SAGUARO
NATIONAL PARK, WEST: MONDAY MARCH 23rd
The
morning was spent around the campground. We enjoyed an early walk of bird
watching - cactus wrens, curve-billed thrashers, Gambel’s quail, and
phainopepla, to name a few.
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| GILA WOODPECKER |
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| PHAINOPEPLA |
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| CURVE-BILLED THRASHER WITH A SEED |
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| GAMBEL'S QUAIL |
We also chatted with a couple of dog owners and got
our “dog fix” for the day.
After lunch we were off to the Visitor Center at Red
Hill in Saguaro N.P.
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| RED HILL, SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK |
We took in their video, and got info on the Bajada Loop
Drive. We took this loop and enjoyed the wildflowers, cacti,
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| SPINEY BLOOM |
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| HEDGEHOG CACTUS |
and finally the
petroglyphs at Signal Hill.
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| SIGNAL HILL SPIRAL |
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| SIGNAL HILL PETROGLYPHS |
We visited this site nineteen hears ago. The
petroglyphs are still there, but people have defaced them by chipping away
layers of rock and taking some of the drawings. It really is a shame that we as
a group can not leave things like this well enough alone to be enjoyed by many
more generations.
Before dinner we
went out for a sunset walk and photography. We found a suitable area and I
enjoyed my photography, but the skies were clear so there was not a real sunset
sky.
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| A SAGUARO FOREST |
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| SAGUARO - LIVING AND DEAD |
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| SUNSET COLOR ON SAGUARO FOREST |
In
the evening we joined Bernice Lewis and her group for some star gazing hosted
by some of the campground hosts. The Orion Nebula was stunning in the field of
view of an 18 inch Obsession telescope.
Some great birding and even without clouds the saguaro forest looks breathtaking.
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