That’s me standing next to a giant Saguaro that must be several hundred years old — at least.
Sunday morning we woke without plans except to go for a walk. I suggested going out on the hiking trails at the preserve across the street. It’s been a while since we’ve been out there. That’s because the weather has been literally freezing cold with strong winds.
It was a perfect temperature Sunday, around 60 degrees with clouds in the sky to block our strong sun. I can’t express my joy at getting out of the house, being in the middle of nature. We’ll try to get out on the trails twice a week until it’s too hot and snakes come out.
Here are photos from Sunday’s hike:
A view of a saguaro framed by two distant mountains. Staghorn cactus in the foreground.
I couldn’t believe how green it was. Grass was everywhere thanks to our rainy days.
I think this is a Soaptree Yucca.
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve has signs everywhere so you can’t get lost. They are numbered so if you need help, you can call and tell someone what number sign you’re near.
I wanted a picture of my husband. This was all he agreed to.
We spotted two Harris Hawks checking us out at the top of two Saguaros near the end of our hike.
The trailhead starts and ends near Power Line Trail. Notice the Harris Hawks followed us back to the end of the trail.
When I got home, I stood in our freezing cold pool for as long as I could, then elevated my legs on the gravity recliner and watched the birds in our backyard.
P.S. I changed my avatar photo. My old one was at least nine years old when I started this blog. I felt it was time to update it. The new photo is from last Christmas.
What were the highlights of your weekend?
My husband went skiing so I had apartment to myself. Yay. Botanic garden. Pickleball. Met. Fun.
Sounds like a perfect weekend!
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These are awesome pictures EA. I can’t see your DP. Perhaps my internet is acting up.
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🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Now I can see you new profile picture 😍
Oh good! 😊
Very good picture 😍
Thank you. It was so gorgeous out there.
You’re welcome! The best weather to enjoy the outdoors.
Beautiful EA! Love the new pic as well! I think the hawks were looking for lunch… 😉
That’s what we thought about the hawks. They were waiting for me to go down!
Hahaha!
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Thanks for taking us with you! That first pic? You and the giant Saguaro? Wow – just wow. I feel like I’ve taken a hike. So good! 😎
I really feel like I’ve taken a hike — and not in a good way! 😅 I need to do more hiking. The saguaros are amazing!
It looked epic and fab — and fun! Inspiration for more outings. ❤️😉❤️
I’ve gotten new friends agree to go hiking with us. They have lived here for two years, as we have, but never have gone on the trails. There’s 130 miles of trails across the street from our neighborhood.
Wow! Unlimited exploration ahead! Enjoy it all – and thx again for sharing. 😘
I’m sure there will be more photos now that it’s hiking season 😁
So good! Fun to have “met you” here! 😘 Thx much!
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An amazing Saguaro. I don’t know much about desert trees, plants, flowers. So, it’s nice to see this.
We’re learning so I’m now able to identify a lot of desert plants. Love the saguaros!
That looks like a lot of fun and the temps were just right. Our mud season is starting so no hiking….. Is there wild sage growing there? We have plenty of cactus (producing prickly pears), yucca but I love our wild sage.
I don’t know if we have wild sage. I will have to look into that! We belong to the Botanical Garden, so I’ll ask next time we visit.
I’ve transplanted some to my garden. I love the smell of it plus it is invigorating when on a hike.
Ohhh I want to go there! I guess this is the right time of year for hiking in Arizona. My weekend was spent at home. I need to get out and go hiking.
This is a good time to hike because it’s not snake season yet or too hot. Although we did see a rattler on the black top on our street catching some sun.
Love the pictures. I find the Saguaro fascinating. Glad it’s warmer . . . ha, ha.
This weekend we’ve had perfect weather. If only it would stay that way! The saguaros look prehistoric to me.
Yes, prehistoric is a good word. I thought they would be similar in size to Joshua trees but they look really tall.
They can live around 200 years and be 60 feet tall. It takes them 50 years or so to grow an arm.
I like your new avatar!
I also like these pictures. So beautiful.
Thank you. I realized my avatar photo was so out of date it, would be embarrassing to meet my fellow bloggers in person 😂
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Hope your winter is done so the color can come to the desert. Tampa is hitting the Summer pattern already. Highs over the next ten days will stay parked at around 90.
Wow! That’s warm for February. We’ve got more stormy weather ahead — wind, rain and 40s.
Hurricane season starts June 1 normally, but if the water gets really warm in the Gulf, it may come a little early.
Yikes! I like everything about where you live but hurricanes.
Believe it or not, Tampa may have had some close calls, but it has been decades since we had a direct hit (1921). The geography (two shallow bays) creates a mini high pressure that keeps them away (this is what I think, anyway).
That makes sense.
Wow – what a lovely hike! That picture of your husband is a crack up!
And the old saguaro – that is amazing. Thanks for taking us along on the wonderful hike!
I can never get over my awe of the saguaros. My husband knows me too well! Thanks for taking a look a my newish Arizona life.
These photos just remind me how much (and why) I love the desert southwest. Very impressive saguaros!! Great new photo, too!
Thanks for all the kind words. We lived in the Sonoran Desert in Palm Springs for 30 plus years, yet is was so cultivated and less wild than where we are now. It hit me after nine years to update my avatar photo! I’ve aged. That’s what happens through the years.
Whoa. Up to this point, all the cacti (cactuses?) I’ve ever known were tiny ones. This one’s huge! Learned a new thing today. And it’s always great to see the blogger on the other end of the screen!
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Would greatly enjoy hiking these trails, and seeing the cactuses!
Like your avatar photo. 🙂
Thank you! I was looking forward to getting in more hikes this week, but the weather got cold, windy and rainy!
Ugh! Not hiking weather at all!
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This is awesome! You make me want to go to Arizona
I feel so good being out there.