Saguaro National Park, AZ

July 1

Leaving Tombstone, AZ we arrived in Saguaro National Park, AZ after another 84 miles and 1 ¾ hours driving time. This park is split into two areas, the Tucson Mountain District on the west side of Tucson, AZ, and the Rincon Mountain District on the east side of the city. This park protects the “monarch of the Sonoran Desert”, the saguaro cactus. The saguaro starts out as a tiny seed, its chances of surviving are small. It grows very slowly, only ¼ inch in the first year. After 15 years it might be 12 inches tall. At the age of about 30 the saguaro begins to flower and fruit. When 50 years old, the cactus can be 7 feet tall. At 75 years old it may finally sprout its first branches, or arms. The saguaro can live to around 150-200 years, grow 50 ft tall and weigh up to 16,000 pounds, making them the largest cactus in the US. From late April through June the saguaro produces about 100 big, white blooms, each opening only one night for pollination by doves, bats, and insects. In June and July the red fruits ripen, filled with a sugary pulp and as many as 2,000 tiny seeds. Various desert animals, from javelinas to ants feast on these fruits. During a single rainfall, the saguaro can soak up as much as 200 gallons of water in its spongy flesh – enough to last for one year.

We pulled into the beautiful Gilbert Ray Campground just south of the western park. This campground has 150 sites with electricity hookup (we realized we had actually planned two nights with real power, not just one), yet there was only one other camper here. Maybe it was the 108 degree heat with no shade? The sites are situated in the middle of the saguaro cacti, many other cactus types, and various desert plants and trees. At first we were really discouraged by the intense heat. We considered cutting our stay short. However, some iced drinks and the AC perked us up a bit. We cranked it down to 80 degrees, not daring to push it lower. Of course, it took quite a while to cool the camper that much. The promise of the neat wildlife to be seen and the cooler evening temperatures convinced us to stay.
Doves and woodpeckers were everywhere, as were the tarantula and lizard holes. In the dark we took our flashlights and went on a tarantula hunt. Near our camper one waited in the entrance of his hole. Unfortunately, it didn’t come out all the way once he noticed our presence. After a long time searching all around between the cacti we found a few cactus mice and kangaroo rats that didn’t seem to be afraid of us, but no more tarantulas. The mountains between the campground the Tucson weren’t enough to shield us from the city’s light pollution, so good stargazing was out of the question. In the middle of the night we were awakened by a pack of howling coyotes.

July 2

We got up earlier to drive the 5-mile scenic Bajada Loop Drive that winds through the saguaro, hoping to see some animals before it got too hot for them. We stopped at the Signal Hill picnic area and hiked the ½ mile Signal Hill Trail through a wash and up a hill that has 800 year old petroglyphs. Besides the birds, we spied a few rabbits and many lizards. Unfortunately, we saw no rattlesnakes, no gila monsters, and no tarantulas. On the way back we stopped at the visitor center and found out a lot about the desert and its plants and animals. We learned how the native people also harvested the saguaro fruits and made them into jam, syrup, and alcohol. After a short walk on the Cactus Garden Trail, we tried the pulp of the saguaro fruit which turned out to be surprisingly sweet and good. It reminded us of a lumpy, red fruit rollup with tiny seeds.
The rest of the morning we spent with maintenance on the trailer hitch. During the afternoon we retreated into the cooler camper to catch up on this blog, William’s syllabus for the fall classes he would be teaching, and the boys’ computer games.
As soon as it got completely dark, we headed out with our flashlights again, looking for tarantulas and other critters. We didn’t find much active. Ethan and Esther walked down a path, swinging the lights in front of our feet and at the bases of the plants. All of a sudden Ethan yells out, “SNAKE!” Esther didn’t see it at all and asked, “where?” Ethan cried, “THERE, THERE!” and repeatedly shone his light at the snake’s location. Finally, Esther saw it curled, perfectly camouflaged, next to a rock just a few feet away. They turned around quickly to tell William and Liam who were searching in a different part of the campground. Ethan commented that his heart was beating really fast. They all returned together to take pictures of the snake. It was a western diamondback rattlesnake. After a while it got annoyed with the lights and attention and silently slithered under a bush. Having come up so close to the rattler without seeing him, we all gained a new respect and were extra careful where we placed our feet.

July 3

We were supposed to drive to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ just 2 ½ hours away but decided to stay another night at Saguaro NP and visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This museum, located just up the road from the campground, was rated by TripAdvisor.com as one of the top 10 museums in the world! It is part zoo, botanical gardens, natural history museum, art gallery, and aquarium. It has 21 acres with two miles of walking paths, 230 animal species, 1,200 types of plants, and one of the world’s most comprehensive regional mineral collections. We saw lots of desert animals including a mountain lion two inches away from us behind a pane of glass, endangered Mexican wolves, bobcats, and an ocelot. We saw lizards and peccaries, snakes and insects, porcupines and skunks, coatimundis and a Harris hawk, a desert tortoise and a barn owl, and much more. We walked through a hummingbird aviary, touched meteors, and saw amazing minerals and a huge variety of cacti. We all agreed it was worth the visit. Ethan purchased a 2 ½ inch tall baby saguaro in a decorative pot. He will be a grandfather before the cactus is as tall as him.
We were also hopeful that the impending monsoon might begin tonight. Supposedly, rain brings out the male tarantulas in their search for a mate. Staying one more night and being the only people in the entire campground, we might have our last chance to see these spiders. Indeed the thunderstorms arrived in the late afternoon. We heard more coyotes howl in the daylight. Plants and animals alike must have been relieved. By desert standards, it rained a good amount. Our nearby tarantula finally did emerge about 5 feet from his burrow, allowing us to identify it as a male. By the time we got the camera ready he had scooted back into his hole.

July 4

As we were pulling out of the campground we spied a Gambel’s quail pair and their tiny, fluffy chick running down the road. How cute!

Here are the pictures.