Day 29 ~ Saguaro NP Tucson Mountain District

JJ

     Started the day, by showing off how well God and I did last night getting parked!  Not too shabby considering  the rocks and cactus and table complicating things.

     I did not know that Saguaro NP is actually two parks separated by about 33 miles.  It takes a good hour to drive from one to the other and each has something unique to offer.  One thing I did not take into account when making my plan is that this park is NOT going to be pet friendly.  Duh!!  It’s all about cactus!!  Thus, there are only a few trails that allow pets and for very good reason.  If you’ve never been around cholla cactus, it propagates by breaking off and clinging to shoes, clothing, hats, and skin.  So you are just as likely to encounter it on a trail as anywhere else.  Fortunately in November the weather is cool enough that Jake could stay in the truck safely as long as I wasn’t gone very long.  That said, I only went on a couple of short hikes and only the ones that he could go on with me.  But I did leave him in the back when I parked at a pullout to set up my tripod and shoot for an hour or so.

     I spent today at the closest spot, it is only about 4 miles from Gilbert Ray Campground to the NP entrance.  There is no gate, but entrance fees can be paid at the visitor center.  There is a paved .5 mile nature walk that Jake and I took that provides information about the various types of cactus and inhabitants of the Sonoran desert.  We also spent time driving through the park and taking advantage of the various pullouts.

     I need to find a store and also need to fill up the truck.  So, off we go again into town.  Diesel was easy, getting to a Walmart not so much.  But we got there and I found the water filter I needed along with the 1/2” extension for the torque wrench.  Just a few groceries so it didn’t take long.  Time to get back to camp, have lunch, and start the evening drive in search of photos.  Except, right next to Walmart is a Blake’s Lotaburger.  Hmmm, I wonder….  Yep, sure enough, right there on the menu, “a NM style hamburger with our signature Hatch green chile”.  Guess what I had for lunch?!  ^_^

     Some of my best shots were taken right from our campsite.  Sunset and sunrise.  Both parks offer a driving loop through the various cacti with points of interest and/or trailheads to provide photo ops.

Day 30 ~ Saguaro NP Rincon Mountain District & Rincon Mountain District

     Today is cloudy and  windy so we spent the time mostly driving.  First through the Bajada Scenic Loop, an unpaved, washboard road through some beautiful cactus formations.  Back to camp for lunch and then off to the east portion.  It is very windy, lots of sand/dust in the air and cloudy in the park.  So, not a lot of opportunities for glowing landscapes, but the sun peeked out every now and then and I took advantage.  This loop drive is all paved, thank goodness, and it is one way for most of the way so you don’t have a lot of need to pull over for passing vehicles.  I used the pullouts to let people around when it was obvious they were anxious to get to a trailhead, not just enjoying the scenic drive.

Day 31 ~ Preparing for the trip to White Sands NP

    Today was spent getting ready to hook up and go to Alamogordo, New Mexico.  I need to put the TPMS sensors on the new trailer tires, double check my route, and button everything up.