 |  |  |  |  | | Guadalupe | White
Sands | Saguaro | Grand
Canyon | Bryce |
 |  |  |  |  |  | Capitol
Reef | Arches | Monument
Valley | A Hotel | Tombstone | Misc. |
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Saguaro National Park is bisected by Tucson, AZ. We visited Saguaro East, know as the Rincon Mountain District. The western side of the park is known as the Tucson Mountain District. It wasn’t quite sunset when we arrived at the visitor center, but it was clear that we had to move quickly if photos were to be taken.
Although in a rush, we made time to stop at the visitor center for maps and postcards. One of the most consistently impressive features of the National Park Service are their maps. The maps, provided free of charge at all parks, are bursting with clearly-labeled, colorful diagrams, park history, safety information, and otherwise hard-to-find contact details. A quick glance typically gets you on your way, and a more patient perusal equips you with information that can really improve your park experience. The Saguaro map includes a collage of animal and plant life, each labeled and described, to aid you in identifying the many inhabitants of the park as you explore.
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 | Here we see a field of Saguaro cactus, the plant that gives the park its name. Saguaro are found throughout the Southwest, and are typically described as human-like because of their "arms".
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 | I am standing a foot from this giant Saguaro, and it is towering over me. I've been told that many people misjudge the weight of this massive cactus, and every year, people are crushed by falling Saguaro. There is even an Austin Lounge Lizards song titled "Saguaro". The song tells the tale of David Grundman and James Joseph Suchochi, whothought in 1982, that it might be a great idea to use a giant Saguaro for target practice. After blasting the 100+ year-old plant, Grundman was crushed by a four foot long arm.
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A few quick additional facts: For the first 75 years, these cactus have only one central trunk. The "arms" come after this 75 year period, but some Saguaro never develop these "appendages". Just in case you still aren't convinced that these plants are absolutely massive, they can grow to be 60 feet tall and weigh 8 tons!
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 | We walked around Saguaro National Park for a few hours, and I saw only one of these hallowed-out Saguaro trunks.
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 | The wirey plant in front of this Saguaro is called Ocotillo.
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 | Lots to see in this picture: Firstly, notice the holes in the Saguaro cactus. I didn't know this, but birds like screech owls, cactus wrens, and purple martins burrowinside the plant. The the right of the Saguaro is another Ocotillo. The short cactus shaped like a paddle in the foreground is called a prickly pear.
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 | By sunset, my pants, shoes, and somehow my underwear, were full of tiny needles. I had a great time that night, finding those needles one by one.
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After sunset, we exited the park, headed west through Phoenix, then north toward the Grand Canyon. (I'll just conveniently gloss over the part where we forget to turn off of I-10 and come 50 or so miles shy of visiting California!) That night we would sleep in the car, in a parking lot near Montezuma Castle National Monument (about 90 miles north of Phoenix on I-17). In the morning, we visited Montezuma Castle and Meteor Crater Natural Landmark before ending the day at the Grand Canyon.
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| | | | | | Guadalupe | White
Sands | Saguaro | Grand
Canyon | Bryce |
| | | | | | Capitol
Reef | Arches | Monument
Valley | A Hotel | Tombstone | Misc. |
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