Saguaro

We spent a couple days in Tucson.  It seems to have a dynamic economy and it makes Albuquerque look rather shabby by comparison.  Margaret commented that Tucson seemed like another country.  The highpoint for me, as is often true, was the nearby wilderness areas.  We enjoyed a sunny morning visit to the west portion of the Saguaro National Park.

I have always enjoyed the drive into Phoenix from the north because of the views of the saguaros there.  The saguaro forest just west of Tucson is something else again because of the density of the huge cacti which cover whole mountainsides.

"An adult saguaro is generally considered to be about 125 years of age. It may weigh 6 tons or more and be as tall as 50 feet. The average life span of a saguaro is probably 150 - 175 years of age. However, biologists believe that some plants may live over 200 years."
- from the NPS Web Site

There were a lot of blooming ocotillo cactus and a few wildflowers, but we were a bit too early to see the blossoming of the saguaro.  A day's visit was certainly too brief to explore the park with my camera.

Cholla

Nopal

Saguaro Carcass

My original plan for the trip was to carry two cameras, the meterless H3v mounting my 24mm Takumar and the Spotmatic SP with the 135mm Mamiya-Sekor.  On the fourth frame through the H3v, the mirror jammed up against the rear lens group of the 24mm.  I should have known that would happen as the early H3v has the same problem with the Takumar 1.4.  Luckily, a bit of fiddling with the focus unjammed the camera and I was able to finish off that roll and another in the SP.