Views from Kitt Peak Road

View from Kitt Peak

View from Kitt Peak © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak rises 6,875 feet above the Sonoran Desert floor.

As the road snakes up the side of the mountain, the views dramatically change from unending desert to juniper-pinion scrub to snow covered mountain peaks.

Tohono O'odham Land

Tohono O’odham Land © 2011 Bo Mackison

Kitt Peak which includes Kitt Peak National Observatory is surrounded by the Tohono O’odham Nation which covers nearly 4,000 square miles of land in several Arizona counties. The land for the observatories is leased from the Tohono O’odham.

Dusting of Snow at 8,000 Feet
Dusting of Snow © 2011 Bo Mackison

The Quinlan and Baboquivari Mountains are part of the Kitt Peak range.

When we visited in early April, there had been several days of cloudy weather and intermittent snow showers. Here the peaks still have a dusting of snow, even though the temperatures on the desert floor were in the mid 80s.

Last Reminder: I am having a drawing for one of my Arizona or Botanical photographs (11″ x 14″) or a set of photo art note cards in appreciation of the support my blog readers offered while I was “Solo in Tucson”.  To enter the drawing, here is the information about the contest and directions on how to enter. (Last day to enter is Sunday, April 17. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 18.)

A Riot of Prickly Pear Blossoms

Cactus Blossom Bouquet

Cactus Blossom Bouquet © 2011 Bo Mackison

I visited the cactus garden in the Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson Arizona this morning and was quite thrilled to find many cacti in bloom after yesterday;s much needed all day rain. The colors are so bright, all shades of pinks and yellows, that it seems a fitting post for the end of a weekend.

So, first a crowd of blossoms along the top of a Prickly Pear pad.

Riot of Cactus Color

Riot of Cactus Color © 2011 Bo Mackison

And then a riot of color, all the flowers crowded together to make a natural bouquet on this Prickly Pear plant.

Two Blossoms on the Prickly Pear

Two Blossoms on the Prickly Pear © 2011 Bo Mackison

And then two blossoms in full bloom, surrounded by the long stickers of this Prickly Pear.

What a joy it is to see the desert turn green and the flowers begin to bloom after a desert rain. It doesn’t take much rain either –  just slightly more than a quarter of an inch – but the desert knows how to utilize every drop to its advantage. Yesterday’s rain was the first significant rainfall I’ve experienced in Arizona since I arrived in early February.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She will be returning to Wisconsin in a few days after living in Tucson for the last two months. She’s been exploring Arizona, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art, and living life “solo.”

Layers of Habitats

Galiuro Sky Islands

Galiuro Sky Islands © 2011 Bo Mackison

Desert on the earth’s floor, mountains above, bright blue skies. Arizona.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She will soon be returning to Wisconsin after living in Tucson for two months. She’s been taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art, and living life “solo.” And falling in love with southern Arizona.

Cactus Blossoms, Cactus Blossoms

Orange Cactus Blooms

Orange Cactus Blooms © 2011 Bo Mackison

A variety of cactus were in bloom at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior Arizona.

Orange flowers.

Cactus Bouquet

Cactus Bouquet © 2011 Bo Mackison

Red flowers.

Magenta Cactus Bloom

Magenta Cactus Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

Pink flowers.

Yellow Hedgehog Bloom

Yellow Hedgehog Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

Yellow flowers.

Such lovely flowers on the cactus plants. I’m so glad I had the chance to see the different cacti in bloom before I hit the road for Wisconsin.

 

A Plant of Many Colors

Aloe in Bloom

Aloe in Bloom © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’m down to my last week in Arizona.

And, not that I’ve been procrastinating or anything like that, but I finally accomplished the second to the last goal on my list — a trip to an Arizona attraction that required an overnight stay.

Yesterday I headed to Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. The arboretum is almost 3 hours north of where I am staying, and if I had wanted to push, I could have driven there and back in one day. But part of any trip’s appeal is being able to stop along the side of the road for that photograph…and that one…and that one. I know from experience that a three hour drive can easily turn into four or more hours, and I didn’t want to be driving unfamiliar roads through a dark desert on my way home. So I booked a motel room nearby.

I found the overnight a bit more stressful than I expected–probably because it is something I have only done once or twice in my life. I tried to figure out ways to make it easier–checking in while it was still daylight and bringing my things in from the car before I went off to explore the area. Those helped. Even so, I didn’t see everything I had on my list because I wanted to get back to the motel to “feel safer”.  I need more practice with this kind of traveling. I’ll have to return to Globe/Superior and finish the tour next time I’m in the area.

I spent several hours at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

I’ve been to here before and have always enjoyed the many areas to explore, but on this visit I concentrated mostly on the blooming perennials and a few blooming cactus. The central region of Arizona is much greener than Tucson and the areas south of Tucson, so it was a chance for me to see a bit of Arizona in bloom.

The aloes were a big surprise to me. I’ve don’t recall seeing aloe in bloom, nor did I realize that aloe blooms could be so varied. Makes sense–just something I’d never experienced before. I love these multicolored buds of the aloe in the photo. It seems as if almost every color, in some shade, is represented.

Since today is a mostly cloudy day, I’ll be processing the other photos from Boyce Thompson and the rest of my trip this afternoon. Usually I need to wait to do my photo work in the evening because the studio is too bright and the window coverings are minimal. But today I am appreciating the cloud cover!