A Desert Oasis

En route north from Tucson we drove through the copper mining country east of Phoenix featuring many huge open pit copper mines.  Our destination was the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park in Superior, Arizona.  A desert oasis built back in the 20's by one of the copper barons, it features plants native, not only to this area but man similar deserts existing in South Africa, Argentina, Australia.  Interesting to see so many similarities in cactus, and other plants.

The bees and other insects were having a hey day with all the buds and flowers.  We walked the grounds for several hours and here are a few photos.  then we headed further north up into the cooler forested country of northern Arizona staying the night in a little quiet park near Payson.

Mr. Bumble Bee (about 1.5 inches long)  with gold wings

Oasis waterfall

Single Poppy

Largest Cactus Flower I,ve ever seen- 6 inches

Butterfly in Agave

Bee 

Another Bee

Notes and photos of Big Bend

Chisos Mountains greeted us

Vast desert plains with high mountains in the distance greet us as we enter the park .  While not the majesty of a Mt Rainier, the Chisos mountains stand tall amidst the rolling barren hills.  We are used to forests in the far west so this is more like Nevada deserts yet much different.







The first full day in Big Bend National Park, it was really cold and windy so we drove from one end of the park to the other. About 65 miles one way.

Chisos Mountains at Sunrise

Sunset near Rio Grande Village

A nearby nature trail near the Rio Grande river offered some interesting birding and a beautiful sunset.

Big Bend is a fascinating place.  Designated a national park in 1944 not just to preserve a wilderness, rather to blend cultural, historical and wilderness areas together.

Old Steam Engine in Castolon

As we travel around the park, we see remnants of old towns, long abandoned indigenous encampments, settlements, agriculture amidst wild and desolate areas.

Purple Prickly Pear Cactus

Over 20 species of cactus grow in the park.  No Sonoran desert yet Ocatillo and Prickly Pear abound.  Apparently the area receives an average of over 15 inches of annual rainfall, mostly in summer months, however a 19 month drought was finally broken last week with over one inch of rain over several days.  We can see the dried up muddy tracks where vehicles roamed through the dirt roads.

Big Bend Lupine

This rain enabled many wildflowers to sprout up.  We saw these near Panther Junction, the main park headquarters,  about 20 miles drive from our camp at Rio Grande village.  I laid down on the highway to take this photo while Sraddha stood guard.  Not many people visit the park due to its remote location, therefore not much traffic.  I was grateful.

Giving Thanks

The Sentinals

Today is Thanksgiving here in USA, in Arizona and in Catalina State Park.  We will be with our good friends of Ananda Tucson in satsang, watching a football game and eating some good food.

Swami Kriyananda wrote back in 1994 a letter about thanksgiving.  Here is a paragraph.

"We,too, at Ananda, have so many blessings for which to thank Him: our communities and way of life, our friends in God, the opportunity to serve God, and to serve Him in others. I know that many of us, myself included, thank Him daily for the sheer abundance of these blessings."

Reflections in Canyon

Giving thanks doesn't need to be relegated to the dinner table or thanksgiving day.  It is best done daily, hourly, even minute by minute, a state of ongoing gratitude for the blessings we receive every moment, even when it doesn't look right then like a blessing.

In the afternoon,  we hiked in Catalina State Park.  Started out through in a mesquite bosque where I was thinking, "this is kind of just the same here, just a bunch of thorns."  About 1.5 miles into hike we rounded a corner and walked down a short steep hill into this incredible riparian canyon teaming with water, deciduous trees including maples and saquaro cactus.  the afternoon bright light turned into late afternoon sunset and the light shifted to really make the saguaro shine. On the way out of the canyon I happened onto these cactus standing as sentinals to the mountain.  I only had my iphone camera with which to take these photos. (Memo to Kent - Take your real camera on hikes).  Still the light was incredible.  It was a blessing.

Whenever we remember, give thanks for what is happening, no matter the circumstances.  It is a blessing that we are where we are in life.