Desert Flowers

I have often heard about the desert "exploding into a mass of color" in the Spring, and I am very excited to be in Tucson, Arizona, in the Sonora Desert this Spring. The desert flowers have just begun to appear, so we drove out into the desert this weekend to see for ourselves.

The bright yellow California Poppy seems to be the most prevalent right now. They make a beautiful yellow carpet for the desert floor.

We also found a pretty purple flower, mostly along the roads and trails.

And occasionally a patch of white flowers.

I'm told that the flowers are just beginning to bloom here and that there will be many more in a few weeks. I can hardly wait . . . so, maybe more pictures of more desert flowers later.

Old West Comes Alive

About 65 miles Southeast of Tucson is an area out in the desert where a movie extra acquired some land and began moving in old buildings from ghost towns and abandoned areas to build a movie set. Along the way he has been acumulating lots of antiques, so the "movie set" has also become a museum, Gammon's Gultch.

Every "Old West Town" needs a Main Street. Walking down this one, you feel like you're in the movie "High Noon".

All of the buildings here are very authentic, most having been torn down in old West desert towns or ghost towns and then re-assembled here.

The Town Hall . . .

A place to sleep, the Hotel . . .

A place to park your horse, the Stable . . .

A place to get a whiskey, or maybe a Sasparilla, the Saloon . . .

A place to get new shoes for your horse, the Blacksmith Shop . . .

A place to pick up some supplies, the General Store . . .

And, of course, an Assayer's Office to weigh your gold . . .

And, if you don't behave yourself, the Sheriff is nearby . . . and he has a jail!

Or, if you are guilty of a serious crime, the town has a gallows . . .

And an Undertaker . . .

In addition to all of these various buildings in Gammon's Gultch, many of the building have historical displays, so the the whole town is like one big museum.

There are displays of many historical firarms and law enforcement equipment . . .

And many displays of various utensils , tools, and equipment of "days gone by" . . .

Gammon's Gultch is truly a place where the "Old West Comes Alive".

Shuffleboard . . . Sport of the Retired

Retired people should continue to be active . . . to what ever extent they are able. Some are unable to do much running, walking, or climbing; so that rules out tennis and basketball. No wonder many retired people are attracted to shuffleboard.

 I'm still able to do a little jogging or walking, but while watching a shuffleboard game here in the Park, I had to sign up for the challenge of a shuffleboard tournament.

I dicsovered the courts here have been recently refinished and take some getting used to. I've never seen such slick shuffleboard courts. The pucks slide so easily they move like the stones in curling. So this kind of court was a new experience for me.

So far in the tournament, my partner and I are playing 500, having won 4 and lost 4. I don't think we're on track to win a trophy . . . but it has been fun.

Sabino Canyon

On the Northwest side of Tucson, Arizona, is an area named Sabino Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. The canyon is billed as the "most camera worthy scenery in the Tucson area". Today we rode the shuttle bus up through the canyon to check it out. The bus had an open top allowing full view of the scenery, and it did not disappoint.

Carole's friend Nancy Westgate and her husband, Larry, were visiting from Michigan and accompanied us on the tour of Sabino Canyon. Nancy and Carole are shown here seated in the open-top tram at one of the many stops.

The Canyon is very scenic with some interesting rock formations and, of course, lots of Saguaro cactus growing here in the desert.

Even in the desert, a stream runs down through the canyon. Some places it's rather tranquil . . .

and some places it's flowing rapidly.

But whether it's the rock formations, the desert vegetation, or the stream; the Sabino Canyon is a very scenic area near Tucson and well worth the tram trip or a hike up through the canyon.

Dorothy, This Can't Be Kansas

"No, Dorothy. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"

What a difference in landscaping between the Midwest and the Southwest . . . especially the desert area around Tucson, Arizona. This might as well be the Land of Oz!

This is a landscaped area along the driveway to a home, typically made up of a variety of cactus, desert trees, and rocks . . .

Sometimes, no trees. Just cactus and stones . . .

Or no cactus. Just desert plants and dry grasses . . .

And sometimes, mostly rocks . . .

Even in a very large yard, the gardener probably only has to come once a month . . .

What a spectacular driveway planting. When giving directions to your house, just say, "It's the house with the giant Saguaro cactus with eight arms beside the drive".

At some homes, it looks like they just left part of the native desert growth in place when they built the house . . .

If John Deere or Lawn Boy depended on this area for lawn mower sales, they'd be in big trouble!

"Yes, Dorothy. I'm sure we're not in Kansas anymore."

Breakfast with "The Gang"

Here in the RV Park where we are staying, an Activities Director schedules various activities including some outings. This morning was a "Breakfast Out". About 16 residents gathered for breakfast at a local restaurant nearby.

The food was great, the atmosphere was casual, the company was interesting, and the conversation was thought provoking. It was a fun start to the day, having "Breakfast with the Gang".

Sentinels of the Desert

The Saguaro National Park is split into two areas, one on the east side of Tucson, and one on the west side, together totalling nearly 100,000 acres. The park sets aside a part of the Sonoran Desert with much of it officially designated as Wilderness Area.

The Park is named after the Saguaro cactus, a variety native to this area, sometimes called the "Sentinel of the Desert". Legend of the Native Indians holds that when you die, your soul becomes a Saguaro . . . and that if you stand silently in the desert, the Saguaros begin to look like people, maybe even some of your ancestors. The Saguaro is, indeed, a fascinating plant.

The Native Indians harvest the fruit of the Saguaro and make jelly, jam, and syrup. It is illegal to sell commercially products made from the Saguaro Cactus. These products can, however, be sold on the Indian Reservation, but they are so labor-intensive that the Indians make very little for sale, but instead consume most of it themselves. What little they do sell is extremely expensive.

Although the park is named for the Saguaro, many other species of cacti also grow in the park, including the barrel, cholla, and prickly pear.

 It is the Saguaro, however, that I find most fascinating.

These "desert trees" can take 75 years to develop the first "side arm" and some plants live to be 150-200 years old. Roots of the Saguaro only grow about 3"-6' deep, but spread out well beyond the arms, as far as the plant is tall. Fine hair-like roots can suck up as much as 200 gallons of water during an infrequent desert rain . . . enough water to last the plant for up to a year. Following a rain, the size of a Saguaro trunk is visibly larger after it has absorbed all of that rain water and expanded like an accordion. Its waxy skin minimizes loss of water by evaporation.

Many places in the park are literally "Saguaro Forests".

Although the tallest Saguaro I saw was about 30 feet tall, a Saguaro cactus can grow to 50 feet tall.

The cactus in the above self portrait was 25'-30' tall. The immensity of these "Sentinels of the Desert" is overwhelming. One of the wonders of this marvelous planet Earth . . . God's handiwork.

A Desert Sunset

The skies in the desert are generally pretty clear with lots of sunshine, but a really pretty sunset requires some clouds. So most of the sunsets here are "blah"; just the sun going down.

A couple of days ago, however, we had some clouds which resulted in a pretty sunset . . . a sunset with lots of red color.

A perfect example of the beauty in our world. If you just look, God's beauty is all around us!

   

"A" Mountain

Tucson is located in a fairly flat valley in the Sonoran Desert, surrounded by mountains. However, near downtown is a mountain which has been used by Indians, the Spanish, Missionaries, Mexicans, and subsequently the U.S. Army as a lookout post. The whole valley can be seen from the top of this mountain called Sentinel Peak.
In 1914,  students at the University of Arizona constructed a large "A" out of rocks and mortar near the top of the mountain. The "A" is 70' wide and 160' tall. Although it was originally white-washed annually, students painted it red, white, and blue after September 11 as a patriotic gesture, but it is now an annual tradition for the Freshmen of the University to re-paint the "A" red, white, and blue, which are also the school colors. The "A" has not been returned to it's original white since 9/11, although it has occasionally been painted green for St.Patrick's Day. This mountain and the large letter "A" near the top is visible from downtown Tucson and "Sentinel Peak" has become known as "A" Mountain.

A road winds to the top of "A" Mountain where the view is awesome. You can see the whole valley from there, including downtown Tucson.

Arizona State University more recently created an "A" Mountain of their own in Tempe, Arizona, on Tempe Butte with their "A" painted gold, the school colors of ASU. Both schools now need to guard their "A" during the annual AU vs ASU football game as students of the opposing school try to paint the opponent school's "A" with their own school colors.

So now there are two "A" Mountains, the original in Tucson and a copy in Tempe.