April 10 & April 11: Saguaro Cactus, Repairs and More in Tucson

Sunday, April 10th - Saguaro National Park & The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

Don writes:  The Saguaro cactus has always fascinated me.  The ones with "arms" resemble large green men frozen in outlandish poses.  Sometimes, they have too many arms, so they just look strange.  Then there are the ones that stand straight up with no arms looking like an exclamation point looking for an exclamation.  I guess my favorites are the saguaros with arms that grow next to each other and appear to be locked in a prickly embrace.  It's fun imagining what the different shapes might be.  Wonder what kind of person comes back as a saguaro?

Hugging each other?

Don hugging carefully.

Saguaros always seemed a prominent part of the old westerns and many Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons.  You would notice them occasionally poking up out of the desert adding interest to whatever was going on.  In the Saguaro National Park, they don't just poke up occasionally, they're all over the place!  We couldn't believe how many saguaros filled the desert in the park.  It was like an army of saguaros had taken over the landscape filling the view from horizon to horizon.  They even grew up the steep slopes of the mountains in the park and marched along each crest.  If this were anywhere but the Saguaro National Park, the saguaros might be considered an invasive plant.

And they are majestic!  The smaller ones about 6 feet tall may be 50 or 60 years old.  The 30 to 40 foot tall giants may be 200 years old.  Imagine!  Some of the cacti we saw were around when the Indians were the princes of the west in the early 1800s.  They might have seen Wyatt Earp, Johnny Ringo, Billy the Kid, or Doc Holliday riding into Tucson back in the 1880s. 

We visited the Saguaro National Park (West).  It's more representative of the Sonoran Desert environment than the eastern part of the park.  We stopped at the Red Hills Visitor Center to find out where the rangers might recommend that we visit.  They directed us to the Bajada Loop Drive to give us a real feel for the desert as well as a view of some old Indian petroglyphs.

The Bajada Loop is a dirt road that takes visitors into the desert.  You are constantly surrounded by saguaros, prickly pear, yuccas, chollas and mesquite.  We didn't quite hit the best time for seeing the desert bloom, but we got a taste of what it could be like since some of the plants had blossoms.  Our first stop was to eat our lunch in a picnic area in the desert.  The P&J sandwiches tasted mighty fine as we watched the landscape around us.  Having built up our strength, we continued our drive to the Valley View Trail that leads to an impressive view of the Avra Valley to the west of Tucson and of the Tucson Mountains just east of the park.  The saguaros were everywhere.  As we were standing at the top of the hill, we heard a pack of coyotes off in the distance getting very excited about something.  Lots of yips and barks. It set off another pack behind us.  They all settled down shortly probably after agreeing to see if they could sneak up on some hikers and grab a midday snack.  Thankfully, it wasn't us.

We continued on along the Loop to the Signal Hill Trail that leads through the saguaro forest up a hill to a jumble of rocks with old Indian petroglyphs prominently featured.  Evidently, Indian hunting parties would leave their artwork on the rocks as they came through.  No one has yet figured out what the symbols mean though the simple depictions of men and animals would seem to indicate some kind of hunting stories.  "Got two deer here with hunting party of 5 men."  "Got three bigger deer here with just 2 of us."  Who knows, this might have been the Indian equivalent of the corner bar with cactus wine and pickled javelina feet.

On the way back to the truck, a couple of men pointed out a herd of mule deer munching on cactus blossoms.  Linda and I watched for at least 15 minutes as the deer would stand on their hind legs to reach the taller blossoms.  What a great show!  They knew we were there, but it didn't bother them much.

As we left the Saguaro National Park, we decided to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum that had been recommended to us by one of the park rangers.  It was on the way back to Tucson, so we pulled in and started walking around.  This is a beautifully set up park/zoo with great exhibits, habitats, and displays of desert plants and animals.  Cacti, century plants, mesquite, bobcats, snakes, foxes, wolves, birds, tarantulas and scorpions are all featured in the museum.  We had a great time and only had one complaint - the ice cream stand wasn't open.

Sad to think this 60 - 80 year old cactus puts out its only bloom and then dies.

Chainfruit Cholla

Teddy Bear Cholla - I think the plant is showing signs of stress due to the severe drought.

 Monday, April 11th - Clean-up and Repairs

Linda writes:  This is not an exciting day, but it is time to hit the dreaded chores list. We started the day by doing our laundry, which has probably become our least favorite task while on the road. The nice, clean, affordable laundromat on base certainly makes it a lot more pleasant.

Don took his truck into the Toyota Service Center for its first oil change. While there he picked up a Tundra sunscreen for the truck. We don't use these much in Maine, but what a difference it has made here in the blazing western sun.

When Don returned, he took me to get an updated military ID. Coming through the base gates, a sharp security guy picked up that my ID had expired. This was a surprise. I had seven days to remedy this, which we did pronto.

From here we went to a barbershop at the Officers' Club. We were both shaggy and need some sprucing up. Women will get this --- It is not easy to be on the road and need a haircut, especially getting it done by an unknown hairdresser. You take a deep breath and hope for the best. I had Don go first. Also since it has been SO HOT, I got a really short haircut. I survived and it turned out kind of cute and much easier to manage.

Next on the list was the bloomin' tire on the camper that keeps losing air. Don has done everything except get a new valve stem. Off to the auto repair for a tire dunk in the tank (no apparent leak) and then the tire got its new valve stem. [This is not the end of the problem. More about that in a later post.]

Last on the list was getting the tire on my bike repaired. The rear tire went flat. I went online and found a bike shop that had really good reviews and that wasn't too far from base. The folks were great and $10 later my bike is back in business.

List done and we're worn out. We hauled out our red chairs, made a drink and called for pizza delivery. This is camping at its best!

April 8 & April 9: Tucson, Arizona - Part 1

Friday, April 8th: Agave Gulch FamCamp, Tucson

Today was an easy travel day, except for the winds again. We only went 233 miles to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on the southwest side of Tucson. We broke camp in Deming, NM, at 9 AM and arrived at the campground around 1:00. So glad to get off the road and out of the headwinds. Fuel mileage dropped to 8 or 9 miles per gallon from a towing norm of 11 to 12.

This was our first stop this trip at a military campground. Our last military campgroung was at a Navy Base in Memphis. Agave Gulch Campground (FamCamp in Air Force lingo) is rated #1 in the west by the US Military Campgrounds Association. It is a really beautiful, well maintained campground with a friendly staff. Our campsite was $17 per night, a good deal.

After setting up camp, we headed over to the Commissary and PX to restock the camper. This Commissary is probably the biggest and nicest I've ever seen. They had practically everything and more.

By the time we put everything away (this is always a challenge in a small space and with a 2/3rd size refrig), we were done for the day. We headed off to El Sur restaurant for a little Mexican fare and $2.00 margaritas.

Saturday, April 9th : Biosphere 2 (Biosphere #1 is Earth)

At the campground office they offered a tour book for $15 with discounts on many of the local attractions. We've gotten really good at looking for deals and researching what the visiting town has to offer in terms of "must sees." Today's weather was cold and rainy, really our first bad day since we've been on the road. It was rather nice to see the rain in this dry, dry, dry part of the country.

As I read the travel pamphlets, I kept returning to the info about Biosphere 2 [B2]. If you recall, about twenty years ago 8 hippies (sometimes referred to as "scientists," but they weren't) locked themselves away for two years in a three acre greenhouse with the goal of surviving in a totally encapsulated environment. By the end of the 2 years and twenty minutes, they came out totally disliking each other, dropping 20% of their body weight (couldn't produce enough food) and the experiment was declared a failure. I was intrigued and Don agreed it could be a good place to visit on a miserable day.
 
We drove about an hour north and arrived in a snowstorm. It was 34 degrees! Later I said I could have stayed in Maine if I wanted snow, except Shana confirmed that it was 70 in Maine on this Saturday! No snow in Maine, but snowing outside of Tucson.

Notice the snow on the yucca!

Using a 2 for 1 coupon from our tour book, we only paid $20 to get in vs $40. You had to be part of a tour group to see B2 and our guide was fun and informative.

B2 was the brainchild of a Texas Billionaire, Ed Bass. The experiment was to try to create a self-sustaining space-like colony here on earth. B2's greenhouse building is composed of five arched segments or eco-systems: an ocean with a coral reef, Mangrove wetlands, a rain-forest, Savannah grasslands, and a fog desert. There are three towers which house the energy systems, eating and sleeping quarters, and offices for scientific research. In the basement of B2 there were 26 airhandlers, with 14 of the bigger units attending to heat, cooling, humidity levels and condensing water to produce rain and fog. We were impressed by the massive rubber bladder deep below which managed the air pressure in B2 by expanding or contracting on hot/cold days.

Don descending tunnel to bladder area below basement.

Rain-forest

Desert

Ocean

 Operating power costs, fuel and electric, were huge for B2. Water systems became polluted with too many nutrients. After 18 months, oxygen levels fell to a dangerous point for human existence, as carbon dioxide levels rose, and oxygen from the outside needed to be added. Many of the 26 animals/life forms inside died out, while others thrived and took over, especially the ants. The bees died and plant pollination ceased. Biospherians worked incredibly hard and used a lot of energy to take care of their environment and produce enough food for themselves. The lack of fat in their diets was a concern and added to their dramatic weight loss. With 66-hour work weeks, which included a lot of physical labor and being hungry, led to  a high-stress environment, constant tension and bickering among the eight confinees. The experiment was again replicated in 1994, but the results were not noteworthy.

Common eating area, where the B2'ers ate breakfast and lunch.

Food prep area - Each of the eight took turns cooking.

This 200 million dollar, earth-in-a-bottle experiment was reported in the news to be a failure, but a lot of really good scientific data came out of this failure. We've come a long way since 1991 - solar panels, wind turbines, computer and scientific advancements, etc. I could picture B3 built with today's standards and achieving more success with easier modes for self-subsistence. U of Arizona now has the contract for B2 (Columbia U had it for a number of years) and is trying to refurbish the facility and use it for scientific forums and conferences. There is a book, The Human Experiment, by Jane Poynter, which I hope to read when we get home. From the social standpoint, I am interested enough to want to know more - how these people selected from a commune came together, why would you want to do this, the individual challenges of being confined, and who was the driving force behind the project? Yes, this was a good tourist choice for a snowy/rainy day - a unique place, filled with brain-power and the human drive to realize a dream.

Area under reconstruction for soil/plant absorption experiments.

April 5 - 7: Carlsbad Caverns & Deming, New Mexico

 
Tuesday, April 5th - Down into the Cave

Such an exciting day as we drove about an hour to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It was a hot day here in Carlsbad, but from our experience last year in Mammoth Cave, KY, we knew it would be much cooler down in the caverns - average temp around 56 degrees. We remembered to bring our lighted LL Bean hats, but mine must have been left on at some point and the batteries were dead. Don gave me his hat, I think just to boost my confidence.

My confidence did need boosting, as at the Visitor Center the Ranger on duty spooked me. I inquired about the self-guided tours, especially about descending down into the bowels of the cave via The Natural Entrance. The Ranger was firm when he cautioned about the ruggedness of this hike ---- "If you have bad knees, hips, feet, are old, gray haired, feeble, forgetful, drink Ensure, etc., DO NOT take this trail." Okay, I exaggerate a little in what he said, but warnings about them having to carry people out and people dying on the trail, did get my attention. Don, crestfallen, said, "Linda, it's up to you if you want to hike down or take the elevator." He was in a no-win situation. I took a few minutes to think about the Ranger's dire warnings. Having read that The Natural Entrance trail was the way to go and  realizing that I don't have bad knees or hips,  plus hating to miss a golden opportunity to experience the best, down we went ........

I'm so glad that I got my courage back, as hiking down the paved switchback trail through the huge mouth of the cave was such a wondrous experience. The Natural Entrance is known for 400,000  swooping and swirling free-tail bats pouring out of the mouth at sunset, but the bats had yet to return from wintering in Mexico. A few had returned, but there were no bats in sight. I think the hike down might have been more unnerving for Don, as he hates heights and we walked down a long, long way - descending about 850 feet. I think he did not look down. At Mammoth Cave we were only down about 350 feet and that was descending via long, narrow trails, where you didn't look down into a huge, gaping hole.

Carlsbad Caverns and Mammoth Cave vary in that Carlsbad is a wet cave and Mammoth is a dry cave. Carlsbad has cave decorations - the stalactites and stalagmites, plus columns, draperies, soda straws, popcorn and helictites (?). Mammoth had a lot of cool history. Both caves are so very different, that it is hard to say which is better or which we liked more. Maybe our "oh" and "ah" factor was higher here in Carlsbad, as the decorations are colorful and simply breathtaking in their beauty.

Mites and Tites

It took us about an hour to get to the bottom, as we had audio tour wands that had us stopping at certain points along the trail. I love learning as much as I can about where we are, so the wands were perfect narrators for the story and geological formations of the Caverns. The clue to remembering the difference between stalactites and stalagmites is that the stalactites hang on TIGHT to the ceilings and the stalagmites MIGHT someday reach the ceiling. The hike down was somewhat strenuous on the knees and hips, so the Ranger was correct to warn folks with those conditions to take the elevator. For us, I'm so glad I made the right decision to go down the Natural Entrance Trail.

When we reached the bottom, there were more self-guided trails. There's also a lunch room and bathrooms. Amazing! We took the Big Room loop around the base of the cavern, another hour plus of hiking. The size of the Big Room is 8.2 acres, a little bigger than 6 football fields. They have named certain sections of the cave - the Bottomless Pit, Rock of Ages, Painted Grotto and Giant Dome. Actually, you "stroll" along this loop, as the attraction factor of the decorations is so "wow" that you don't want to miss a thing.

See the two lions' tails?

We left the cave via the elevator, as they no longer allow you to hike out due to the crowds of people touring the cavern. I think they don't want to haul more of us old-timers up and out. It would be challenging to climb back up that 850 foot drop. Touring here in early April, the crowd factor was a moot point. We had that up close and personal feeling hiking down and wandering around, as there were few folks in the cave with us on this day. Really, really nice time of year to be here.

A couple last comments, as we find ourselves so thrilled with nature's natural wonders here in the US. Man makes many impressive things, but there is no way Disney could have made Carlsbad Caverns on this scale and with the millions/billions of years it took to create such phenomenal beauty. To stand back and absorb what you are seeing fills one with a sense of wonder and religious awe. How did God create so many varied and perfect places here in our United States of America? The climate, animals, flowers, trees, bushes, mountains, rivers, tumbleweeds, cactus, roadrunners, elk, etc., all fit and match the area we are in so perfectly. How, how, how did He do this? Mindbogglingly.


Wednesday, April 6th - Living Desert State Park Zoo

 We tried hard to get out early this morning, as we were told by locals that we must go to the Living Desert State Park Zoo, about 15 minutes down the road from our campground. To see the animals in action, the cooler part of the morning is the time to be there. Arriving around 11:00 did not quite meet the goal. We had a fun walk around this cute desert zoo, but as the day went on, it got hotter and hotter. We dragged our way through the botanical cactus gardens and watched the animals snoozing in the shade. The prairie dogs were my favorites, as they were frolicking about teasing each other, digging in their holes and just having a happy, good time. Javelinas were new to me and a zoo caretaker was kind enough to call one out, Lina, from her hole to show off for us.

Lina is cute behind a fence, but hate to run into her in the wild.  They have mean looking sharp tusks.

After the zoo, we headed into Carlsbad for a great Mexican lunch at Mi Casitas. As we left our waitress handed us a piece of banana cake wrapped up for later, as she knew we had been drooling over the thought of dessert, but were too full to partake. How nice.

Returning to the campground, we did our laundry and then headed to the pool. The wind was wild and the pool a tad chilly (Don didn't go in).  Jumping in the hot tub in 90 degree weather after being chilled in the pool, with the wind keeping me comfy, I was in heaven. Bunnies were running everywhere and Don was fully entertained.

Thursday, April 7th - White Sands National Monument & Rock Hound State Park, Deming, New Mexico

We left Carlsbad at 9:15 and traveled 294 miles today. This was a shorter day, but a stop at White Sands National Monument delayed our arrival at our overnight campground destination.

This is the thing and most seasoned travelers probably already know this - If something is declared a "National Monument," that is because there is really something SPECTACULAR there. That said, we have now learned to STOP if we are near a National Monument, as there is real surprise waiting for us.

White Sands National Monument is 275 square miles of gypsum dune fields. You are driving along and the white mountains of sand just pop up out of nowhere. The wind was still wild, so I was a little concerned that we would be stung by the sand if we got out of the car. The sand is almost like talcum powder, so this was not a problem. We walked out on this short boardwalk in the dunes and found ourselves captivated by the scenery of all this diamond shimmering sand. The dunes move constantly and the park roads are plowed to keep them cleared. I really wanted a small bag full of sand (some of you know how I LOVE sand), but it is illegal to take any and I behaved.

The grumpies were setting in as we finally found our way to Rock Hound State Park in Deming, NM, after the GPS took us an hour out of our way. We're driving and driving over flatland heading toward a huge mountain, with signs on the open range advising us to be alert to cattle crossing the road. The campground was at the base of this colorful mountain and the setting was beyond perfect. Our site had a sunset view, which we took full advantage of after setting up camp and taking a short mountain hike. Coyote scat was everywhere on the mountain trail and we hoped to later hear them singing. Everything was so beautiful that I begged Don to let us stay one more day at this enchanting campground, but his hard heart said Tucson was calling him on.

Front row seating for watching the sunset.