Monday, May 14, 2012

Saguaro National Monument…

Iron Cross Blister Beetle 2

Saguaro National MonumanetWe would have like to stay one more day in Benson to have made a run down to Bisbee, AZ but it will have to wait till our next journey through this area… Afterall we have to save something to see for the future!

But before we headed to Tucson we had one last excursion planned and it was a trip west to the Saguaro National Monument just east of Tucson. We took Javalinasthe short 40 minute drive west and found our way to the park entrance where we stopped to check in and water up for our hike. As we entered the park visitor center we were told that a small clan of Javalinas were sleeping in the shade on the back of the building and we could see them through a window.

 

cactus artSure enough there were four of them and there were also two small babies trying to suckle their momma. Getting a picture of the babies was too difficult due to the glare on the windows.This was an unexpected treat and an excellent start for our hike.

We left the visitor center and went to the entrance gate where they collect Saguaro Floweringfees of $10.00 per car (or use your annual pass like we did). From here you enter a one way loop drive through the Sonoran Desert. For those who don’t want to hike this allows you the chance to see a slice of the desert without having to leave your car. We stopped about midway at a trailhead and planned to take a 3 mile round trip hike into the Sonoran Dessert to see what we could see.

Saguaro and Whitewinged Doves  Saguaro National Monumanet flowers

What did we see? Ton’s of beautiful cacti of various species and numerous saguaro’s and barrel cacti. What made this even better was that the Saguaro’s were blooming!!! I had never had the opportunity to see them blooming and it was Saguaro Flexingquite a treat. Many of their milky white flowers which bloom mostly at night were still open in the morning hours. We also got to see Gila Woodpeckers and the White Winged Doves. Feeding? on the flowers. Not sure what they were Saguaro big one...eating – bugs? or nectar? or just getting water trapped in the flowers. We even saw a beautiful Iron Cross Blister Beetle (header photo) ambling across the path.

The next morning we woke up and took our sweet time getting ready to leave since we really weren’t going to head very far this day. We really enjoyed our stay at Butterfield RV Resort and enjoyed the hot tub and a special treat as they have their own observatory with a 16 inch housed in a 15 foot diameter electrically operated dome. We even got an exceptional view of Saturn – didn’t even look real!!!

We drove the 40 or so miles down the road to Tucson, Arizona to see one of our daughter’s softball friends. We will stay two nights and then move on to Phoenix to see more of our softball friends. We are now at the Voyager RV Resort and all we can say is wow!!! This is a huge resort with lots of very nice amenities and only $22.00 with taxes included at the Passport America rate…

8 comments:

  1. Isn't the desert so beautiful this time of the year! Just love it.

    WOW...Javalinas. We only saw one. Great photo.

    Do not miss Sabino Canyon. Do the Phoneline Trail. It can be scarey in places but well worth it!

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    1. we planned to do it today bur dawdled too long while visiting a few other spots...

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  2. What are the temps? We left in March last year from Tucson and it was close to 90 already. I'm not sure I could take the heat this time of year. There is so much to do in Tucson, we were there 6 weeks and still didn't get it all done. Enjoy!

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    1. today it finally started getting hot... 98, we plan to return during better temps.

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  3. What beautiful photos. We loved it there too.

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  4. Would be getting pretty hot by now , we like hanging out there in the winter months, so much to see that we enjoy. Have fun.

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  5. Thanks for taking me back. One thing I learned is that saguaros have to be 75 years old before they get an arm. Neat beetle!!

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  6. The view of Saturn is amazing right now. I couldn't believe it was real either. Good to know about the scope at Butterfield.

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