“I have seen things that you will never see” – REM
Although today seemed a bit like cheating since we only hiked 4 miles, we made up for the lack of mileage with some awesome sights! Of course, the Saguaro cacti that Saguaro National Park is named for are amazing. They towered over us as we hiked along the washes that run through the Cactus Forest in Saguaro’s Rincon Mountain District. As the girls worked to complete yet another junior ranger program we learned that the oldest Saguaros with their many arms are over 150 years old. To me, though, the coolest plant was the pelo verde tree.
I first noticed these unusually green and leafless trees on the drive to the visitor’s center. Once we were on the trail and I got a closer look at them it dawned on me that they were likely green because the bark of the tree itself contained the chlorophyll needed to photosynthesize. I later learned that they can grow leaves in response to wetter times of year, but that the majority of their energy is produced directly by their bark. Plus they’re the state tree of Arizona, so props to Arizona for a great tree choice!
The hike itself (we did the Loma Verde Loop) was awfully hot – exactly what I’ve been fearing all trip. With everyone in a good mood and motivated to get out of the heat it was relatively pleasant. Besides the incomparable vegetation we saw, the best part of the visit was the stop in the Visitor’s Center. We met a plethora of friendly and helpful rangers and volunteers there. Notably, we talked with one volunteer who was very familiar with all of the trails leading up Wasson Peak, tomorrow’s destination. We had originally planned on attempting a summit of Wasson today, but chickened out because of the heat. Our conversation reassured us that as long as we get an early start tomorrow (nothing like a 4:30 AM alarm on vacation) and move at an appropriate pace we’ll be fine. He also talked us through the pros/cons of all the routes and pointed out his favorite. We chose a loop route that I hope I’ll be able to rave about tomorrow!
Several years ago our microwave broke and we decided not to replace it. It really hasn’t been an issue or inconvenience except that we are no longer able to eat Trader Joe’s frozen microwave mac & cheese. Since we’d spotted a TJ’s on our way into town yesterday, and since we needed water to replenish our tank, and most importantly since we have a microwave in our hotel room we decided that the stars had aligned for our lunch to be some delicious and long-absent macaroni. However, as we pulled into the parking lot I spotted a sign that read “Sentinel Peak“. Out loud I thought “that sounds like a brewery” and “I bet they have good nachos”. I was miraculously correct on both counts and we were eating those awesome nachos and drinking their unfiltered IPA a few minutes later. We did still make the stop at TJ’s and mac & cheese is on the dinner menu tonight!
Right now we’re enjoying yet another 2.5 hour Embassy Suites Cocktail Hour, the girls are swimming, and I’ve been able to write and catch up with photos and GPS tracks from the trip. We’re heading to bed early tonight so we can get a good night’s sleep before the early hike tomorrow!