In Tucson: Hiking in Saguaro National Park, West - Looking Back With 2020 Vision, Part I - CycleBlaze

February 5, 2020

In Tucson: Hiking in Saguaro National Park, West

Big news

So I said we’d only post if there was something newsworthy to report.  Here’s some news:

A wedding invitation from our friends Jack and Maria. We are so, so sad to have to send our regrets!
Heart 1 Comment 1 Link
Jen RahnJack and Maria - in case you're looking at comments, congratulations!

Scott - I loved your stories about the time you and Rachael spent with Maria and Jack. Such interesting, energetic, talented, and kind people!!
Reply to this comment
4 years ago

Those of you who have been following us awhile may remember this beautiful couple that we crossed paths with a few times in Southern Italy last spring, and then later stayed at their home in Castellabate on our way south back to Sicily.  It’s one of our fondest memories from that tour.

They’re getting married!  The ceremony will be on the beach at the same spot where we picnicked together during our too-brief visit.  And we are so sad that we can’t be there to help them celebrate,  but it just isn’t in the cards for this year.  It’s great hearing from them though, and knowing they’re still there waiting for us to drop by again.  Maybe next year?

Saguaro National Park, West

As long as I’m posting anyway, we might as well toss in a few photos of the day’s hike.  It’s still too cold to feel like hopping on the bikes today, so we decided to check out the other half of Saguaro National Park.  It’s about fifteen miles west of town, in the middle of the Tucson Range.  

We enjoyed a really beautiful out and back hike on the Hugh Norris Trail.  It’s surprisingly different than the east unit -at least the part we hiked in then - more rugged terrain, and surprisingly different vegetation.  More ocotillo, less palo verde; and many more quite small saguaro cacti, some that look like they must be only a year or two old.  I think we probably enjoyed this hike even more than yesterday’s.

That’s it for hiking for the tour though, we think.  Warm weather is due to return tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll be back on the bikes for the few days remaining before we fly home.  This weekend, conditions look perfect for a ride up Mount Lemmon.

In Saguaro National Park, West. Quite different here, with most of the saguaros smaller and younger than in the eastern unit. Presumably this is because this half of the park is much newer, reclaiming land formerly used for ranching and mining.
Heart 5 Comment 0 Link
Many of the saguaros in this unit are quite small, with some barely a foot tall.
Heart 3 Comment 0 Link
Ocotillo is more widespread here, and seems to act as a nurse tree in the way that palo verde does.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Saguaro face-off. A dual with rapiers at close quarters, or cactus erotic art?
Heart 4 Comment 0 Link
A sprawling plant, close to the ground. Some sort of acacia?
Heart 3 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltFairy duster.
https://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/299/calliandra-eriophylla-fairyduster/
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Slug cactus.
Heart 2 Comment 3 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltFish hook cactus. Either common, or Graham's. Not something I can distinguish. I always enjoy finding them. Notice the ripe fruits.

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3387

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3397
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Bruce LellmanScott,
You should have picked the fruit.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bruce LellmanForgot the tweezers. I’m thinking of having the GBO surgically enhanced to add some for situations like this.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Tailings from the long disused Gould copper mine.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Ruins of a stone cabin, a relic of Gould Mine.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
Colorful rocks around the Gould Mine.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
Saguaro and ocotillo.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
Some sort of hedgehog cactus. We saw many of these here, of what look to be different varieties.
Heart 1 Comment 2 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltYup! Lots of them around here, and I don't know how to tell them apart.

https://wildflowersearch.org/search?oldstate=gmc%3A32.296%2C-111.120%3Bcat%3AX%3Bcolor%3Aignore%3Blocation%3ATucson%2C+AZ+85745%2C+USA%3Belev%3A2676%3Bgms%3A11%3Bsize%3Aignore%3B&buttonName=none&hab=&Elev=&Submit=Submit+Values&PlantName=echinocereus

Also notice the bumpy little dried up moss. It would green up nicely in wet weather. Not going to narrow down the ID any closer than moss because not only are they hard to distinguish, but there are over 150 species in the area! Amazing biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert!
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltYes, I did notice the dried moss and almost included a photo of it specifically. Couldn’t figure out what it was though - it almost looks like something new just sprouting up.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
A fishhook cactus, per Bill. Compare to the previous photo, red the comments, and note the thorn pattern.
Heart 1 Comment 2 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltFish hook cacti (aka pincushion and a few other common names) are slightly different in that their spines arise from little humps, while hedgehogs have spines arising from ridges, kind of like Saguaros do.

http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_mammillaria.php
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltOh, I get it. Very clear, comparing this one and the hedgehog above it.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Looking north from the Hugh Norris Trail to the northern end of the Tucson Mountains.
Heart 4 Comment 0 Link
On the Hugh Norris Trail.
Heart 1 Comment 0 Link
A teddy bear or jumping cholla; not sure how to distinguish them, but I’m keeping myself at a safe distance. I’ve been jumped before, and it’s no fun!
Heart 5 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltThey generally have very white outer links, while trunks have needles that have turned brown or blackish, and do not seem to deteriorate and fall off like most chollas. And, yeah... no fun, especially with all the barbs that make spines so hard to pull out. You should see them under a microscope!

Found a pretty good one:

http://blogs.goaj.org/gfraher/tag/teddy-bear-cactus/
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
On the Hugh Norris Trail. There’s a long stretch of stairs along the top of the ridge that make for an easy walk.
Heart 5 Comment 0 Link
Along the top of the ridge, Hugh Norris Trail.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
The view north from the Hugh Norris Trail. The odd peak surrounded by what looks like an atoll is the remaining peak of the cement and limestone Twin Peaks Quarry. The second of the two original peaks has been excavated out of existence.
Heart 1 Comment 2 Link
Bruce LellmanWhat a great landscape! Too bad about the removal of a peak. I thought they only did that in places that didn't respect the environment. I suppose it started a very long time ago though.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bruce LellmanStarted long ago, but still active. Just a matter of time until it’s a zero peak quarry, I imagine.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Along the Hugh Norris Trail. Note that it’s the warmest part of the day, but we’re still well-layered.
Heart 3 Comment 0 Link
On the Hugh Norris Trail.
Heart 2 Comment 0 Link
Little guys, might as well share the space.
Heart 3 Comment 1 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltWhite one might be a desert zinnia.

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1960

Orange one is a globe-mallow, possibly Coulter's.

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3803

Blue one might be a Phacelia.

https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_phta.pdf
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
So what is this anyway? Looks like a variety of fern.
Heart 1 Comment 5 Link
Bill ShaneyfeltYes, definitely a fern. I think it looks like Cochise Scaly Cloak Fern.

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=2022
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltThis another new discovery for me. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, I’ve always associated ferns with wet, dripping forests. I had no idea ferns grew in the desert.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Bill ShaneyfeltTo Scott AndersonYeah, quite interesting to me when I first saw ferns and moss in the desert. Turns out there are also mushrooms. The Sonoran Desert, with its combination of winter soaking rains (occasionally, anyway) and its summer monsoon downpours that sometimes actually produce nice green streaks of vegetation along their paths not long after they pass, can support an amazing variety of plant and animal species.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Jen RahnThis is fascinating .. ferns and fungi in the desert!

I love imagining how much fun you're having with this journal, seeing so many familiar plant faces.

Thanks for all of the great information and knowledge you add to so many cycle touring journals!
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonIt has been a lot of fun, and Bill Shaneyfelt has been an invaluable resource. It’s been great having him along for the ride.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Take a bow, Mr. Saguaro. Well done!
Heart 3 Comment 0 Link
Rate this entry's writing Heart 7
Comment on this entry Comment 2
Steve Miller/GrampiesThis page has been a really nice photographic essay overall! And Mount Lemmon? It's lower slopes are wall to wall (should I say it?) cactus! We went up by car, and were wowed by the cyclists careening down.

By the way, sitting here at home in comfort with all the time in the world I have the gall to remind you that the promised walked tour of Bisbee is still outstanding!
Reply to this comment
4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, I think we can expect to see a few saguaros on this climb, until we’ve climbed out of the zone. It looks like Saturday will be a great day for it.

And thanks for the prompt about Bisbee, whip! I needed that.
Reply to this comment
4 years ago