Our Travel Journal: October 26, 2023; Sonoran Desert, Saguaro National Park, O-H-I-O

After a cup of coffee and some toast we met up with Jim and Bev and headed to Saguaro National Park. Jim pointed out to us that we were driving towards and into the Tucson Mountains. The drive was spectacular. After crossing the first range we came across a large basin peppered with green saguaros and other cacti. The mountains surrounding the basin were angular and severe. The basin itself (this is where the visitor center is situated) is around 2,000 feet above sea level, but some of the surrounding mountains are in excess of 8,000 feet.

We first went to the visitor center which had two remarkable features. One was the building itself - it blended so perfectly into the landscape of this portion of the park. It truly was beautiful architecture. Second was the filmed presentation presented by the National Park Service. The film itself was thought provoking (it primarily addressed the spirituality between the indigenous culture and the land) but the presentation's “home run” was that at the end of the film the curtains slowly pulled open and the screen rolled up into the ceiling and there before us was a ceiling to floor and wall to wall window, exposing the desert. Very dramatic!

We walked a short path around the visitor center that weaved between the park's namesake cacti. The park also has a significant petroglyph site. We drove to within several hundred feet of them and then hiked the rest of the way. I am always so moved when I see the handiwork of ancient man. It is hard not to imagine the man crouched over the rock, chipping the patina off the rock, leaving his design on display. Who knows what the significance of these designs were, but what IS certain, is that 2,000 years later we are still looking at his work and thinking about the man who did it and the life he was trying to live.