Our trip across America is to evaluate and resolve some important lifestyle decisions we are facing. While we grapple with those choices, we are also crossing items off of our bucket list.
- Drive across the country in an RV. Okay, so it turned out to be an SUV but still meets the intended goal.
- Visit as many states as possible.
- Attend the AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference in Washington, D.C.
- See as many national parks as feasible, taking weather into account, especially in the northern parts of the country.
Saguaro National Park was our first check-off for visiting national parks. Located in the Sonoran Desert, this park encompasses large areas of the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. Surrounding Tucson, Saguaro National Park naturally separates into an eastern section and a western section. Due to our predetermined route, we chose to view the westerly side. It did not disappoint.
Saguaros are a variety of cactus we often see depicted as a three-pronged plant. According to a docent at the visitor center, the indigenous people of Arizona named them “saguaro” as the word means “people.” Probably a fabrication but fits our perception when we look at them.
Western saguaros can grow to about forty feet tall, however, these plants in the eastern part can be up to sixty feet tall. Saguaros start as a single column but start adding “arms” at about seventy-five years of age. The number and shape of the arms vary from cactus to cactus. The average life span of a saguaro is about one hundred and fifty years. Once the process of decomposing starts, the pulp of the saguaro takes on a woody texture. Traditionally, longer pieces of a dead saguaro are tied together and used to pick the blooms which grow once a year. The inside fruit is red, sweet, and used for making syrups and wines used by local indigenous people.
Saguaros are not the only type of cactus in the park. There are over thirty-two varieties of succulents, too many to document with pictures in this post. If you have the opportunity to visit Saguaro National Park, do so. We were not disappointed, and we think you won’t be either.
Our next adventure: Biosphere 2 and the Super Bowl
The Unexpected Gap Year 