Today was a perfect Arizona winter day--57 degrees and clear, clean air. We decided to go four-wheeling in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, one of my top three favorite things to do! We decided to go fifty miles west from my house to Saddleback Mountain. Two mountain masses form the saddle, and there are canyons and gulches between them.
The smoke in the photo is actually steam coming from the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant. Palo Verde is the largest nuclear plant in the USA. It employs about 2,500 people.
Rugged, towering cliffs and rock spires make for spectacular scenery. We saw mule deer, rabbits, and a few red-tailed hawks. I aways look for desert tortoises but so far have never found one! The Indian wheat, other grasses and wildflowers are abundant. After the recent rains the desert has turned green and I wanted to see how many wildflowers we could look forward to seeing in February, that is, if we get at least one more rain.
There are plenty of healthy Saguaro cactus in the area.
Taking photos at high noon makes for a poor photos that have washed-out color...I wish they would have shown the greening as it really is. It is breathtakingly beautiful for us Desert Rats!
This is an unusual twin headed Barrel cactus. I guess a wood pecker wanted a back door as this one pecked a hole all the way through.
9 comments:
What a great day trip! I'm jealous of the saguaros. Thanks for sharing your day with us...
It does look like we might have a good wildflower season, especially seeing all the green. Hopefully we won't have any early hot spells, which will spoil it all. It sees the colder it is, the more I like it. Just opposite than when I was young. I'm having a hard time just thinking about summer!
Aiyana
What an adventurous trip! I would have been so scared even just watching your hubby drive sideways down that hill. I am right there with ya...chicken of that kind of thing!!! Glad he got it down safely!!!
Julie
The hole in the cactus is actually from someone shooting it. Takes a real man to kill a cactus.
I hope hubby is staying on designated roads.
If you would like to get more involved. E-mail us at FoSM@hughes.net Friends of Saddle Mountain.
Paul Roetto
what great scenery. I would be tromping through the desert and not getting a lick of work done. You're lucky to be living in such a fascinating enviornmnet.
Hey guys, Warning--Here's a rant:
I'm an Arizona native and I ALWAYS stay on the roads. I also NEVER poach cacti, kick up dust, carve initials in cactus or other vegetation, throw trash, shoot anything. However, one of our state treasures is being destroyed by illegal aliens and no one seems to care. If people saw what they've done to Organ Pipe National Monument, maybe they'd change their mind about this issue. Not to mention all the trash, bottles, diapers and other stuff scattered along their escape trails. And then, there are the citizens! Some of them are even worse. I think the law should be enforced to the limit and fines actually required to be paid. Maybe our state tax rates could go down if we collected fines on people destroying the desert. As far as I'm concerned, it's a self-imposed tax!!!
Looks like a wonderful day. 57 degrees sounds heavenly!
Just stopping by to wish you much luck, prosperity and happiness in the coming New Year...
I liked your selection of desert photos...This area has a particularly wonderful memory connected to it when I shot my daughter's high school grad pictures...during early spring, as you know, the flowering wild flowers can be spectacular! I'm still glad it is a sparsely traveled area! Keep up the great works!! RCE
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