Saguaro

Saguaro National Park, AZ

On a drive from California to Texas with my oldest sister some years ago, we were passing the Arizona desert when Jane said, “Look we’re coming upon some cigarro cactus.” Totally made sense to me since the cactuses looked like cigars. Tall, tubular, some had branches, but many looked straight up like a Swisher Sweet. It was a good 30 minutes later that we passed the Saguaro NP sign, and I realized she wasn’t saying cigarro at all. I’d love to say I was like twelve when that happened.

A decade later I am approaching the Saguaro NP from a different direction and decide to stop for the night at Coronado National Forest. I find a free, recreational campsite that is spectacular. It is high in the mountains looking over the Tucson city lights, which is wonderful but not even the best part. Driving through this saguaro forest was reminiscent of driving through the mountains at home that roll with pine trees. Instead, a dense layer of saguaros blankets this landscape, and we were right in the midst of all those cigar-shaped cactus!

Every single one was different. Some tall, some short and squatty. Some with two arms just like a person asking for a hug, some with six or seven long branches jutting out in different directions. Some with a giant crown at the top of their stately, cigar heads. The night was approaching so the sun was just beginning to set as Ella and I took our walk. The colors were lovely, dusky, desert pastels with a bright, golden halo on the horizon over the city. As the sky got darker, the saguaros were silhouetted against the fading sun. Spectacular!

The approach to the campsite was a long, dirt road, five or ten miles, that became more and more rutted the farther we got from the main road. Because the site was up a mountain, there were multiple switchbacks and S-curves. The road was narrow, and I went almost to the top for the best view I could get. There were several Jeeps and off-road vehicles enjoying the view up there too.

It went down to 37F that night, and there was a bit of light wind and some unforecasted rain, which makes a wonderful sound on my rooftop tent. It made for a therapeutic night’s sleep. There were no coyotes that night, but the crickets gave us a lovely evening chorus.

We went to the National Park the next day, and as with most of the parks so far, Ella was only allowed on paved surfaces, so no trail hiking. The scenic drive and the several paved hikes we took were more than enough to satisfy me that we saw the best of the park. The desert vegetation was thick. Aside from the saguaros, there were prickly pears in abundance, walking sticks, hedgehog cactus, barrel cactus, cholla, and – new to me – jumping cholla, which is an absolutely fascinating plant. And of course, there were the prolific desert shrubs, which are sometimes really hard to identify because they are halfway to becoming tumbleweeds.

You might think you could get enough pictures of the saguaros, but it’s just not so. They are all so different and tall and proud! The landscape and hazy, mountain views beg the camera as well, so every time I put my camera away, I found myself pulling it out again. One of the most fascinating subjects was saguaro skeletons. The ribs that run vertically stay in place while the rest of the cactus is desiccated and disappears, leaving seeds and insect homes visible inside.

There is a fantastic handicap accessible trail that winds through the desertscape toward the mountain vista, and, because it’s paved, Ella was allowed. We passed a boy with Downs syndrome hiking solo and a woman in a wheelchair with her family. How wonderful!

It’s important to note that this place, the Sonoran Desert, is the only place in the world with saguaro cactus. As ubiquitous as they were in Bugs Bunny cartoons, I thought they were a southwest – even International – desert staple. Nope, only here in Arizona, US, stretching down into northern Mexico. This habitable landscape is also home to many critters, and we saw rabbits and desert rats scamper across our paths on several occasions.

A few pelotons of bikers were working their way up and down the hills. Despite the chilly night, it was 80F during the day with no cloud cover, and I am convinced those bikers had lost their minds. Desert creatures may thrive in this arid, dusty place, but Ella and I were parched despite drinking gallons of water.

It’s a good thing I am enjoying the desertscape so much because we have several more months of it on our adventure. Up next, the Petrified Forest!