Apr 4, 2014

National Monument- Sonoran Desert, the land of giant cacti!



Largest hottest desert of North America, home for organ pipe and the spectacular saguaro cacti, Sonoran Desert is a place of biodiversity. The Saguaro cactus- popularly known as camel of the plant world, is found ONLY here. These cacti can grow up to 70ft and absorb around 1,500 gallons of water in around ten days. It seems they grow their first side arm at the age of 75-100 years! Isn't it a great experience to stand beside one?!

Saguaro cactus in Sonoran Desert Arizona

It is really a long drive from Phoenix along the literally deserted roads of Arizona. I was still thinking to proceed or not even at Gila Bend before I took a left onto the desert area. But, strangely I saw many high end cars moving on that road frequently! Then I drove about another 50-miles on this road looking at the hottest desert with nice green shrubs and cacti. It is a lovely sight.

Saguaro cactus in Sonoran Desert Arizona

I stopped at few points on the road to take few pictures of this gigantic saguaro cactus (Camagiea gigantea). It was a strange feeling to be the only human being surrounded by plants that are three-four times  higher than my own height. See how small my car looks against that giant! I entered the open field roadside (not sure if it was legal- it wasn't fenced), just for a nice picture of the cactus. I was near it and a strong wind passed by. Along with the wind I heard a screaming voice coming from right inside the thick trunk of the cactus! OMG! It was scary! Just like something trapped inside the plant desperately screaming for help!

Saguaro cactus in Sonoran Desert Arizona

Ha ha! Not sure if there was anything but, I ran out just to help myself. Later, I learned from the people that the sound comes from the hollow interiors of the cactus when the wind passes by. I tried to get a sunset picture with the silhouette of the cactus. I would love to see a flower or a little bird nesting on the cactus, but late October wasn't the time. Hot desert, screaming gigantic cactus, long deserted roads were highlights of my last day in Arizona.

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Related articles-
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
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Enchanting Antelope Slot Canyon
American South-West: A road trip

This post is linked to Skywatch Friday.

If you want pictures please ask me :)
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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

28 comments:

  1. That is such a beautiful part of Arizona and your captures are superb as always, Kusum!! Thank you for sharing the beauty! Have a wonderful weekend!!

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  2. The first sunset shot with the cactus is beautiful. Lovely scenes and photos from your trip! Have a happy weekend!

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  3. I enjoyed my trip to Arizona the last week of January. It is nice to know the names of the cactus and desert. I also drove through Gila Bend on my way to Tucson. Your photos are wonderful!

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    1. Thank you Ruth! January must have been a good time to visit.

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  4. they are pretty and very synonymous with arizona.

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  5. Wonderful colours in that first shot.

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  6. I love your desert shots! My local desert isn't quite this dramatic (no saguaros), but pretty nonetheless.

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    1. Yeah, every landscape is beautiful! Thank you!

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  7. The colors in the sky are beautiful...and very dramatic with the cactus in the foreground...

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  8. Beautiful photos and landscapes..I did visit Phoenix once..hope to come again soon.

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    1. Thank you Lakshmi. Arizona is one wonderful state!

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  9. Wow! Never seen such huge ones. Nice shots, Kusum.

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    1. Thank you Niranjan! They are very huge, 4-5 times higher than me!

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  10. HI I didn't know those Cacti made any noise. That would have been a bit scary if it sounded like someone inside it! Aayway, great shots of them and yes they are BIG!

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    1. Thank you Margaret! They make really scary noise!

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  11. Beautiful and cool background of the images!! Nice shots..
    Regards
    my recent article!!

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  12. Kusum,
    First time here and your blog is a wealth of information despite being a journal of personal experience. This post in particular caught my eye - we were recently touring the southwest ourselves and loved the saguaro that filled up acres and acres of the sonoran...something about their silhouette!
    stop by Aalayam (a blog that i co-author with a friend), you might enjoy it.

    ~deepa

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    1. Welcome to my blog Deepa! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words about my blog! I will sure visit your blog and I am sure it is wonderful!

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