The car was packed and I was on the road by 8:30 this morning, setting off for a long day in the car with an updated iPod, some snacks and beverages and the excitement that comes with all new adventures. The gray May of Los Angeles was in full force all the way to Palm Springs where the cloud cover simply disappeared and the temperature rose. There’d been some drizzle through the Inland Empire and I was glad for the sunshine and fewer cars on the road. Interstate 10 runs like an asphalt ribbon through the Sonoran desert, with nothing but scrub brush and reddish brown bleached hills and distant mountains.
Just after noon I crossed the Colorado River, surprisingly blue, and the state line into Arizona, and almost immediately the state cactus was appearing in the scrub — the Saguaro — well known from Westerns. Some were 8-10 feet tall, and appeared like people in the distance, waving. I wished I could’ve stopped for a photo or two, but the interstate wouldn’t allow it, and I’m sure it’s something I will see lots of in the coming days. There wasn’t much else to look at; it was a long way between little towns or rest stops. Occasionally the road would be a bridge with a sign proclaiming what river was flowing underneath, but like California, Arizona is dry. I didn’t see water in any of the riverbeds. There were a few canals which were clearly irrigating the sudden fields of green something. I noted corn, and then an orchard of impossibly green trees, and several fields of something low to the ground — soy beans perhaps. Of course we are aware that man has re-routed rivers all through the west to provide water to the downstream farmers, but it still surprises me that we try to grow where things aren’t naturally meant to grow.
The Arizona Inn first opened in 1930 and has played host to many famous people over the decades, from presidents to authors. There are little casitas on a property of several acres, quite pretty and a lovely alternative to the chain motels surrounding the university. And it’s conveniently located near to where I will go hiking and exploring tomorrow.
Escaping Gray May
Palm Springs sunshine
Nice place for lunch
Talkative Raven (?) at a rest stop
A Sagauro cactus with a great shadow
That sign could be in Australia.
Sounds like an easy first day of driving and perfect weather! Love the idea of a cactus waving to you from a distance. If they start talking to you, you may want to consider drinking some water…