Relaxing with Family and Enjoying the Scenery

Painted Mountain (you can see our red car in the foreground)

May 9, 2010.

The last few days have been a whirlwind. We arrived on Friday, May 7 and got set up before going to my father and Karen's place in Mesa for dinner. On Saturday, we went to the home of my cousin Terri and her husband Rick. They put on a 75th Birthday Bash in their back yard for their mother, mi Tia Lilly. The mariachis played for at least two hours and were very good! In the photo below mi Tia Lilly is seated at the table in the purple top. The party was great and it gave us a chance to see a lot of my family that I had not seen in years. Terri and Rick have a beautiful home and organized a wonderful party.

The next day we lounged around the rig as temperatures climbed to 96 degrees. However, we had a good breeze and it wasn't too bad. Later my father and Karen came over for dinner. 

This morning, I took a ride on my bike around the park and took these pictures of some of the cacti.

Some of the Saguaro Cacti are still in bloom and the birds are nesting in the cacti.

With the right growing conditions, it is estimated that saguaros can live to be as much as 150-200 years old.

Saguaro are very slow growing cactus. A 10 year old plant might only be 1.5 inches tall. Saguaro can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall (12-18m). When rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds

I attempted to ride some of the trails around the park, but some were too overgrown to ride safely. I came across what I believe is a large Diamond Cholla still in bloom.

The Chain Fruit Cholla or Jumping Cholla are abundant here in the park. This one has an active bird nest in the center of it. 

While on a walk in the park, Joyce had come across a piece of Cholla cactus in the street and tried to kick it to the side of the road. Naturally, it impaled her sandals just missing her foot. I had to pry it off with a pocket knife. Our camping neighbors discovered a 4 foot rattlesnake in the back of their campsite and chased it off into the brush. We have to be very cautious with the dogs because of the cactus and the critters.

But I gotta tell ya, it's beautiful out here in the Sonoran Desert surrounded by the Superstition Mountains!