February 20, 2017 Organ Pipe, Arizona

Mid 60’s in the shade, over 70 in the sun, clear and no wind. We hiked 7 miles past the Red Tank Tinaja, around the Senita Loop and back to the car. The trail is on old road. The park area was crisscrossed with a tons dirt roads from the smugglers, most of the roads have been habitat restored. The ones left are trails. Only the border patrol can drive them now.

Unbelievable three days ago before the rainstorm we were here and there were no flowers. It rained over 3 inches last weekend. There are millions of little plants that were just waiting for the rain to get big and bloom. A root growing out of a rock, Mexican Poppy, this is a tunnel spiders nest covered with dew and the sun makes a rainbow of it. A shadow of me with my fanny pack on, my bum is not that big in real life.

This is one of the Red Tank Tinajas. They are areas that old water in the rocks, it was about a 10th this size three days ago. A cristate or mutation on an organ pipe cactus, fairy duster blossoms and a bird nest in a Palo Verde tree. The palo verde has green stems, it can photosynthesis without leaves when there is a drought.

A mile of the trail goes through the main drainage. It is still wet from the rains. Not something you see very often. The ocotillo blooms are bright red. The ocotillo plant is usually just a stick, it gets leaves just days after it rains so it can make as much energy as possible, then when it gets hot it drops it’s leaves to save water. We have here the whole tree, a bright blossom, a bud for the blossoms and the leaves. I don’t think I have seen them this big and green before.

It was hot enough John did not want the sun on his neck, so he wrapped his head in $50 and $100 dollar bills. This cactus branch on the ground had nothing but the spines left, and all still in place. The curly organ pipe arm was frost damaged and drooped,but did not die, the end started growing up again. This one is interesting with the new arm budding right in the curve, cholla flower buds.

John is waiting for me in the shade of two organ pipe cactuses. John the human cactus in the shadow of a huge saguaro.

The wind can blow the top of the saguaros. Usually they just break straight across and the top falls off, these two hung on and curved. The little one has some kind of damaga and is growing another bud on top. It looks like it is laughing. John walking by water from the storm.

Beautiful day in a beautiful place. This weird erosional feature looks like a space alien, desert greenery, fairy duster buds and an unknown bud.

Another ocotillo bloom. The red contrasted with the blue sky is lovely. A tiny strawberry pincushion cactus. They have red spines and pink blossoms and are only about 3 inches tall, a saguaro crowned with new buds and another damaged one.  There were no clouds at sunset, but the view to the north of our campsite was pretty.

We had dinner outside. I made meat ball calzones. We had fresh basil right from the plants as garnish.