Lots of Things That Can Poke You

Before arriving in Arizona, the girls all had an idea of what they thought a desert was. They had never actually been to one, and were excited to see one for themselves. In their heads, they pictured the deserts in 'Aladdin' or 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Saharan. Sandy. Vast. That's what they imagined it would be like. It is not. Instead of huge sand dunes and camels, there were scrubby bushes, brown rocks, and lots of sharp spiky cacti.

The Sonoran Desert in Arizona is a harsh landscape. Rugged. Unforgiving. Pointy. While in Phoenix, we spent a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. The weather was most agreeable, practically begging for us to be outside. So, we did. We hiked. We explored. We learned. There are mountains all throughout the valley, with several of them quite close to us. The trails on them were a great way to spend an afternoon. We studied the plants and searched for animals. The desert is a hard place for both, yet somehow they survive, and even flourish in this rugged environment.

Holla at ya' Cholla!

At first glance, the plant life of the desert is rather dull and unattractive. Scrubby. Haggard. Monochromatic. Spiky. Not the flowering, full of life flora we are used to seeing in the Midwest. Lots of brown. Some green. Not very pretty, right? Yet, there is beauty in these plants. Not the obvious kind of beauty, like that of a flowering rose bush or a blooming dogwood tree. No, the desert beauty lies in its majesty. 

The kids' favorite: the prickly pear cactus

Teddy Bear Cholla (choy-ah) appears soft & fuzzy. It is not.

The saguaro cactus rises high from the land, standing noble and impressive in stature. The shape of the prickly pear cactus remind one of a cartoon character's head . The fuzziness of the teddy bear cholla looks soft and fuzzy.. The ocotillo erupts from the ground straight to the sky like a firework or an explosion. There is definitely beauty to be found, once you stop and take a look. And, there are also things that poke you. Lots of things that poke you.

Perhaps we were all shell-shocked from the  toothpick incident. Maybe we were hyper sensitive, but we made sure everyone was aware of the treacherous nature of the plants in the desert. "Don't get too close." ... "Stay on the path" ...All good words of warning. And they worked. For a while anyways. Several hikes, and lots of exploring with no one getting poked. Until... 

The stately Saguaro (sa-wah-ro)

One day we took a drive down to Tucson to visit Saguaro National Park. Like all national parks, this place is impressive in it's natural beauty. It's main attraction: sharp, poky cacti. Everywhere. In our afternoon there, every single one of us got poked by a cactus spine. I got stabbed five times. My fault mostly. I ventured off the beaten path (a no-no). While taking pictures I backed into more than one sharp plant (so you better enjoy these photos).  The worst kind were the 'barbed' spines that, once embedded in your skin, are difficult to pull out. Think fish hook. Not fun to pull out.

The dangers of the Sonoran desert did not detract from our enjoyment of it, however. It's majestic plants, amazing sunsets, and rugged terrain added up to a memorable experience.