Nature is where the soul is set free.
anonymous
Another recommendation from our California friends was the Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona. This park is located on the east side of Phoenix. Now one would think just the other side of the city shouldn’t take too long to get there. How wrong! Over two hours to cross the city. Yikes.
This park is named after the fabled lost gold mine. It is located in the Sonoran Desert. We decided to do the Siphon Draw Trail ; a 4-mile hike with a 1000-foot elevation change that winds its way into a canyon. I know we have a thing for canyons. The trail started in the Tonto National Forest and continues into the Superstition Wilderness. I love these names. After seeing three or four people being carried out because they twisted their ankle, we decided not to do the additional 2 miles further into the canyon.
Now, when I think of Arizona, I think of the iconic Saguaro (sah-WAH-row) Cactus in the desert. You know the tall and thin cactus with arms silhouetted against the sky. The ones you always saw in the old westerns. I am told that while the Saguaro Cactus is the icon of the American west; it only grows in the Sonoran Desert, in southern Arizona.
Lucky for me I am in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona 😊. So, one thing I really wanted to see while I am here is the Saguaro National Park. I have always loved the distinctive look of the Saguaro with its arms turned up against the sky.
What I have learned today, beside that the Saguaro is native to the Sonoran Desert, it is also the largest cactus in the United States. An adult Saguaro is generally considered to be about 125 years of age. It may weigh between 3200-4800 pounds, and can grow to between 40-60 feet tall. Interestingly enough it is an extremely slow growing cactus; a 10-year-old plant may only be 1.5 inches tall. They only start to grow their arms when they are 50 – 75 years of age. Also, there average life span is probably 150-200 years of age.
Now you know why they are they are the iconic picture of the American West.