The Saguaros are Sweet

The giant Saguaro is an icon of the American southwest and so are beautiful sunsets. Together these two icons make a beautiful image. My camera has been able to capture this image several times this past week and I have one more chance to get my best sunset image yet. Saturday we drove across Tucson to Saguaro National Park East enjoying a 6 mile drive through the park. We noticed there were not nearly as many saguaro cacti in this park as there are in Saguaro Park West just down the road and around the corner about 6 miles from the casita where we are staying. The reason is there have been several freezes in that area and freezing weather does a number on the saguaro. In fact, the saguaro which have ridges around the cactus show signs of damage including freezing temperatures. The most important factors for growth is water and mild temperatures. The cacti can hold 70% water in the inner reeds which run through the plant from bottom to top and live on this water for a long time until the summer and winter rains. Many of these cacti can live 150-200 years and at 10 years old may only be 1.5 inches tall. Some saguaro can grow 40-60 feet tall and have up to 25 arms. We counted 13 arms which was a record that we saw. The root system extends 4-6 inches deep but as wide as it is tall. The main tap root can extend more than 2 feet. The seeds of the flowers on the top of the cactus are carried by birds, deposited under the trees where the birds roost and then the seeds germinate and little off white puff ball type things (much like cotton balls) start growing using the shade of the other tree as protection. We saw many of these new saguaro plants and as they grow the shade tree and the saguaro either co-exist or one of them wins the race and the other one dies off.

As I write this blog, the Superbowl is on and the evening light here in the Tucson area is waning and my camera is on the tripod awaiting a spectacular sunset like we experienced last night. The most beautiful part of the sunset was during our drive across Tucson back to the casita. The entire sky was red, orange, yellow and beautiful and, of course, the drive back did not provide a good place to pull over and capture the images of the sunset. Too many wires, buildings, towers, etc in the way so tonight the sky is a little cloudy and we could have a most spectacular sunset and I am ready.

We have a piece of chicken, pizza sauce, flat bread, sliced tomatoes, salad, and an apple to eat before we leave. Two eggs for the morning breakfast and possible leftover pizza as well. We are sad to leave this gorgeous area but we are planning a visit in April/May 2012 and probably for several weeks but we will see. At least we will reserve a week here in the casita during the cactus blooming season. We highly recommend this great place to stay - so much better than a motel or even a bed and breakfast and very reasonable. If you want information on the rental, just let us know.