We went to Goodyear to visit some friends on Sunday. It takes approx. one and a half hours to get there and it's nearly all interstate traffic. Pictures were taken through windows of truck traveling at speeds 65 to 75 mph. Heading down hill Black Canyon City where we used to live The old dog track where they raced greyhounds. It's unused since the early 70's. This is Rock Springs. It was an old stagestop between Prescott and Phoenix.. Now it houses a restaurant, bar, etc. It is a favorite stop for motorcycle riders. Has good food and great pie. An assortment of cactus. The giant saguaro grows only in the Sonoran Desert. They are huge and weigh hundreds of pounds. They expand when it's wet and shrink when it's dry. It takes more than 20 to 30 years to grow the first arm. It has white flowers with and orange center in spring. It has red fruit with lots of tiny black seeds. Indians use the fruit as a source of fruit. It is protected and you need a permit to move one even on your own property. Lots of people get a thrill out of trying to destroy them by shooting at them or running them down with vehicles. They are home to the cactus wren, a small owl and other assorted things. Don't ever back into one. The spines are very sharp and it hurts for days. I know. Some neat looking cloud pictures Back up the hill toward home This is just before the top and a very steep grade. Here is where big trucks have to gear down and some cars, too. Usually a big truck tries to pass even though they are supposed to stay in the right lane. Traffic backs up here. and finally back on top. Here we are about 20 miles from home. This is Perry Mesa. It's a national monument now thanks to Bill Clinton. It protects Indian ruins, artifacts and pictoglyphs. Lots of people still try to locate unprotected ruins and take things away. Just a "little piece." It is illegal to take anything, even rocks from Perry Mesa. It is a no vehicle area, even the atv's. Hope you enjoyed the trip. dooley
Dooley thanks for inviting us along on your trip. I loved those cacti and the cloud formations are fantastic. I love looking at clouds and seeing what I can spot in them. Last night I saw a herd grey and white of horses running along a beach - well at least that's what it looked like to my eyes and rather fertile imagination.
Hope you and DR had a wonderful trip, :-D I certainly enjoyed it! Those Saguaros are so majestic . . . and ill tempered. I'll bet your "sitter" was sore for a while after your encounter.
saguaros I love saguaro cacti - used to see them for sale in El Paso, where I grew up, but we never bought one - we knew they wouldn't survive in that part of the desert. I love Arizona too, simply because I love the desert. I think it's beautiful!
