A short walk in the Desert, February 4

View from the Big House towards the south. 

        

Burrr.  Joel stuck his head out the window and  it was cold but the day was crystal clear and by 11:00 it had warmed up enough to go for a walk.

We headed north east towards some hills near our camp site and then decided to hike up to the ridge to see what was on the other side.  The views were of a vast desert without much vegetation. The picture doesn't have enough depth to show that there is a big valley behind Joel.

                              Looking towards Ajo.  The little towns sits at the foot of the mountains.

  We are parked with the Escapee Boondockers.  The Big House is on the far left.

Not much out here.  

I have fascination with old dead trees which I call ghost trees.  Recently, the giant dead Saguaro have captured my interest.  I've seen them in yards in towns but rarely in the desert, probably because I wasn't far enough into the desert and the remnants  have been pilfered.   Today, I finally found one undisturbed.

                                

This is a "boot" which had fallen from the giant saguaro.  Birds or other animals often make nests in it.  It was at the base of the saguaro.  They are hard to find in the deserts, usually being snapped up by humans and taken back to their stick houses.

Scary.  Part of the saguaro that hasn't fallen off yet.

The ribs are really smooth once the flesh of the cactus decomposes.  Its amazing that something so smooth emerges from such thorny flesh.  The inside is all pulp and decomposes leaving a ribbed shell.

I found it interesting that there are no thorns on this saguaro.  The flesh is smooth to the touch. But there were thorns on the lower part.  Natures way of protection.

We left the giant skeleton in tack and it will be interesting to see if it anything is left when we return next time.