Anyone who has crossed the Colorado River on Interstate 10 eastbound from Blythe, CA to Ehrenberg, AZ, will almost immediately start seeing the ubiquitous (to Sonoran Arizona) Saguaro Cactus along the route. I took this photo of some of the first-encountered Saguaros on a rocky hillside shortly after entering our home state after the last visit to Palm Desert.
Image of some of the first Saguaro Cacti encountered after entering Arizona on I-10. Click on the image to enlarge.
After entering Arizona, our route takes us 29 more miles on I-10 to Exit 31, US Hwy 60. We follow 60 all the way to Wickenburg, going through the Arizona Outback and the towns of Brenda, Hope, Harcuvar, Salome, Wenden, Gladden, Aguila and finally Wickenburg. It is a colorful and interesting drive through the small towns, farms, ranches and a lot of RV parks with Saguaro Cactus to be seen most of the way.
When we bought our desert property in 2010, there were no Saguaros on the lot. After building the house, we included three transplanted Saguaros as a part of our desert landscaping. When arriving home after one of our trips, it is always nice to see the big Saguaro at the top of the driveway in front of the house. Other than the Palo Verde at the bottom of the driveway, the big cactus is the first thing you notice when coming up the road.
We love the state, our home and all of the Saguaros.
I Love you Saguaro,
You’re only a State Away!
Apologies to Strouse and Charnin, composer and lyricist for Annie the Musical.
Aloha Capt’n and Damsel,
Thanks for your post, and yes, I visit your site often.
Did you know we have cactus in Hawai’i also? It’s the flat leaf spiny kind with yellow flowers. I’ll see if I have a picture in my archive. Hope all is well with you both.
Aloha,
Sounds like that might be a prickly pear cactus (g. opuntia). We have a lot of those here in varying species.
We’re good here – and Happy new year.
That is the cactus that got me interested in cacti and the desert when I was a kid.