Last week was very pleasant weather-wise, probably our last cool spell for the summer, so we took a break from our usual neighborhood walks and did a loop hike to Dixie Mine in McDowell Mountain Park. We went out on a little-used social trail that I found out about on one of the Friday fitness hikes I joined over the winter. We tried it once before and got a bit lost, but this time around we stayed on the correct trail. Not a soul but us on the way to the mine.
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| Crested saguaro in the trail-head parking lot |
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| The crest doesn't look very healthy but it had numerous flowers |
Peak blooming season for saguaros is early May to early June. Saguaro flowers bloom typically at dusk and remain open till midmorning the next day, with each plant producing up to 100 flowers in a season.
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| Dixie Mine |
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| The blooming palo verde are lovely |
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| We thought we were seeing a big white flower about a third of the way down just below the saddle. |
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| Thanks to the zoom we discovered it was a broken cactus. |
Nice hike and saw about 5 people coming back on the main trail.
Here are a few photos from our walks around town.
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| Saguaro blooms are supposed to smell like ripe melons, but even though this one was close enough to smell, there were so many bees there was no way I was going to stick my nose anywhere near a flower. |
On Friday we decided to take a scenic drive just to get out of the apartment. We made a loop past Usery Mountain Park, up Bush Highway to Beeline Highway and back. The roads were full of cars and RVs heading out for their Memorial Day weekend bashes. We stopped at Saguaro Lake, which was teeming with people who were not social distancing.
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| I managed to get a shot that makes it look peaceful, but the parking lot and picnic areas were packed. |
Wish more people would take social distancing and mask wearing as seriously as this cactus!
Great pictures of an area we've yet to explore.
ReplyDeleteLike the Masked Cactus.
Be Safe and Enjoy the moderate weather.
It's about time.
We never thought this area would be one we would like being so close to Phoenix but Fountain Hills is its own little world.
DeleteHow cool to see flowers on a crest!
ReplyDeleteWhen the stay at home orders were in place we were seeing about 50 - 75% masks whenever we went shopping...now it seems closer to 30% masks in the grocery store or Home Depot. I have a feeling we'll have a spike soon...
I think you're right about a spike. Went to Trader Joe's yesterday and almost everyone was wearing a mask but it hasn't been that way in other stores, not that we are going in very often.
DeleteSome day I would like to see saguaros in bloom again...I wish they would bloom in March, tho.
ReplyDeleteAfraid you will have to suck it up and come visit when it's hot :-)
DeleteI've always wanted to see the saguaro in bloom...but we've never been in Arizona in the summer. So thanks for the beautiful photos. Stay well.
ReplyDeleteDon't recommend visiting here in the summer, but then you will be experiencing some warm temperatures in FL soon, too, along with that awful humidity!
DeleteBeautiful photos! Haven't seen the saguaro in bloom for a few years, so thank you for bringing those blooms to us! We haven't seen many masks -- more social distancing, though, which is nice -- on our spring travels. We've been in areas of very low infection, so people are feeling pretty insulated, I think. The newspaper editorials say they hope visitors to the state will abide by the 14-day quarantines and other precautions (we do). Stay safe and happy!
ReplyDeleteI love saguaros, with or without blooms, but the flowers do dress them up a bit!
DeleteIt would make us feel better if everyone wore a mask, but that isn't going to happen unless the virus goes crazy now that things are reopening.
Our Saguaro is pretty much done blooming, and I have never seen blooms on a Crested, that's a first. The ranks of those wearing masks is growing thinner all the time, although it depends where you are. We went to Trader Joe's this morning and everyone was masked. Fry's and Safeway, are in the 50 to 75% range respectively. Home Depot limiting entry, but masks are scarce. Lisa is right, we're headed for a spike....
ReplyDeleteSadly it sounds like we already are. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2020/05/26/arizona-yuma-spike-coronavirus-er-cases/5260570002/?fbclid=IwAR0Cf2dQEeGFCBLgCesui1IolGe0JLuHvvxkRp9aCv2VuzoesLircM_9Mng
DeleteWeren't the "cooler" days a nice relief. We were able to put in some miles on trails which was so nice. But like you said, it is probably our last for many several months. The saguaro are so pretty blooming. We are seeing the same thing with masks. Boy, we sure don't to go backwards.
ReplyDeleteHoping for some more of those cooler days! Love all the blooms. We got out late and most of the saguaros were already fading out. So sad that people haven't taken protections seriously. Arizona's numbers have risen drastically two weeks after the big weekend gatherings :-( Stay safe and keep sharing what you're up to!
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