With temperatures just under 100 degrees, we decided it was a good day to do some hiking and sightseeing. We went prepared with a cooler full of water bottles and a bag full of snacks. And it was a good thing because we did get hot and thirsty.
The desert landscape has a beauty all its own. And you get the feeling that not much has changed in this area for hundreds of years. I really wanted to get some sunset photos, but we were tired and didn’t want to wait.
Saguaro (suh-wah-ro) cacti are fascinating. They grow very slowly, only about one inch per year. But they can get to be 50 feet tall. The largest plants with more than 5 arms are estimated to be 200 years old! Also, the Saguaro blossom is the Arizona state flower.
We saw a large eared desert hare, but he was too fast to get a picture. Above is a little spotted lizard. We also heard that there are desert tortoise, rattle snakes, and scorpions in the area. So we were very careful to watch where we stepped! Also, no one wanted to step on any more cactus!
Castle Dome Peak in the background was named by American soldiers in the 1880’s.
Kofa is full of big horned sheep, but we were not lucky enough to see any during our visit. However, as we were driving out of the park, we were excited to see these wild burros.
I looked online to find out more information about the burros and couldn’t find much until I found the blog of a couple who live in Tucson, AZ. Click HERE to read more about the burros and see their interesting blog.