Thunderbird Park

Early start at Thunderbird Conservation Park, Glendale, Arizona

Yesterday was a travel day, and this morning Dr. K, Becca and I drove from my brother and sister-in-law's home to Thunderbird Conservation Park where we did an hour-and-a-half hike.  It was rather chilly for the Phoenix area--36F--but still pleasant.  It wasn't overly crowded with outdoor enthusiasts for the Saturday before Christmas, but it got progressively more packed the longer we trekked.  It was a really pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning in the Sonoran Desert.

Huge Cholla in the park

Lonely sentinels on a mountainside

Tall Saguaro just off the trail

Some old-timers in the park

Becca and Dr. K

A gnarly old Saguaro with new growth

Small new growth on an old Saguaro

A huge old Saguaro and my two favorite hiking companions

Becca and me

Saguaro arms

A Saguaro can live up to two hundred years