A walk in the desert today....

Our Location:  BLM Plomosa Road, Quartzsite, AZ


Another good night’s sleep. Yeah me!!! The temps weren’t as cool this morning as they’ve been the past few days and so maybe that is a sign that warmer temperatures are going to be the norm in the mornings now.
 

Today's post is photos from my walk this morning, so if you've seen enough Saguaro's, cacti and desert scenes feel free to skip tonight's post.

 

I spent some time walking toward these mountains that are on the far side of AZ 95 North. I loved the light on them as the sun rose higher and mixed in with a few light clouds. The shadows and bright spots were interesting to me.

We didn’t do a lot today, I spent a little over 3 hours this morning wandering around the flats of the desert floor here on Plomosa Road. I simply let my feet take me where my eyes noted something of interest. I’m sure most of you are tired of cactus and green growth photos but I like them and someday I’ll look back and hopefully remember them. If I’m lucky I’ll remember their smell, their texture, their beauty or their quirks. If I’m not that lucky perhaps I’ll just be lucky enough to be able to remember my name and believe I once witnessed these things first hand. 

The big pic on the left top is a young Palo Verde tree. Beautiful, vibrant green. The top right pic is of a stone that caught my eye due to the colouring. Interesting I thought how the white was so evenly spaced in there.  The second pic on the right is just some beautiful yellow flowers that appeared on the rocky floor, seems they sprung up out of no where. The bottom row is just other colour that caught my eye. The pretty picky cactus which is called Buckhorn Cholla  has pink, purple and green with some yellow as well. The middle picture is a close up of what looked like a grey/white puff that was scattered around a small circle. The pic on the bottom right had a very soft look to it as I came closer. 

I believe these are all a form of Barrel Cactus. With perhaps one Fishhook Cactus (the third small picture in the top row) in the bunch. I'm always fascinated by the slim hold to the ground they appear to have in some cases. Some small root remains and so they thrive and grow. Some while actually laying on the ground before they take a twist upward and reach for the sky. The colours are surprising as they incorporate yellows, pinks, reds, greens, and even purples. Some have twists to them, some simply seem to grow straight up. 

These Saguaro Cactus are hundreds of years old and come in all shapes and sizes. The hardships they've suffered can be seen in their scars and battered limbs. Multiple arms, bumps and weird growths add to their unique beauty. I've never seen one that is solid to the bottom, always about a foot at the bottom is roughened and weathered, cracked and worn whether it's from winds, dust, sand, animals, water or just life it never seems to be complete to the bottom. Holes in the 'hide' or bark are always present in almost all of them. How they came to be or what caused them, I have no idea although I'm certain birds play a part in some of the damage. They are both beautiful and lonesome at the same time.

The tops of many Saguaro Cactus are missing or mutilated in some way. As you can see from some of the photos the mutilations are odd in their shape and numbers. They do make their owner interesting to see though.

Up close you can see the various kinds of holes in some of the Saguaro's I wandered around to see. In the middle bottom photo you can see the beginning of a hole through the bark or hide on the back side of this photo. The other photos show that some holes go all the way through while others are only a few inches deep, more dents than holes.

Can you see the three faces in these photos? The first is like a lopsided face with bags under the eyes and big open mouth. The middle photo reminds me of a Viking in a time long past. The third photo shows me a pirate with something elaborate over his eye and covering part of his head.

The group of photos is all things picky and pointy.  Top left and right, along with bottom right are Buckhorn Cholla. The second picture on the left, third on the right and bottom middle are of course Ocotillo. Bottom left I think is a Hedgehog Cactus and the second from the right on the top I think may be a Goathead Sticker but I'm not sure. 

Top left: ET call home. Bottom left is sage brush. Middle  photo is tightly bunched stalks of tough grass like stuff. It's always very dark in the middle and very hard to separate. The top right pic is the bottom of a wash, the stone has some interesting lines on it. The bottom right is a flower, all alone in the middle of the flat rocky top.

The grass is growing through the tree using the inner decay of the limb as a good place to set down roots. The bottom right is an up close picture of a mesquite branch. Just loves those little dark bands. The bottom left is our nearest neighbours dogs. The older black/grey lab is a male named Bart or Burt. The other is the oddest colour dog I've ever seen. It's called a Painted Dog but this one is crossed with something else and I don't recall what it was. Originally they came from Africa where they are called Wild Dogs, Hunting Dogs and Painted Dogs. Her name is Brandy. Both came out to greet me when I walked by, Bart or Burt though he should walk me home when I left after chatting with his owner. He's a real gentleman!!

What a view this fella must have had late this evening.

I enhanced the colour to match the sky, the camera just doesn't pick it up.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the photos.

The sky was literally deepening to a fiery red as we watched.

 
Until next time….take care, be safe,  

Again the colours are enhanced to match the actual colour in the sky. I believe this is the most amazing sunset I've ever witnessed.

 
Deb