Sunday, March 16, 2008
We're back in the connected world
We did not fall into a black hole. We have been 2 weeks at Organ Pipe Cactus NM—indeed at the end of the known world. No internet, NO TV, no news, no electricity… But we have had excellent cell phone reception so we could keep in touch with some of you. Sunday we expect to stay at a park with wireless internet so I am preparing this brief synopsis of our 2 weeks.
Bloom has been the key word in our March visit to ORPI. The summer and winter rains were adequate and appropriately timed so the wild flowers are amazing. In addition to a greener desert than usual there is a hint of yellow everywhere. Bladderpod mustard is blooming pretty much everywhere. And of course there are those unexpected fields of poppies and lupine and owl clover, etc. The bright yellow brittlebrush is beginning its bloom. We have been working a lot on our macro- -photo skills to get good flower pictures. The most exciting bloom is the Hedgehog cactus up on the ridge that had 10 flowers at one time last week. We had never seen a cactus bloom in the real world.
People are one of the reasons we love ORPI. What other park can you visit and get to know all of the rangers, volunteers… Plus on our late afternoon wander we usually stop to talk with other campers who are out. We always find interesting people here.
Unexpected surprises: Because many of the trails have been closed this year we have been forced off the beaten path so to speak and have explored new places and enjoyed some off trail hiking. On one hike we found Arizona blister beetles—lots of them eating the flowers. On another hike we found a cristate saguaro. Then in an out of the way wash, I finally found some penstamen after looking all over the park. On our favorite of the new hikes, we found an Indian sleeping circle (no artifacts) and brilliant fields of wildflowers. It was like hiking high in the Olympics in July.
Bloom has been the key word in our March visit to ORPI. The summer and winter rains were adequate and appropriately timed so the wild flowers are amazing. In addition to a greener desert than usual there is a hint of yellow everywhere. Bladderpod mustard is blooming pretty much everywhere. And of course there are those unexpected fields of poppies and lupine and owl clover, etc. The bright yellow brittlebrush is beginning its bloom. We have been working a lot on our macro- -photo skills to get good flower pictures. The most exciting bloom is the Hedgehog cactus up on the ridge that had 10 flowers at one time last week. We had never seen a cactus bloom in the real world.
People are one of the reasons we love ORPI. What other park can you visit and get to know all of the rangers, volunteers… Plus on our late afternoon wander we usually stop to talk with other campers who are out. We always find interesting people here.
Unexpected surprises: Because many of the trails have been closed this year we have been forced off the beaten path so to speak and have explored new places and enjoyed some off trail hiking. On one hike we found Arizona blister beetles—lots of them eating the flowers. On another hike we found a cristate saguaro. Then in an out of the way wash, I finally found some penstamen after looking all over the park. On our favorite of the new hikes, we found an Indian sleeping circle (no artifacts) and brilliant fields of wildflowers. It was like hiking high in the Olympics in July.
# posted by Carol Harma @ 8:41 PM 
