Almost Done

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of activity around Benson since I last posted! No, I mean literally! The temps are on the rise, and the wind still blows from the south every afternoon, and we've found that site 250 at CTRV Resort is located in a vortex of some kind because every morning about "coffee on the patio" time, a dust devil comes through, blowing chairs and awnings into the next county. Our patio mat has been relocated several times, once with Sasha rolled up in it! She was not at all happy about that.

As with most of the rest of the world, we've been limiting contact with others this last month. We have been taking some evening walks that have resulted in some good pictures.

As time and ambition have allowed, we've taken a few day trips to visit some out of the way locations in southern Arizona. One such trip took us to Parker Lake, south of Sonoita and not too far from Patagonia. You know where that is....

The lake was small, but unexpected in the arid desert and the view along the road was interesting.

It's difficult to see, but this valley is a beehive of activity. There is a small river running through it with ranches and roads going everywhere, it seems. We stopped at this wide spot to take a picture and ended up having lunch and spending a bit of time. Sasha was much intrigued by the rustling in the bushes!

Back on Arizona Highway 82, we happened onto an unexpected point of interest:

Near the site of an 1858 ranch established by Johnny Ward, a set of stairs led to what appeared to be a hole in the mountain.

And indeed it was. Begun by the Telles family in 1941 based on a vow to God for the safety of their son in war. This has become a shrine to loved ones of all families. Not wanting to disturb the site, we only looked through the gate to see statues, pictures, and candles placed in honor of family members.

Another day trip took us to the western section of Saguaro National Park. A loop road took us through several "forests" of Saguaro Cactus.

Growing to over 40 feet tall, the Saguaro is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, Mexico, and southeastern California. The Saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona.

The cactus grows very slowly, requiring 10 years for it to reach an inch tall, but by 70 years old, a Saguaro can reach 6 and a half feet tall and will finally start to produce their first flowers. By 95, the cactus can reach a height of 16 feet and may start to produce its first arm. The oldest known Saguaro cactus was named "Old Granddaddy" and was about 300 years old when it started to die in the 1990's. It was over 40 feet tall and had 52 arms! Interestingly, the vertical pleats on the cactus allow it to expand during times of rain so as to store all available moisture.

Along the way through the park, we checked out other varieties of cactus that are either in bloom or thinking about blooming....

We've decided to hitch up our drawers and leave Arizona. Our home in California is calling to us, and having spent 3 months here, we have a terrible case of "hitch itch" and need to get moving. The worldwide pandemic has tossed everyones plans this year, and we're no exception. We have plans to swing through the western US during the summer, but will probably cancel a majority of that. So, like so many, we roll the dice and make the best of it.

Stay safe and be well, ya'll!