Yesterday (Wednesday) we spent the day touring Organ Pipe Cactus National  Monument which is about an hour south of our RV park. It is a beautiful place that  makes the point that the Sonoran Desert environment is the most diverse and lush of all the world's deserts - it actually looks green at this time of year but we learned that it is greener during the monsoon season in August and September.

This is also the only place where the Organ Pipe cactus grows (so it gets it own national monument).

Looks like a giant squid about to attack Sharon. But she is looking at a rare and beautiful abnormality that apparently can happen to most cactus species:

The diversity in vegetation cannot be captured in a single photo.

In the image above are the ocotillo with the bright red  blossoms at the ends of its stems, an organ pipe behind, some young saguaro (they don't start growing arms until they are about 100 years old), and creosote bushes (and a few others).

The geology is also interesting such as the natural arch in the left of the picture (and some teddy-bear cholla in the foreground).

There is also the jumping cholla - the fruit hanging down are covered with small hooked spines so that anything the brushes against them will help disperse and propagate the next generation.

Speaking of propagation, it appears that saguaro have a more human-like way (at least with flirting). The taller one must be 30 to 40 feet tall therefore it is over 200 years old.

More and more cactus are blooming - here are a couple from Organ Pipe NM.

Also back at our RV park more cactus continue to bloom.

The town of Gila Bend is hardly a destination resort for snowbirds like us. However, it does have its positive side. In our RV park (which is less than half full) we have the best wifi and cell phone signal we have had this winter. As for the weather, the following image speaks for itself:

Plus there is some humor:

Before the interstate was built, everyone driving from Tucson to Los Angeles had to drive down main street, and we still see the left overs from that time.

There is an Air Force base a few miles south and a massive training range so there are fighter jets and helicopters flying around much of the time. A local pizza place advertises that it is "the only Arizona restaurant Prince Harry of England ate at and he exclaimed 'it's the best pizza in the world!!!'." He was here training as a helicopter pilot.

Tomorrow we pack up and head to Lake Pleasant which is a little northwest of Phoenix. We hope to see some family and friends who live in the area when we are there.