Tucson Visit
by Nancy ~ January 10th, 2008. Filed under: Friends, Places.
We visited our friends, Susan & Paul, in Tucson and enjoyed the beautiful desert sunsets, cool winter nights and warm days. We hiked up in the Tortolito mountains and had lunch.
Chuck, Susan & Paul near the top.
Chuck & Nancy
I loved the backlighting on this saguaro cactus. It takes around 60 years before the first branch called an arm is sprouted. These magestic cacti are prolific in this area of the Southwest. They grow up to 50 feet high and a saguaro with more than 5 arms would be estimated to be around 200 years old. They have a very shallow root system and are often replanted. They are the state flower of Arizona and protected.
The skin on the saguaro is smooth and waxy with ridges of 2 inch spines. The plant can take on moisture and the ribs will expand like an accordian. This can increase the weight of the plant by up to a ton.
You often notice round holes in the saguaro. These are often created and inhabited by the Gila Woodpecker and the Gilded Flicker.
Tucson is surrounded by a number of mountain ranges. This photo was taken while hiking in the Tortolito Mountains. Other mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson valley are the Santa Rita Mountains, the Rincon Mountains and the Tucson Mountains.
Click on the slide show below for more photos.