In the desert west of Tucson, Arizona

A long days drive from Truth or Consequences brought us to Chiricahua National Monument in southern Arizona. Here in the mountains, which are like islands amidst the sea of grass (the plains), some of the famous Apache leaders - Cochise and Geronimo - attempted to hold their ground against the increasing pressure of settlers moving onto their traditional lands. The Chiricahua mountains are part of this story - as a place where the Apache sometimes hid - though they were preserved as a National Monument not for their great historical significance but largely because of their beauty and uniqueness. We enjoyed a great 5 mile hike from the top of the mountain, past amazing rock formations (pictured above), down through the forests of Echo Canyon and along the dry water course back to the Visitors Center. The hike was made more appealing because of the park's free shuttle service that dropped us at the peak, allowing for a mostly downhill hike. We stayed two nights at the beautiful Bonita Campground nestled in a canyon near the Visitors Center which has only 22 sites - with no power or hook-ups. Leaving Chiricahua, we set our sites on Tucson since we'd arranged to visit, Kathy, a cousin of Denise's, for the weekend. To our amazement and delight, we had to drive through part of the Saguaro National Park to reach their place, which is located just on the outside of the National Park. Saguaro's are iconic cactus of Arizona and the southwest although their growing range is very limited. These lone men of the desert stand tall and proud in the dry desert conditions. They have appeared in more western movies than John Wayne. At around 75 years old the long central trunk sprouts it's first arms. Birds live in holes bored into the Saguaro creating a tough, fibrous boot inside the plant as the the Saguaro grows around the hole. Life for the bird is ideal as the nest is literally surrounded by water -- keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter -- as the Saguaro draws water in through capillary action during the wet season and stores that water for drier times. Kathy has a variety of cactus species growing around her place. At mealtimes we admire the huge Saguaro pair that grow just outside the back door. Ruth is pictured above next to this colossal pair. We'll be here in the desert outside of Tucson for the weekend. Next week we head for Phoenix to spend time with a high-school friend of Denise's while also tending to van maintenance and preparing for our brief trip back to Florida (by air).