We’ve spent the last two days touring the two separate areas of the Saguaro National Park. Yesterday we drove into Tucson from our campsite at Rockhound. We arrived midday and went straight to the Rincon Mountain District of the Park.
Not mentioned in any of their marketing material, there was essentially no place to stop or park an RV – even the visitor center parking lot! Undeterred, we did find a makeshift pull off and took a minute to make and enjoy lunch before walking to the visitor center.
We had planned to bike the 8 mile loop as this was highly regarded as a great site to bicycle. In that it was after noon AND we were in the desert AND that Rob was still far from 100%, we were advised to stick with a motorized option (that being our clearly unexpected RV!)
We had quite a time getting through the tiny, twisting and diving roads in Moonshadow but we persevered! The park was lovely but we were more distracted with maneuvers than sightseeing and left there thinking we’d get the real idea in the west division of the park.
We stopped along the way to get our Trader Joe fix and refill fuel at Costco (thank heavens for their fuel prices!) and continued through Tucson to the Tucson Mountain District of the Park. We spent the night at a remote campground but still managed to share a few great Holy City beers. (grin)
This is where the story gets interesting. We got up early today for our Saguaro experience. We were captivated by this amazing cactus upon first sight yesterday. It is like stepping into a movie set from an old western film! The Saguaro was almost wiped out over the years with ranching and mining in the area but this park has revitalized the population and they are thriving again.
The park is literally a forest of different cacti with Saguaro being the leader. These regal, fascinating giants seem to have personalities of their own. I couldn’t help but want to fit each one with a caption. Just take a close look at the photos! Some were guardians, some were playful. I can’t tell you how many reminded me of the arms of the scarecrow in Wizard of Oz!
Some interesting Saguaro facts include: Each flower only blooms for 24 hours – how lucky we were to catch this season! Woodpeckers build elaborate encapsulated nests inside the cactus; they look like adobe building structures. Each cactus including the saguaro has an essentially wooden framework within it that remains when the plant dies. A 30 year old Saguaro is about the height of an average male, the big ones have grown for at least 150 years.
We spent the morning maneuvering what in this park was an unpaved (?!) 5 mile loop. We stopped along the way to see petroglyphs from the Hohokam Indians, the natives of this region. The markings, the first petroglyphs I have ever seen, were estimated to be from 800-1200AD. It’s always inspiring to be in such a place and imagine life as it was before WE came.
We took a 4 mile hike through the desert which ended up feeling a bit like a forced march! With cacti in absolutely every direction on covering nearly every surface, sitting down and shade were NOT in the cards! But through it all, the amazing giants of the cacti world held our interest and kept us inspired.
Our time at the park ended with viewing the video for the West side park which was brilliantly done (and viewed in the welcome a/c!) The film quoted numerous Hohokam Indians who told that in their culture the Saguaro, as well as all nature, are “people” and therefore must be treated with respect and reverence. No wonder I felt the need to name them! As the film ended, a large curtain rose with the screen to a wide open 20’ high picture with views of the Saguaro field outside. What an awesome way to end an awesome experience!
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