Benson, AZ - Saguaro National Park

   

     Yesterday we made the 5 hour journey from Ehrenberg, AZ over to Benson, AZ, all interstate driving on I-10.  Traffic wasn't bad for a holiday, (MLK Day), and we cruised in with no problems.  Outside of Tuscon we pulled into a Pilot Truckstop, and after using my Pilot RV Plus Charge Card, I was able to fill Big Red for $1.89/gal!  No one is enjoying the price of oil dropping like a rock like Debbie and I.  When we first started our Journey to See America a few years ago, we were paying over $4.00/gal.  So we were able to travel just over 400 miles for $65.00 in diesel!  Gotta love it.
     We arrived at the Cochise Terrace RV Resort, right off of I-10 in Benson, and were greeted with 2 more terrific deals.  Cochise Terrace is a very nice park, that has a section of park model homes, a section of RV lots that are privately owned, and a section for travelers like myself.  There is a very nice clubhouse with a laundry, pool table, tables and chairs for card games, and multiple overstuffed couches around a very inviting fireplace.  There's a very nice pool out back, but I was told it wasn't heated, so we'll have to see if the weather warms up before I check it out.  A jacuzzi sits right there also, and if it wasn't such a long run from the jacuzzi to Big Red, I probably would have tried that.            Checking in, Debbie was advised that they would accept our Passport America , so we got the entire week here at half price!  I urge everyone to join Passport America, and start camping for half the normal price.  The second deal we received at check-in, was a free dinner here at the Resort. Tonight, they were serving chicken & dumplings and a pudding dessert.  I think I'm gonna like this place. And if anyone has told you about train noise here in Benson, you can throw that worry out the window.  Slept like a baby all night and never heard a train whistle.

     We have a list of several things to do and places to visit while we're visiting Benson, and one of them is the Saguaro National Park outside of Tuscon.  There are actually 2 National Parks here, an East and a West, and Tuscon is in the middle.  We went to the East Park, as it is much larger.  Entering the park, we proceeded directly to the Visitor Center, stamped my National Park Passport, and I met Debbie in the movie theatre.  We have found that there is a ton of information available there, and we have a better grasp of what we're going to see out in the Park.  Of course, the main attraction of the Park is the Saguaro (pronounced sa-wuero) cactus, the monarch of the sonoran Desert.

     We found that they come in all shapes and sizes, but the most amazing factoid we discovered is that they grow very, very, very slowly.  And everything that grows in the Sonoran Desert is utilized by someone or something during its lifetime and even after it dies.  This mosaic outside the Visitor Center seems to show the relationships ongoing in the desert.
     Since 1933, everything inside the park is protected from poachers, including the Saguaro Cactus.  But cattle grazing continued in the park until 1979, when it was determined that the cattle were interfering with the growth of young Saguaro's throughout the Park.  Since that time, the Saguaro Cactus population has stabilized and is starting to grow.
      We entered the park through the main gate, where each car is charged $10, unless you have the America the Beautiful Pass, which Debbie pulled from her purse.  It cost us $80 for the year, but starting in April, we become eligible for a Senior Lifetime Pass for $10.  Social Security and a Senior Pass....life is good!

      From there we entered onto the 8 mile one way loop through the Sonoran Desert. Unless you're into hiking through a desert where everything out there wants to attack you, this is a great way to see the Park from the convenience of the car.  There are lots of pull offs with fantastic vistas, and there are lots and lots of cacti.  There are the big guys, the Saguaro Cactus, but there are also Barrel Cacti, just beginning to bloom probably because of some recent rainfall, and Teddy Bear Cholla, looking so soft and cuddly.  And everywhere you look there are the prickly pear cacti.  In total there are over 25 different cacti in the Park.
     But the critical point in understanding what you are seeing, is remembering what I said earlier.  They grow very, very slowly.  Most of the Saguaro you start off with are only a few feet tall, and you say to yourself that they are just babies.  After 15 years of growth, they may be 12 inches tall.  At about 30 years, they begin to flower and produce fruit.  At 50 years they are about 7 feet tall.

At 75 years, branches begin as tiny balls and extend outward as arms.  By 100 years, they may reach 25 feet tall, and those that survive to 150 years, may grow to 50 feet tall and weigh 16,000 pounds.  Looking out over valleys of cacti, knowing that some of them may have been here back during the Civil War, is truly amazing.  Some are very unique looking, and others are home to many of the birds who live in the desert. They survive with the help of other plants, trees and rocks, that protect them as they grow.  Those plants are called nurse plants, and its not unusual to see the smaller Saguaro or Barrel Cacti, blooming inside a mesquite tree.

   
 
  The snow pack up in the Rincon Mountains surrounding Saguaro NP is melting a little, and there were several small streams flowing down the mountain into the desert below.  A quick look up the gulleys revealed lots of tracks from assorted wildlife enjoying the cooler temperatures and available water.  Winter and Spring seems to be a great time to visit this NP.  Unless you like blistering temperatures reaching into the 100's, then I would stay away during the summer months.  We had a great day visiting Saguaro National Park, and I encourage people to come for a visit.  Tomorrow we're heading for Tombstone, AZ where Debbie has a date with Wyatt Earp and the gang!  I'll leave with 1 last photo of the weirdest looking Saguaro that we saw this day.  Almost look human doesn't he???