Saguaro National Park - West & Desert Museum.

March 1 – 7, 2014: Still enjoying life at Snyder Hill BLM.

Here we are a week into the month of March and I have yet to accomplish a single post.  I have a little catching up to do to say the least.  I have lots of great photos to share, so I think I’ll try to minimize the chat (which I don’t do easily) and just let you enjoy the pictures.

Sunrise at Snyder Hill BLM.  We’ve been greeted by cloudy skies.

Regardless of the weather, we’re off for a day of fun.

Last Saturday (March 1^st) on a chilly and rainy day we left our cozy little home for Saguaro National Park – Tucson Mountain District Visitor Center and the Arizona – Sonora Desert Museum both located on the west side of Tucson.  Indoor activities seem to be the answer to a dreary day where we will be unaffected by the weather.  Combined with a nice drive through the park and over Gates Pass could be a fun day.

Our first destination is the Arizona – Sonora Desert Museum.  We acquire passage into the “museum” and discover in very short order that there’s a whole lot more “outside museum” than there is any sort of indoor displays.  What were we thinking?  We certainly didn’t do our research before making this bright decision today.  Alas, we’re here so we decide to set out and make the best of it.

Ocotillo with masses of dark clouds behind them.

Under a shelter from the weather, this volunteer talks about this beautiful Barn Owl.  It is just gorgeous.

Another volunteer braves the weather with a Harris hawk who is feeling the wind under his wings.  He doesn't seem to mind the weather at all.

We’ve only been here an hour and the weather really is very unpleasant, so we decide this was a bad idea today.  We’re going to have to make the trip back out on a nice, sunny day.  Before we go we meander through the gift shop.  You already know what’s coming.  Jack finds another hat – an owl hat.  Oh my goodness!

Next stop: Saguaro National Park – Tucson Mountain District.

A few miles up the road we come to the Visitor Center at Saguaro National Park.  Inside we are greeted by the Park Ranger staff and volunteers.  What a nice group of people.  We chat, ask questions, stamp our NP Passport book, and chat some more.

We watch the NP video in the theater and then catch a presentation by a volunteer about the Saguaro and other varieties of cacti.  The rain has ceased so the outdoors doesn’t look so foreboding as earlier in the day.  We begin on the protected patio gazing out into the desert.

Our informative guide talks about many different cacti - including the Ocotillo she is standing next to.

Her satchel includes pictures, cactus spikes, pods – you name it, she got it all.  Anything and everything to better inform visitors about her beloved desert landscape. 

The Saguaro Cactus is an amazing plant.

If you’ve been in the Sonoran Desert and seen Saguaro cacti you have undoubtedly seen the multitude of holes that woodpeckers and flickers drill into them as nesting sites.  At first glance you would think that this would certainly do significant harm to the cactus.  Actually, it doesn’t.  The following picture is what is called a “boot”.  Pulled out of that infamous satchel, of course. 

After a hole is drilled into an arm of the cactus, the cactus seals it off completely inside the cavity to protect the cactus from losing water.  It is a hard shell-type coating inside the cactus (creating a boot) that is then called "home" by many different bird species for years to follow.  Interestingly, the cactus acts as an insulator and the temperature inside the boot is up to 20 degrees warmer in the winter and 20 degrees cooler in the summer than the outside temperature.

If you’re interested, take a few minutes and read about the life cycle of a Saguaro cactus.  It is absolutely fascinating.  Open the link and click on Saguaro Cactus in the Saguaro National Park Information box.  
Saguaro Cactus 

Still overcast and dreary, it’s time to take leave of the west district of Saguaro National Park.

Over Gates Pass in search of a great Mexican food restaurant.

We head over Gates Pass – still with cloudy skies all around us.  This will take us down into the heart of Tucson.

We’ve heard about Guadalajara’s Original Grill located at East Prince Road and Mountain Avenue.  That’s where we’re headed to “brighten” our day a little bit.  They prepare salsa at the table side precisely to your taste.  A little more cilantro?  A little more jalapeno?  Marvelous salsa and a wonderful dinner to round out our day.  What more could we ask for?

Indeed – "What more could we ask for?"  Well …

How about this!  We arrive back at camp to a storm rolling in from the southwest. 

To the north of us a shower has created a full double rainbow.  I can’t begin to photograph it in its entirety. 

Here's one side of the rainbow as we view it from our campsite.

And the sun on Snyder Hill with shadows against the Moose from the incoming storm.  If you look closely you can see the other side of the rainbow over Snyder Hill.

And finally ... as the storm approaches across the desert toward our campsite - with sunny skies bringing up the rear. 

Enough already!

Okay, enough for today.  I’ll continue next time to catch up the week with our trip to Saguaro NP – Rincon Mountain District on the east side of Tucson and our trip back to the Desert Museum.  What a difference the weather can make.  It was awesome!  I can hardly wait to show you all the pictures.

Until next time – be safe.