Cactus, Cactus, Cactus, Arizona

Because Bill is a science fiction enthusiast, he wanted
to stay at the Best Western Space Age Lodge
in Gila Bend, AZ.

The lobby and restaurant were decorated in
a space exploration decor.

The central plaza in Ajo, AZ. It had two Spanish churches,
central fountain and numerous stores.

Here is the west colonnade of shops.

Further south from Ajo is Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument.

This kind of cactus is abundant in Mexico and in
this national monument.

They are called organ pipe cactus because
of the way they cluster around the root stem.
They do resemble the trumpets en chamade
found in Spanish cathedrals.

One mile from Mexico on Route 85.

Here is part of the fence built to restrict
illegal immigrants and curtail drug
trafficking. We were stopped twice by
the border patrol and given a quick once over.
We saw more than a dozen police stops and
at least one looked very serious.

Bill offered to take me over the border
but I declined. This was as far as we got.
Can you see the Mexican flag?

On our way to Tucson we saw a dust devil.
It is a very small tornado that is
caused when the ground is super heated.

Saguaro National Park is located about 20 miles
west of Tucson, AZ.

Here is a saguaro in bloom.

A single, stately saguaro, probably several hundred years old.

A large, fairly dense stand of saguaros.