{"id":6285,"date":"2016-03-26T23:15:23","date_gmt":"2016-03-26T23:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blogblog\/?p=6285"},"modified":"2016-04-16T15:34:07","modified_gmt":"2016-04-16T15:34:07","slug":"skirting-the-saguaros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/skirting-the-saguaros\/","title":{"rendered":"Skirting the Saguaros"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Red Ocotillo blossoms amongst Saguaros — all photos by Rene Sioui LaBelle and Clarissa Rizal– copyright 2016 — (photograph hint:: \u00a0all photos with depth of field are Rene’s)<\/p><\/div>\n

Even two days\u00a0ago I did not know I would be amongst these amazing “people”…the Saguaros of Southern Arizona. \u00a0I was planning on taking my friend, Rene to the Sonoran desert so he can take photos of the flowering desert, alas, but once we arrived here\u00a0we found out from the Visitor’s Center that the cactus flowers did not bloom as profusely this mid-March\u00a0because the area had a warm spell back in February. \u00a0So instead, since we were in the area, we visited the Saguaro National Park. \u00a0Being amongst these “people” was a happy experience. \u00a0It’s only obvious these “people” welcome us with open (upward swing) arms! \u00a0Like what does that say to us: \u00a0“Welcome to our land…!”<\/p>\n

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“Welcome to our country! \u00a0Let us direct you this way…!”<\/p><\/div>\n

The saguaro has been called monarch of the Sonoran Desert, supreme symbol of the American Southwest, and a plant with personality. \u00a0It is renowned for the variety of odd, all-too-human shapes it assumes—shapes that inspire wild and fanciful imaginings. \u00a0Since 1933 this extraordinary giant cactus has been protected within Saguaro National Park. \u00a0Preserved within it are other members of the Sonoran Desert community: \u00a0other cacti, desert trees and shrubs, and animals. \u00a0In lushness and variety of life, the Sonoran Desert far surpasses all other North American deserts. \u00a0And yet it is one of the hottest and driest regions on the continent.<\/p>\n

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Rene takes a moment to pose for the sunset<\/p><\/div>\n

Summer midday temperatures commonly climb above 100 degrees, although our visit was a mild 75 degrees in late March. \u00a0Less than 12 inches of rain falls in a typical year. \u00a0Between the summer and wintery seasons it’s not unusual for months to pass without a drop of rain. \u00a0Plants and animals able to survive in this environment, with adaptations specially designed for desert survival, make up one of the most interesting and unusual ecosystems in the United States.<\/p>\n

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Smokey Blue Tucson Mountains<\/p><\/div>\n

This world awaits you in the desert plains, mountains and foothills of Saguaro National Park. \u00a0So what are you waiting for!?!?! \u00a0After 24 years of living in the Four Corners area of the U.S., how come it has taken me that long\u00a0to finally visit these people and their land!? \u00a0Readers, if you are in the Phoenix\/Tuscon area, please take a day and get your boost of happiness and peace! \u00a0Forget paying a shrink for your emotional problems; just get out on the land and run, sit, relax, have a picnic, play music, take photos and hymn\u00a0with the silence. \u00a0It is here you can bury any sorrows or unpleasant memories. \u00a0The Saguaro are a happy and people; allow them to be your compassionate hosts!<\/p>\n

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First real outing with the CX-90 Volvo<\/p><\/div>\n

There are two parts to the Saguaro National Park: \u00a0Saguaro East–Rincon Mountain District and Saguaro West–Tucson Mountain District. \u00a0We visited the latter with the background of the Tucson Mountains. \u00a0The park is open daily except Christmas Day. \u00a0It’s a normal park with its Visitor Center, self-guiding trails, picnic tables, pit toilets, campground and even back-country campsites (only in the East Rincon District). \u00a0If you are a star gazer such as I, hanging out here during the full moon would be exquisite, however, the park closes their gates directly after sunset (no matter what time of year). \u00a0Other than your camera(s), make sure you bring plenty of water (for you, your pet, your vehicle, etc.), first aid kit, food, flashlight and a blanket (just in case you break park rules and spend the night under the stars!).<\/p>\n

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Rene scopes<\/p><\/div>\n

Rene and I spent the day here. \u00a0 I took a few photos upon arrival, but I was compelled to play my flute, sing chants and then run amongst the rock, variety of cactus and the sun to my west, leaving Rene to several hours to himself and his camera. \u00a0All photos posted\u00a0are by Rene Sioui LaBelle and myself. \u00a0\u00a0Let these images inspire you to visit the famous Saguaro soon; they live no where else on this planet!<\/p>\n

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Families catch the last rays of the day<\/p><\/div>\n

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Cholla cactus blossoms<\/p><\/div>\n

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Clarissa runs<\/p><\/div>\n

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More Cholla cactus blossoms<\/p><\/div>\n

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Golden land<\/p><\/div>\n

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sunset<\/p><\/div>\n

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sillouettes<\/p><\/div>\n

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Good night! \u00a0Buenas Noches! \u00a0Bon Soir!<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even two days\u00a0ago I did not know I would be amongst these amazing “people”…the Saguaros of Southern Arizona. \u00a0I was planning on taking my friend, Rene to the Sonoran desert so he can take photos of the flowering desert, alas, but once we arrived here\u00a0we found out from the Visitor’s Center that the cactus flowers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,29,55],"tags":[420,419],"class_list":["post-6285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travels-adventures","category-latest-art-projects","category-family-friends-relatives","tag-rene-sioui-labelle","tag-saguaro-national-park"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6285"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6311,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6285\/revisions\/6311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}