Arizona - Tucson doctor appt. and Saguaro National Park

Benson KOA, Benson

Tuesday, 15 February 2022

today's route

My appointment in Tucson wasn't until 8:45, but I left the campground at 7:00 so we could stop for a quick walk at a park in Benson - you know, someplace different for the dogs to walk.  We left there at 7:30 and I got to the doctor's office just in time.

They listened to my symptoms and medical history and agreed it was probably time for me to have another endoscopy.  I had to remind them that I was leaving for California on the 1st and not coming back to Arizona, and they decided they could find me an appointment for this Friday.  And they agreed to do as the doctor in Toledo had done and give me permission to park the RV in their parking lot on Friday night - I'm not supposed to drive until the next day after being anesthetized, and I really had nowhere else to go.

I went back outside and walked the dogs around a bit and decided to spend the 2 days in between now and the appointment in hanging out at the Benson KOA.  It's comfortable enough for us for a few more days.  Although I'd heard on the radio that the American Southwest is now at its driest point in 1200 years, which really is quite a long time.

Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Park is in 2 pieces, east and west of Tucson.  Both pieces offer a scenic drive route, but only the one in the east is paved.  Since that one is also directly on the way from the doctor's office back to the Benson KOA, that one was an easy choice.

This is what a saguaro cactus looks like.

Here's a little info on this cactus, taken from the National Park Service brochure:

Saguaros grow very slowly at first - an inch of so during their first six to eight years.  It may be 70 years before they sprout branches, or arms.  They reach full height, 40-50 feet, at about age 150.  The tallest may reach 75 feet.  Long woody ribs support their multi-ton bulk.  They usually die of old age.

The 8-mile drive was very popular when I was there - the visitor parking lot was full and I saw plenty of cars during the drive.  The park charges a $25 admission fee (per car, I think), but once again my Golden Age Pass got me in for free.  Remarkable.

The road is narrow, winding, with lots of steep hills.  There are intermittent paved pull-out places, and most of my photos were taken from these vantage points.

The saguaro (pronounced suh-wahr-oh) grow densely enough here that the area is called a forest.

example of a "forested" area

Saguaros have shallow roots that extend as far out as the plant is tall, so I can see that the kind of spacing you see here would be important.

I guess these saguaro without arms are younger ones
(though that is a relative term since they're usually 70 years old
before they sprout arms).

The young saguaro under the tree on the left is being protected
by a "nurse tree;" they improve the chance of survival for the young-uns.

That photo above shows some of the variety of cactus living out here.  Here are others.

As far as I could tell, every plant in these photos except the juniper had thorns.  There was no way on earth I'd have been willing to let my dogs out as I saw other people doing.  Mine haven't even figured out the occasional cactus we see in campgrounds can hurt them and they don't try to avoid it.

Speaking of thorns, take a look at this tree.

see the close-up below

a close-up -
they're dripping with thorns

But those same thorns are a boon to the cactus, as well as to other critters.  Somehow those spines shade the plants and shield it from drying out in the winds.  Several species of birds (and I think some reptiles) make nest holes in the trunks, or use those that others have made.  It's a remarkable ecosystem out here.  To me it's entire inhospitable - too easy to get stuck on something - but there's clearly a lot of life out here.

Saguaro don't grow in a symmetrical way, which was a surprise to me.

I guess those branches grow wherever they want to.

As I've said before, I'm not a desert person; I prefer sand to stay ocean-side and I don't much like even roses if they have thorns on them.  And I got real tired of all this sand and cactus before I was through with the 8 miles of loop road.  But I could also see the fascination this kind of place must have for those who have different tastes in scenery.  It's a remarkable atmosphere out here.

While I was at the park, and especially on the way back to Benson, I could understand why the National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning.  Winds were forecast up to 40 mph, and out here there's not much to slow them down.