Travel Tuesday: Desert Life

Note: It's not Tuesday, but I didn't get this posted on Tuesday, so I'm posting it now! I don't know what kind of internet will be available to me next Tuesday when we'll be in Quartzsite in the middle of all the activities. I'm not likely to post very much until it's all over. In the meantime, enjoy my pondering on the desert experience!

Deserts are by definition dry places where it rains seldom. In the winter, we can go for weeks or months with no rain or at the most a few drops here and there. This winter seems to be on the rainier side. I've always like rain, so I enjoy seeing it in the desert.  Things begin to come to life! This coming spring will likely have some beautiful blooms!

Ocotillo in varying stages, from leaves just starting to peek out, to fully out and topped with blooms.

This one is definitely dead!

One of the most fascinating plants in the desert to me is the Ocotillo (oh-koe-tee-oh) which is Spanish for "Little torch". It gets its name from the fiery blossoms. It's not a true cactus, but one of 11 species of the Fourquieria genus, all of which are native to the Southwest deserts. When there is no rain, it looks like a dead stick with holes and thorns reaching for the sky. But give it a little rain and leaves begin to push out through those holes until it looks feathery and green. I've never seen one blossom this early in the year before, but they can go through several cycles per year of being dried up, leafing out and blooming. We could tell that this area definitely got some serious rain prior to our arrival. When going on walks, the ground crunches beneath our feet like breaking through a crust,  making the sound that snowy ground gets when it thaqs and refreezes. It keeps the dust down quite a bit except for the areas where people have been driving. In the wind we've had here, that's been a blessing!
  The wind has been at times pretty fierce, so we have been inside quite a bit. It's not inviting to go for a walk in the high wind, or to sit out even in the sunshine to gather for "Happy Hour" with the wind blowing so much. However,  I've bundled up really well and headed into the wind for walks, anyway.  I don't get many steps inside the rig after all!
    Today we moved from this place off Sidewinder Rd northward to Ehrenberg where the ocotillo are fewer and barrel cactus grow. The view from the plateau is beautiful and it's one of our favorite spots. We won't be here long since we move on in a few days to Quarzsite and all the group meet-ups going on there.