Time in the Desert

It was five years ago when we went on our first hike in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. I wasn't too impressed then. But we have both come to love the desert landscape. Tuesday, we went on our first hike of this season. We walked three miles on the Blevins Trail at Usery Mountain Regional Park. The weather this week is perfect, with highs in the 70s and low 80s.



Over the years, we have learned the names of many of the desert plants. In this shot, we can see two kinds of cholla cactus, giant saguaro cactus, creosote bush and palo verde trees. I love this view.



The hanging fruit cholla, or jumping cholla, has its seeds in loose-hanging segments that easily "jump" onto passing animals and people. Look out for the thorns.



I most love the Saguaros and take loads of pictures of them. Some look almost like people. Here are a few we saw on our hike yesterday.