April 10, 2023 Superstition Mountain & Boyce Thompson Arboretum

This occurred about a month before we got to Arizona...

Debbie: what do you want to do when you visit?

Me: go hiking every day. 

Debbie: OK. 

So here we are starting our first of two hikes today.

It is a beautiful sunny day with stunning scenery all around us. A perfect mix of desert and mountains.

Peralta Trailhead in the Superstition Wilderness section of the Tonto National Forest.

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with this place. 

I didn't expect it to be so colorful. I hike because I love being outdoors and Mother Nature has created so many beautiful places for me to explore. When I am hiking I can escape from the real world and enjoy the peaceful solitude of being somewhere special... 

...and for some reason, this lady follows me wherever I go.

I always say I fall behind because I take a lot of pictures. But the truth is I want to spend as much time as possible in places like this so I can get that peaceful easy feeling hiking provides me.

George walks through a rocky section.

The people that say there isn't anything beautiful in the desert have probably never been to a desert.

We got lucky with so many plants flowering over the week we spent in Arizona.

Our country provides a wide spectrum of wilderness areas and I love spending time in all of them. It is amazing how different each of these areas can be compared to each other and be relatively close to each other.

The wives were leading the way at this point. 

I was stopping at every photo opportunity.

Somehow I got ahead of Christy & George.

The higher we got, the rockier the trail became.

Eventually, Christy decided the heat and the climb were a bit too much. 

I took the picture of Deb & George at the high point of our hike.. 

...and we headed back down.

The weathered rocks look amazing on the mountain tops.

Heading down through the valley.

The cacti look like they belong on another planet. 

Here we have a rocky mountain hike...

...then a bit of a forest hike...

...then a mix of rocky, forest, and desert. 

All smiles on the way down.

Cactus are like snowflakes, no two look the same.

This lady is still following me and posing for pictures.

Such beautiful colors on this trail.

Looking back up the mountain...

...and this was near the trailhead.

I'm so glad someone decided to protect this area from development years ago so I could enjoy this beautiful hike here today. Now on to our second hike of the day.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

After we ate lunch in the picnic area, Debbie and I decided to take the scenic route high above the river and Christy & George took the path along the river. We agreed to meet at the suspension bridge 

I'm always the one falling behind no matter who I hike with. 

The High Trail was a fun hike with nice views.

Debbie is always up for a challenging hike.

Deb & I made it to the Berber Suspension Bridge. But our spouses were nowhere to be found. 

We found a bench in a cave to cool down in the shade. While we waited for George and Christy to find us. Eventually, we found out they were not hiking along the river, they were on the cliffs high above us. 

So off we go to find them...

Of course, I had to stop to take pictures as we climbed uphill.

The views were amazing.

It looks like they found some shade to relax in and cool down too. 

So we headed back to the parking lot and I took photos along the way.

Below are just a small portion of the things I found interesting.

I can identify some of these, feel free to let me know if you can identify any of these.

This is Debbie's husband George. 

This is some kind of alien flesh-eating cactus. I'm like 50% sure on this one.

Old Man Cactus

Boojum Tree

Another beautiful day for a hike.

Mexican Lime Cactus

Iris x Germanica

Soap Aloe

Funny Sign Makes me laugh.

More Soap Aloe

Rainbow Pincushion

That's all I got for today. I will update the cactus names if I can identify more.

April 9, 2023 The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park with my Cousins

Christy and I drove down to Tucson on Easter morning to spend the day with my cousins Karen and Ken. We met at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and walked around for a few hours and enjoyed a tasty lunch at their Ocotillo Cafe. 

I've loved the desert since I first visited Tucson many years ago when Christy had a zoo conference here. 

There is something about walking through the desert with so many different and strange-looking plants compared to where I've lived all my life. 

There is also so much beauty out here if you find time to hike in the desert.

My cousins Karen & Ken, the last time I saw them we were in Alaska ten years ago.

We were lucky the cactus flowers were blooming.

I'm always surprised by how colorful the desert can be.

The Fairy Duster

Bonker Hedgehog and Glory of Texas Cacti

Then we went across the street to Saguaro National Park and walked along the Kings Canyon Trail and drove along the scenic McCain Loop Road where we stopped to take pictures of the beautiful desert all around us.

Christy and I like taking pictures of the national park signs. 

I have to stop being the one taking the selfies, my giant head and multiple chins blocked half the huge sign behind me. At least I gave Christy and Karen something to laugh about. We all agreed we have to get together sooner than 2033. Thanks for a great day out in the desert K&K.