Ocotillo

Moody Desert in Black and White

Moody Desert in Black and White

Candle Wood, Coach Whip, Flaming Sword, Jacob’s Staff, Slim Wood, Vine Cactus – all are various names for the Ocotillo cactus.

Found only in the Sonoran desert in the Southwest United States and adjacent Mexico, it is a practical plant. Its branches, covered with spiky thorns, makes a naturally effective fence. Those thorns are sharp, nothing to be reckoned with.

But its silhouette is a source of beauty, rising from the floor of the desert, reaching upwards to the blue skies.

A Sea of Saguaro

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

I am so happy to be back in the desert, able to walk among these giant cacti, the mighty Saguaro. I have visited over a hundred National Parks and Monuments, in 46 states, and I think this is the park that most loudly calls my name. I want to explore it, talk to it, photograph it, sketch it. Lots of folks think the desert, and Saguaro National Park, is harsh and hostile, but I find it attractive, alluring, full of life.

Saguaro National Park

Tucson in background

Tucson in background

Visited Saguaro National Park at sunset. The low sunlight gave the cacti a glowing cast and contrasted with the purple mountains of Tucson in the background.

Apache Plume in Wupatki National Monument

APache Plume on the High Desert

Apache Plume on the High Desert

The Apache Plume is a true desert plant, found in all four southwestern United States’ desert regions – Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Mojave, and Great Basin. Though it has white, five petaled flowers (very much like the wild rose I see throughout the Midwest) the true fascination I have with this plant comes from its thick, wild, silky seed heads – pink fluffy plumes that look very frazzled and blow in even the slightest of winds.

Talk about always having a bad hair day!!!

These plants, little shrubs actually, were in bloom all over the high desert when we were traveling in early October. I admired them while hiking near Wupatki National Monument, about 40 miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona.

This desert stuff – there is much to admire!

Do You See What I Didn’t?

Red Rock, The Moon, and The Horse Corral

Red Rock, The Moon, and The Horse Corral © 2008 Bo Mackion

I had to photograph most of Monument Valley while being held a car-captive-passenger by a wild driver intent on making camp before dark. It was my fault – I designated a fair number of miles to travel on the day we left Arches National Park in Utah, never anticipating that once we crossed into Arizona, we would dally half the day away at Hovenweep National Monument. And so when we drove through Monument Valley, there weren’t enough hours left in my day to stop wherever I wanted.

Every time I tried to hang my head out the window to check out a new crop of rocks, the wild driver would utter unspeakable words in my general direction. So I learned to be quick about my not-so-stealthy maneuvers.

The moon was hanging over this red rock butte, and I aimed for the shot on the move. I got my moon, I got my red rocks, and later when I looked at the photo, I got a little extra. Tucked in the corner, there was a very small corral dwarfed by the surrounding landscape. But it’s a great corral.

A corral with a view.