Winter Journey – Saguaro NP – March 2017

Wednesday March 1st is a beautiful blue-sky day. We run a couple of errands in the morning, and then drive out to the Saguaro NP, which is not far from Synder Hill where we are camped. This park is a fine example of the lushness of the Sonoran desert with its variety of vegetation, including blooming shrubs, several varieties of cholla, ocotillo in bloom, and great tall saguaro cacti. Because of the rains in the December and January, the desert is more green than usual.

Ocotillo in bloom – Saguaro NO
Majestic Saguaro – Saguaro NP

We go to the Visitors’ Center and then decide on the loop drive that will take us to Signal Hill. Signal Hill has a day use area and there is a nice hike to a rocky hilltop where there are petroglyphs. In addition to the petroglyphs at the viewing area at the top of the mound, we spot other petroglyphs on rock faces that are mostly unseen unless one happens to look in the right direction at the right time.

Petroglyphs at Signal Hill in Saguaro NP
View from Signal Hill – Saguaro NP
Petroglyphs on rock faces at Signal Hill – Saguaro NP
Petroglyphs on rock faces at Signal Hill – Saguaro NP

On the way out, we take the wrong road and miss seeing flowers that I was hoping to photograph. We plan to come again, so I hope to catch them next time.

Late afternoon sunlight at our campsite at Synder Hill.

Thursday, March 2nd – today is another beautiful day. We reorganize the tubs – Clifford’s books and scientific instruments – in the back of the Suburban, making things neat and accessible. Clifford had ordered a radio, which has arrived at a UPS store in Tucson. He drives in to get it, but I stay at camp and take advantage of the nice day to play cello outside, the first time in quite awhile.

Synder Hill Cello

In the afternoon we drive back out to the Saguaro NP, but today I don’t see the flowers in bloom. Too bad, but it is nice to be there again and take a few more photos.

Cholla in Saguaro NP
Late afternoon sun on cholla – Saguaro NP
Saguaro NP

We explore the Gilbert Ray Campground, located near the park. The campsites are very close together, but there is enough vegetation to provide a sense of privacy. In the evening, after dinner and cleanup, I do some bookwork and take care of emails, while Clifford works with his new radio.

Friday, March 3rd – A super windy day. Our friend Dan comes, and he and Clifford go to Tucson to take care of errands in regard to getting the Suburban ready to tow Terry: wiring for the electronic brakes, different ball hitch, a new tongue jack, and other such stuff. While they are gone, I write postcards to send to family and friends; too windy to play cello. When the guys get back, we go to Three Point Cafe for lunch. In the afternoon, after talking to Becka, I go up Synder Hill to take photos of the setting sun.

Sunset from Synder Hill – Tucson, Arizona

Back at camp, I download my camera – over 300 photos since my last download. Later I edit Princes of Purt – the next book in the Novel of Shannon series by Angela MacDonald (an exciting series for epic fantasy readers) – until the battery on my laptop goes dead. This was a good productive day for both of us!

2 thoughts on “Winter Journey – Saguaro NP – March 2017”

  1. Hi Carol,

    Regarding “Sunset from Synder Hill” : WOW! Of all of your many, many sunset photos, to me anyway, this is “The” One! And the reason I like this photograph SO much is because of how the sky portion of the image is divided (almost equally) into two similar shaped sections with a fairly “distinct dividing line” between the blue tones of the top half/section and the bright peachy-yellows of the bottom half/section. Kind of a “Ying-Yang” Sunset!

    Daryl

  2. Hi Daryl,

    I had several shots of this sunset and in some I zoomed in and therefore did not have the blue-sky portion. In the end, I chose this one. I really appreciate your comment on it, because you articulate what I was sensing about this particular photo.

    Thanks,
    Carol

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit exceeded. Please complete the captcha once again.