Grand Canyon's South Rim to Tucson, AZ (Post # 50)

August 10

We left the South Rim early this morning heading for Tucson and Tim's house. It was a beautiful morning, especially after the storms last night.  There is always such a freshness in the air after a rain.

 We saw these elk not long after we left the park.  The people in the white car must not know the risks of getting so close to such a large elk.  We were parked beside the road at a safe distance and the car swerved in front of us right beside this big guy.  I was expecting to see it ram the car at any minute! 

 The picture below shows again the difference between the terrain of the South Rim versus the North Rim.  We are heading to Flagstaff.

 The first evidence that we are nearing Tucson are the Saguaro cacti.  These cacti are found only in a small portion of the United States, mostly around the Tucson area.  Its blossom is the state flower of Arizona.  It takes between 75-100 years to grow its first arm.

The water standing in this field is an unusual sight to us.  We've never been to Tucson during the monsoon season, which is usually the only time of the year that Tucson receives any rain.

A pecan grove. 

 The picture below is of Picacho Peak, a very familiar sight to us.  It's a welcome sight, too, because it's our landmark that lets us know we are nearing Tim's home.

 Fields of Pima County cotton, where my cotton yarn that I love comes from.

I love how the Tucson area uses natural looking sculptures to enhance the beauty of the desert.  The desert is especially beautiful right now because of all the rain during this monsoon season.  

 These two Saguaro are especially pretty to me because they are located beside the road that leads to Tim's house, where I usually get my morning walk in while we are visiting. 

They must have been watching for us because as soon as we drove up the gates started opening!

 Kate and Natalie seem to be excited to see us!  And we are certainly excited to see them!

 Not long after we got here a storm came up.  And then came this beautiful rainbow!

Sunset right behind Tim's home.  Beautiful rainbows and sunsets.  What a welcoming committee!

We'll be visiting for a while, so I'm not sure exactly when the next blog will be, but I promise to do one before we get on the road again.  But for now, it's time for our western family!