Kevin and his wife Barb flew into Tucson to meet Cousin Ann and I got to spend a day with them sightseeing. We decided to go to Sabino Canyon Recreational Area located in the Santa Catalina Mountains (my favorite Tucson mountains). I'm very proud to say that Kevin and Barb worked very hard and got their very first Junior Ranger badge. It was a most momentous day.

Sabino not only has desert trails, but it also has a creek with “large waterfalls”. I suppose the word large is relative when you are talking desert waterfalls.

But we did find water in the desert

The one on the left is called a Cristate or Crested Saguaro. 
They are a variation on the normal growth pattern of a saguaro and extremely rare. 
They estimate only one out of every 200,000 saguaros are cristate.  

Closeup of the previous picture.  I think the cristate is really lovely

After the family left, I headed to the Mexican border area to Organ Pipe National Monument. Again this was dry camping but instead of PODS I had Organ Pipe Cactus and Ocotillo in my front yard. Organ Pipe cactus is rarely found in the U.S. It is very frost intolerant. 

The Organ Pipe

An organ pipe with a cristate

I decided to start off with a scenic drive. According to the Organ Pipe newsletter an easy drive was the 21 mile Ajo Mountain Loop. “This scenic loop crosses the Diablo Mountains to the base of the Ajo Mountains and returns through Sonoyta Valley. Along the way are dense concentrations of saguaro and organ pipe cactus.” Easy? This was a bone-shaking, teeth rattling dusty journey but the scenery was spectacular. I wish pictures could do it justice. It just never seems to work out that way. I did hike the Arch Canyon Trail which was a nice respite from the truck. The trail took you back behind some mountains and it was just nice to stretch the legs.

The Arch.  If you look really close at the top, there is a tiny second arch.

Organ Pipe National Monument is only about 4 miles from the Mexican border.

The Wall

And on a happier note - Arizona sunsets are the best: