Cactus, Cactus, Everywhere – Exporing Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Ajo Mountain Scenic Road

Ajo Mountain Scenic Road @ 2011 Bo Mackison

One of the best ways to explore a large portion of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is to do so on the loop road. Not usually my favorite way to see a national park, but in this case, it was certainly an efficient way to see various habitats of the park while taking advantage of the protection and speed of my car. Less wear and tear on my body, and I didn’t get lost once! Of course, it IS a loop…

The 21 mile Ajo Mountain Scenic Road winds from desert floor, ascends through the Ajo Mountain Range, and then returns to the desert floor. The beginning is partly paved, but once it reaches higher elevations and tight passes, the road becomes rocky and bumpy, a bit of an adventure ride. And I have to say, I have seen National Parks and Monuments in the 48 lower states, and I think this 20 mile length of road rivals almost any other road, National Park or not, for its breathtaking beauty. I think it must be in my top five favorites.

Organ Pipe and Palo Verde

Organ Pipe and Palo Verde © 2011 Bo Mackison

The organ pipe cactus is much like it s cousin, the saguaro. Both large cacti grow near a nurse tree, often a palo verde, as shown in this photograph. A bird, while sitting in a tree, makes a deposit under the tree which includes the seeds of cactus. The tree provides protection from the harsh sun, carnivores and water from the nurse tree as it indirectly waters the seedling cactus. If it isn’t eaten, frost-bitten, or scorched to death, it may make it. Cacti have the best chance of making it past the first few years of growth if the weather is milder and wetter than average.

These conditions happen only a few times in a century in the Arizona Uplands where Organ Pipe National Monument is located. That is why there are only a few sizes/ages of cactus in a any given area. The lucky cacti that make it to the height of three feet–40 years worth of growth–are quite resistant to weather extremes and animal damage, and have much lower mortality rates than the younger cacti.

Organ Pipe NM

“Good Housekeeping” Desert © 2011 Bo Mackison

This region of the Sonoran Desert seems much less cluttered than the desert I hiked in a few days ago, the western unit of Saguaro National Park. There everything was a jumble of clutter. Here, it looks like the maids have come through, preparing for an inspection from the “Good Housekeeping” desert spirit.

Organ Pipe Cactus

Organ Pipe Cactus © 2011 Bo Mackison

Organ pipes are easily distinguished from the saguaro, and the other large, but less common cactus, the senita. (No photos of the senita yet, but I’ll keep looking.) Organ pipes have arms that rise from ground level, their stems are often thinner, and they do not sprout projecting arms.

They are uncommon in the United States–found only in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the adjacent Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation located in south central Arizona. This is the most northern habitat for these plants. They are common in the Sonora, Mexico to the south. At that most southern part of the Sonoran desert, these cacti grow with such density, they appear as a sea of organ pipes. Now that is something I would love to see!

Southern Mountain Side--Cactus Habitat

Southern Mountain Side–Cactus Habitat © 2011 Bo Mackison

Organ pipes are usually found on south facing, rocky mountain sides. In Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the south exposures are one of the warmest micro-habitats in the United States. The cacti typically grow about 10 feet high, though occasionally they can be seen twice that height. Their flowers are white, and bloom at night from April through August. They open in the dark and close shortly after sunrise. That would be something to see, too.

In the photograph above, the organ pipes are joined by the fuzzy Teddy Bear Cholla, a few palo verde trees, and creosote bushes.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  She is finding the desert habitat more and more to her liking. She is also finding that a solitary life comes with unexpected gifts, too.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Squiggly Organ Pipe Cactus

Squiggly Organ Pipe Cactus © 2011 Bo Mackison

One of my goals during my time in Arizona was to take an all day trip to a place I’d never been, to a place that was at least 150 miles from home base in Tucson. I knew this would be a challenge when I added that goal to my list. At the time, I wasn’t fond of driving and I worried about getting lost.

In the three weeks I’ve been in Tucson, I’ve gotten much better at driving and I’ve been going to lots of new places. Today’s weather was perfect for a drive, so it seemed a good time to get on the road and visit a place I had on my list–Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona.

Considering I left before sunrise this morning and I returned home just as the sun was setting — well, my brain is too tired to say all the spectacular things I’ll want to say when I am more awake. So I’ll post just one photograph for now — I promise there will be many more. I loved this park.

Isn’t this Organ Pipe Cactus against that cloud-streaked Arizona sky a thing of beauty?

(Though I might call this particular specimen an Octopus Cactus! The ones I’ll post tomorrow are better examples of why they are called Organ Pipes, but this one has a lot of character!)

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  She spent the day driving and is going to bed early. More photographs from Organ Pipe NM tomorrow.

Hiking the Loma Verde Trail in Saguaro National Park

On Pink Hill Trail

On Pink Hill Trail © 2011 Bo Mackison

The day was a deep blue sky day in Tucson and I was primed for a desert hike. When I asked Mr. Friendly Park Ranger if he would recommend a hiking trail no longer than three miles, please, he smiled a convincing smile and replied, “Well, the best trail in the park is 3.6 miles long, only a half mile more. Wanna try that one?”

It didn’t seem that much longer, so I agreed. He pulled out a map with a few squiggly lines on it. “So,” he said, “if you take the Loma Verde trail head, follow Loma Verde, make a right at Squeeze Pen, a left at Pink Hill, follow the jog right on Loma Verde North and finally a left on Loma Verde South. You’ll be back at the trail head in two hours.”

Two hours? Knowing I had my camera along, I added another hour onto the estimated time. I could manage a three hour hike, out in the desert, by myself. Sure. Why not? It was 11 o’clock. I’d be back at the car by 2:00, 2:30 at the latest. No matter it was the warmest time of the day. The temperature wasn’t supposed to break 70˚ It was the perfect temperature for exploring the desert.

Tree of Thorns

Tree of Thorns © 2011 Bo Mackison

At the trail head, I emptied my camera backpack of all unessential equipment, then added two bottles of water and some trail bars. By the time I’d gathered my hat, hiking stick, and sun glasses, I was past eager, and ready to be on the trail. The sun was dodging in and out of cloud cover, and a mild breeze was blowing. Perfect hiking weather!

I had never hiked this part of Saguaro National Park, and so everything was new and exciting. There was plenty that needed photographing. There were thousands of saguaros begging to be photographed. And the mountains in the background. And the dancing clouds. Heck, I even took photos of the thorns and the bare branches. There is something about all of the elements of the desert that thrills me.

Cholla Forest

Cholla Forest © 2011 Bo Mackison

One of my favorite parts of the hike was when I entered this little cholla tree forest. Aren’t they cute? Well, they are cute–unless you get too close to one of them. If you brush against one, they “jump” on you. I carefully kept my distance.

Of course, I got lost. Several times. The trails looked well marked until I was out there with no one else in sight, and the name of the trail I was to follow wasn’t on the trail marker. I turned around more than once. And added another mile and a half to an already long-enough hike.

I wasn’t worried about the extra distance, but I did worry about the time. Rangers close the park gates at five. If they found my car on the Cactus Forest Loop after closing time, they would come looking for me. That wouldn’t do. The last mile and a half I put my camera away (sigh!) and hiked back to the car using fast feet.

It was a simply perfect hike (except for the back tracking parts) and I pulled my car out of the park at 4:30. Plenty of time to spare. Next time, I’ll start earlier and take fewer photographs.

Well, I’ll start earlier. I’ll have to re-think that fewer photographs part!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  She is discovering much more than she ever had anticipated.

Driving in Tucson – And a Visit to Tucson Botanical Gardens

"Daddy's Old Sportcoat" Cactus

“Grandpa’s Old Sports Coat” Cactus © 2011 Bo Mackison

This cactus isn’t really named “Grandpa’s Old Sports Coat”, but honestly, my grand-dad had a coat with this exact plaid pattern in the mid 1960s. He never wore yellow flowers on the top of his head, not that I remember, but still. It made me laugh. And I needed some laughing the day I visited with these plants.

It was the day I finally decided to drive in Tucson proper. It seemed time to get to know the city. For over two weeks, I’d been avoiding the busier roads, because that’s how I drive. Even in mid-sized Madison, I often choose to drive through the city rather than drive the more efficient expressway. I’m not one who particularly likes to drive when there’s lots of swerving in and out of traffic. But, being solo in Tucson means there is no one else to hand the car keys to, so I drive. Sigh!

Star Lines

Star Lines © 2011 Bo Mackison

I planned on making only three stops, first two stores and then the Tucson Botanical Gardens. I found my first destination, the bookstore. I wanted to get a decent map of Tucson, and it made sense to go there first. Later, when my iPhone ran out of power and I no longer had my “cheater” map on my phone, I was glad to have the paper map. Inconvenient though it was to keep pulling off the road to check the map, at least I had a vague idea where I was.

Actually, vague isn’t quite true. I was “lost and found” a half dozen times on that first day driving unfamiliar city streets. But I kept finding my way through.

What was it that Robert Frost said? “The only way out is through.” (It was Frost, I looked up the poem, it’s in A Servant to Servants, I always thought that poem unusual, but interesting.) And here I thought he was talking about getting out of a challenging situation, or walking through  life when you hadn’t the energy for one more step.

I didn’t realize it was a perfectly appropriate quote for my driving habits, too.

A Thorny Situations

A Thorny Situation © 2011 Bo Mackison

After an hour of driving in circles–the one-way streets are always going the wrong way–I decided I couldn’t get too terribly lost if I kept heading south, then west, then south, then west. It worked. I wove my way through the streets, and finally arrived at a place that looked familiar. Whew!

In the middle of all that lost driving, I stumbled upon the entrance to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. The house which belonged to the donor of the gardens (once a thriving landscaping business) is now the visitor center and gift store. I wandered through several gardens, including the childrens garden, a sensory garden, and a little Zen garden, though I didn’t see everything. Next time.

A few of the cactus looked like they had seen better days. The cactus have good reason for looking a little disheveled. Tucson and much of Arizona had record freezing temperatures a couple of weeks ago. The cacti are not adapted for temperature drops to 13 degrees. A docent I spoke with said it would be quite awhile before they knew the full impact of the cold spell, but many plants, including the aloe and the prickly pear, looked like they might not recover.

Packer Green and Gold in Tucson?

Packer Green and Gold in Tucson? © 2011 Bo Mackison

I never did make it to my third stop – the REI on the other side of town. I wanted to get one of those snazzy flashlights that have a stretchy band like a head band. You can wear the light around your head, like a miner’s lamp, and then your hands are free for holding camera equipment and hiking sticks when you get caught a half mile from the trail and it gets dark. I think the sun sets more rapidly in Arizona than it does in Wisconsin.

When I was at the botanical gardens, I was quite remiss in getting proper IDs for these plants. I took their photographs because they had such interesting details, but quite forgot about checking names. I even found a green and gold plant–do you think there are a lot of Green Bay Packer fans in the Southwest?

This post has been a rambling affair tonight. It’s been a long day, not driving around town or taking photos, but doing paperwork. Yes, even in Tucson, even on days that are utterly delightful, there are days when work needs to be done.

Actually, I am quite thrilled. I was invited to participate in a summer’s worth of shows in the Chicago area. And so today–for eight straight hours–I filled out paperwork and other goodies that were required for the five shows I’ll be doing. Then I had to dash to the post office before closing time to send the papers express mail. It’s exciting news and it is a great way to start planning my summer art fair season.

Now to take a little time for some R & R, and then I’ve another drive planned for tomorrow. But not in the city. I’m heading to the mountains!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  And she is discovering more than she had anticipated.

Tiny Orchids in Brown – Orchids at Bolz Conservatory

Tiny Orchid - Brown

Tiny Orchids in Brown © 2011 Bo Mackison

A tiny orchid, each flower is  little larger than a quarter, on exhibit at the Bolz Conservatory, a tropical paradise plopped in the middle of snowy Wisconsin’s Olbrich Botanical Gardens. While the outside gardens are deep in sleep, readying themselves for the spring show, these pampered tropical botanicals are showing off in grand style.

I DO wish I had been more mindful, and shot the ID sign next to these flowers, but I was so enthralled with the color, the composition, the basket weave background, that by the time I had a photo worth keeping, remembering to document the species was the last thing on my mind.