Saguaro (pronounced suh·WAA·row) National Park is near Tucson, AZ… a sunny 88 degrees in October! This park has the most diverse cactus garden in the nation, with 25 different species of cactus. We had a great time hanging out with Curt Buchholz, our favorite National Park Foundation guy.
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- It takes 50 years before a saguaro cactus has one arm. This beauty is between 150 and 175 years old.
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- Saguaro cacti host quite the wildlife variety. Flickers and woodpeckers excavate nest cavities inside the saguaro’s pulpy flesh. When a woodpecker abandons a cavity, elf owls, screech owls, purple martins, finches and sparrows move in.
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- You definitely don’t want to tangle with a fish hook barrel cactus.
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- Sunrise from our hotel in the Catalina Mountain foothills.
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- Prickly pear buds, known as “nopales” in Mexican cooking, taste a little like watermelon.
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- After a while, the cacti have personality. You start to see eyes and arms and legs, right?
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- This formation on Mt. Lemmon looked like a Buddha near a temple to me. Do you see it?
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- Curt and Mike near the top of Mt. Lemmon, which has a spectacular view of the whole Tucson valley. Awesome sunset/sunrise location.
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