A Day At Lake Pleasant

Yesterday, Carolyn and I took our kayak down to Lake Pleasant about 35 miles northwest of Phoenix.


The recreational area has a lake of 10,000 acres and another 16,000 for hiking and camping.


The lake is set in a rocky desert terrain with sparse vegetation. Saguaro cacti dominate the landscape.


We took the kayak for a "spin" on the lake, enjoyed a picnic on the water and soaked up the sun on a 75 degree day.

(Don't tell Carolyn she's doing all the paddling. She hasn't figured that out yet that I'm not doing my share.)


This buoy captures perfectly how Carolyn and I get around in our little craft.


Afterwards we took a hike on the Pipeline Canyon Trail near the lake. It turned out to be the highlight of our day.


In Prescott we don't have the Saguaro cactus because of our altitude. But here they flourish in Saguaro forests. Its range is limited to southern Arizona, southeastern California, western New Mexico, and northen Mexico.


It is the largest cactus in the US. Although it can grow as high as 40 feet, it grows very slowly, only an inch a year. It takes nearly 65 years before it begins to grow its first arm.


This one here with the six arms is certainly more than 200 years old.


This one, on the otherhand, is probably 30 years old or so.


The ribs of the stem are heavily spined.


The two inch long downward pointing spines serve a variety of purposes: protecting the cactus, directing rain into its depressions, cooling the outer skin, providing insulation, and redirecting the wind.


We learned a lot along the way. Perhaps most important of all ... NEVER kiss a cactus!


The Saguaro is protected by the US government because it was beginning to disappear from the landscape.


We had a great day. We hated to see it come to an end.