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The deserts of the swUSA have many specialized plants. The occatillo
drops its leaves in dry periods, only to quickly regrow them
if moisture levels rise.
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A
cactus forest is not something that is visible everywhere in
desert country. The cacti require certain environmental conditions
to grow like these, south of Why, Arizona.
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Some areas provide very lush vegetation. Here, sheltered by
the mountain the plants grow profusely.
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Mountains
and cactus make for colourful photos. Here the furry looking
cholla cactus waits for the unwary. Called the jumping cholla
because its loose pods somehow get stuck to you, even though
you are sure you didn't get that close to it. The needles are
sharp, and penetrate very nicely.
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The
giant saguaro cactus is one cacti species that almost everyone
knows about. This might be where "Snoopy's" brother
spends his time. This is a young grove and doing well in protected
land. There are stiff fines for anyone digging up plants without
a permit in Arizona.
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Ravens and crows soar on the currents rising from the depths of the Grand Canyon. Also there's a chance of picking up some food garbage from the litter bugs. This one had his eye on us.
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The
many overlooks along the rim of the Grand Canyon provide the
tourist with excellent views of the erosional features.
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Entertainment is provided to riders of the Grand Canyon Railway.
Singers walk through the cars, stopping to visit, and sing.
Make sure you have hidden your valuables on the way back. You
are as likely as not to be in the midst of a holdup on the return
trip to Williams Depot.
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The marshall takes no chances with Miss Sylvia, the ruffian in the red coat. Capturing trouble makers before the train leaves, means the train trip is much more peaceful.
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The
ride to the Grand Canyon from Williams is great, especially
when you ride in the dome car. The trip passes through one of
the largest ranches in the area and it's not unusual to see
the cowboys at work. Soon the train climbs up towards the rim,
evergreen trees begin to dot the lands, and soon you enter a
ponderosa forest. It isn't long afterwards when you reach Grand
Canyon Village.
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The Grand Canyon’s rim is lined with evergreens and bushes.
This is a quiet place in the summer to come and sit, leaving
the tourist traffic behind.
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Until you see it, it’s hard to visualize the far rim of
the Grand Canyon as being a flat tree covered plain. Up close
on the south rim you can see that it is flat but very jagged. |
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In the Dome Valley east of Yuma the waters of the Gila River
are used to irrigate the fertile desert sand. Busloads of Mexican
workers help with the harvest.
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Occasionally,
there are oddities that make good photographs, such as this
strange looking saguaro, or this old twisted tree.
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The large saguaro cactus lives to a great age and in doing so it is a candidate for disease and damage. Frost damages the arms causing them to droop. Woodpeckers make holes that owls like to live in. This old fellow reminds me of ‘Treebeard’ in the Lord of the Rings story.
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In
this photo taken from the roof of the RV, storm clouds build
up over the mountains on the other side of Dome Valley.
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