We started out with the intent to go to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, but once we got in line for tickets, we decided that wasn't a good idea. There were entirely too many people. We had forgotten that it was a weekend - weekends don't count when you're retired.
We were near the Saguaro National Park (West), and spent a beautiful afternoon in the park. Last year we had visited the East part of the park. It seems unusual that the Saguaro National Park is separated into two sections, with the city of Tucson between them.
It was a very warm day here, with temperatures reaching the mid to upper 70's. It was very comfortable, especially considering that there are supposed to be snow flurries in Beaufort today. I'm glad I'm here and not there.
For Anna and Evan: The saguaro (pronounced sah-WAH-row) has been called the monarch of the Sonaran Desert, supreme symbol of the American Southwest, and a plant with personality.
It is renowned for the variety of odd, all-too-human shapes it assumes - shapes that inspire wild and fanciful imaginings. Since 1933 this extraordinary giant cactus has been protected within Saguaro National Park. The area is one of the hottest and driest regions on the continent.
Summer midday temperatures commonly climb above 100 degrees. Less than 12 inches of rain fall in a typical year. Between the summer and winter rainy seasons it's not unusual for months to pass without a drop of rain.
Plants and animals able to survive in this environment, with adaptions specially designed for desert survival, make up one of the most interesting and unusual ecosystems in the United States.
A saguaro begins its life as a shiny black seed no bigger than a pinhead. One saguaro cactus produces tens of thousands of seeds in a year and as many as 40 million in its lifetime of 175 to 200 years.
Saguaros grow very slowly, mostly in spurts in the summer rainy season. After 15 years it may be barely 12 inches tall. At about 30 years saguaros begin to flower and produce fruit. By 50 years the saguaro can be as tall as seven feet. After 75 years it may sprout it first branches, or arms. By 100 years the saguaro may reach 25 feet. After 150 years they may tower to 50 feet. They are the largest cacti in the United States.
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| Fish Hook Cactus |
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| A thorn between tow beauties |
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| A forest of saguaro |
Sunday, Jan 17
This weather is wonderful! Beautiful blue skies, light winds and the temperature is perfect - cool at night and comfortable in the day. However, by Wednesday, it's supposed to turn cooler. We'll see.
Clara and Jan took off shopping, primarily for the B's new RV, which they will get by Wednesday next week. They dropped Bill and I off at the Pima Air and Space Museum.
We enjoyed about 4 hours of looking at every kind of aircraft ever built. It is indeed fascinating how many shapes and forms that aircraft have been built - and they all fly.
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| Bill stands in front of the "Guppy" |
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| Dave and the B-52 - 94 combat missions |
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| T-37 - I flew in pilot training |
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| T-38 - I flew in pilot training |
