Arizona Moto-Camping Adventure - Day 4 - Part 2
After my trip down to Nogales, AZ and back, I stopped at another Carl's Jr. for lunch. The grilled chicken club I ate was probably 5% healthier than the western burger I had last time. It was still raining when I entered Saguaro National Park East. Saguaro is pronounced "swah-roh" and it is the name of the giant cacti with the arms.
Saguaro cacti are really interesting. I learned that they grow very slowly. It takes 15 years for them to get just 12 inches tall. At 50 years old, they can be 7 feet tall. They don't even start sprouting arms until they are 75 years old! By 150 years, they can reach 50 feet tall and weigh over 8 tons!!!
It wasn't long after entering the park that the clouds began to break up and give way to some sunshine.
Saguaro National Park East is actually quite large but only a small portion of it is accessbile by car or motorcycle. Cactus Forest Drive is an 8-mile one-way loop and it's beautiful with lots of places to stop, walk around, and take photos. To see the rest of the park you need to hike or ride a horse.
As I was leaving the park, it clouded up and started raining again. Seriously... I was expecting a slight chance of rain one day over the entire trip and now I've had 3 wet and cold days in a row. WTF Arizona? I left Saguaro National Park East and headed across town to see the other half of the park.
Saguaro cacti are really interesting. I learned that they grow very slowly. It takes 15 years for them to get just 12 inches tall. At 50 years old, they can be 7 feet tall. They don't even start sprouting arms until they are 75 years old! By 150 years, they can reach 50 feet tall and weigh over 8 tons!!!
It wasn't long after entering the park that the clouds began to break up and give way to some sunshine.
Saguaro National Park East is actually quite large but only a small portion of it is accessbile by car or motorcycle. Cactus Forest Drive is an 8-mile one-way loop and it's beautiful with lots of places to stop, walk around, and take photos. To see the rest of the park you need to hike or ride a horse.
As I was leaving the park, it clouded up and started raining again. Seriously... I was expecting a slight chance of rain one day over the entire trip and now I've had 3 wet and cold days in a row. WTF Arizona? I left Saguaro National Park East and headed across town to see the other half of the park.