Chiricahua National Monument
Located in a remote spot in southeastern Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument is a gem most people have never heard of. But a stop at this monument, which was established in 1924, is well worth the time and effort required to get here. The park is called a sky island because it is an isolated mountain range that seems to mysteriously arise from the surrounding grasslands. At its highest point, the sky island rises to 9,763 feet.
Rock Pinnacles in Chiricahua
A wonderful part of the park is seen when you follow a winding, mountain road into the heart of the park. Rock pinnacles loom over the road and stretch for miles in every direction. Hiking in the wilderness areas which comprise 80% of the park is a rather solitary experience.
Lime Green Lichen
Lichens decorate the rocks and add a yellow, white, or even a lime green sheen to the rock surfaces.
The park is especially noteworthy in that four ecosystems meet in this range. There are the northern slopes seen in the first photograph which are covered with Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine, most typically found in the Rocky Mountains. If you look to the southern slopes, the second photo, you will see Apache pine and Mexican pinyons which are common in the Sierra Madre range in nearby Mexico. Yuccas from the Chihuahuan Desert meet with the prickly pear cactus of the Sonoran Desert. In all, there are over 1,200 species of plants documented in less than 12,ooo acres of land.
And to make things even better, the campground is nestled in a pine forest, with roomy sites, and staffed with friendly rangers. It all makes the experience just about perfect.
Butterflies in the Desert Botanical Gardens
This butterfly was one of hundreds seen at the Spring Butterfly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. When you visit the desert in spring, you see not only cacti, but butterflies too.
at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas
The yucca. I love the contrast of the green plant and the red earth. And how the shadow makes the plant larger than life.
Cactus at Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix
I love the desert in spring when many of the cactus are in bloom. In spring the desert is green with life, and filled with bright flowers–white yucca, pink or yellow cholla, yellow prickly pear. And giant white blossoms on the handsome saguaro.
So different from the spring gardens in Wisconsin, and they are so beautiful in their own wonderful way.
So This is What a Desert Looks Like?
Yes, I admit it. I learned much of what I knew about deserts from the Road Runner and Wily E. Coyote. They both delighted me and led me astray. I now know that all deserts do not look the same. The Saharan Desert, whose characteristics I cluelessly gave to all deserts, is by no means the same as the Sonoran Desert, or the Mojave Desert, or the Chihuahuan Desert. How misguided could I be!
I spent all of yesterday roaming the western part of Saguaro National Park in the Sonoran Desert, a very small part of the park located just west of Tucson, Arizona. Tomorrow I’m going to the larger park east of Tucson. Seems I can’t get my fill of the desert, or at least this kind of desert.
Many of the cacti are in bloom. The roadrunners do not rush past me with a beep-beep, but they do rush past quickly enough that I cannot take their photograph. But they are so darn cute! I must have 500 photos of desert scenes, and another 800 of other travel destinations, and I still have a goodly amount of my trip ahead of me.
OK, I thought I’d send a bit of desert heat back home. 100 degrees yesterday. 95 today. No lie! I heard from my daughter/house sitter that she had to shovel the driveway this morning. Hee hee! Now I’m headed back to the desert for a sunset hike. It’s finally cooled off enough so I can manage that 5 mile loop I’ve had my eye on.
At the Desert Botanical Garden
I saw a different kind of blue herons today. Not the live ones I saw recently in the Ozarks, but blue glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Chihuly’s exhibit will be here until the end of May. Be sure and take a look if you’re in the area, but be aware–you need reservations to get in the gardens. Chihuly’s work is that popular!
Arizona -- Much More than Cactus
If you love botanical gardens and you love art installations in a natural setting and you love surprises at every turn of the walking trail, then you will love the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
Dale Chihuly has an exhibit, The Nature of Glass, running there through the end of May, 2009. If you are anywhere in the area, I highly recommend a stop. Reservations are required.
in the Arizona Desert
Finally found someplace warm. The desert! This was the first cactus I saw in bloom. Of course, it was high noon, and shooting white was impossible. But I like the over-exposed flower anyway. It, in a way, symbolizes how I am feeling. A bit over-exposed to all this warmth and sunshine.
El Morro National Monument
Though I was surprised to see snow when I stepped out of my camping trailer, it did provide for a fun experience photographing snow in an unexpected place.
with a Dusting of April Snow
El Morro National Monument is a preserved bit of history hidden in the high grasslands of New Mexico. This was a popular place for early travelers to stop for the night, as there was a reliable waterhole at the base of the sandstone bluff. There are thousands of carved inscriptions in the soft rock, ranging from ancient Puebloan petroglyphs to Spanish and American messages and signatures dating from as early as the 17th century.
We were surprised by weather in the teens and a late April snow while we camped near El Morro last night. Lucky for us, our little trailer has a reliable heater. When we got up this morning, a good three inches of snow had fallen during the night, but by the time the trails were open at 9, the paths were fine for hiking. We were able to climb to the top of the bluff and see the interior canyon and ancient ruins of the ancestors of the present day Zuni.
