{"id":2867,"date":"2021-10-23T07:57:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-23T14:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/?p=2867"},"modified":"2021-10-28T17:17:12","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T00:17:12","slug":"the-desert-is-in-the-details-tucson-mountain-park-weekend-coffee-share-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetalcorn.com\/staging\/1364\/2021\/10\/23\/the-desert-is-in-the-details-tucson-mountain-park-weekend-coffee-share-11\/","title":{"rendered":"The desert is in the details: Tucson Mountain Park (Weekend Coffee Share #11)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good morning, and happy Saturday! Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer<\/a>. Today we’ll visit the rough, rugged, and prickly scenery of Tucson Mountain Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish we could have coffee in person, maybe sit out on the patio (it’s cool–55F–and sunny this morning) and talk and share and laugh. Dang, I miss doing that. But, as with so many other activities in these plague times, virtual will have to do. So pull up a seat, and let’s share our weeks with each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned in last week’s post<\/a>, husband and I drove to Flagstaff last weekend. We weren’t there long, just a night and a day so he could have a follow-up appointment with his knee surgeon. I’d planned to take a walk in the forest, soak up some fall color, and take some pictures to share, but that didn’t happen, because it was f-f-freezing and windy. All I managed was this boring picture from the orthopedic clinic parking lot: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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San Francisco Peaks from Flagstaff Bone and Joint parking lot, 2021 October 15<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At least it includes a mountain, trees, and a little fall color. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We got back Friday night, and on Sunday we drove to Tucson Mountain Park. It was our first trip out there, and it was lovely. We’re so lucky to live close to so many natural areas in the Sonoran Desert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Californian who grew up with the Sierras and the Pacific Ocean each a couple hours away (in opposite directions), I never thought I’d appreciate the stark beauty of a desert, but I do. And I’ve learned that a lot of that beauty–and whimsy–is in the details. Want to be impressed with a desert? Get in close–but watch out for the prickly things, like this cholla cactus, a well-fortified home for birds: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Oval,
That is one well-protected nest!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fall in the desert is seed pod season. The seeds of desert trees and plants have fed animals and humans for millennia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n