Bigger Than The One On The Window Sill

This was a ‘Bucket List’ item.
From a young age watching the old black and white westerns at Saturday morning cinema I was fascinated by the huge cactus in the background as the hero rode across the plains.
The fascination stayed with me intermittently but being in the Navy and deserts rarely coming down to the sea I never got much of an opportunity.

Post Navy Clare, the children and I holidayed on alternate years in California with Clare’s brother and sister-in-law but although we travelled in California and Nevada I never saw any.
On to 2018, just Clare and I now but again holidaying in California we went to Arizona and at last, on both sides of the road, as far as the eye could see, dozens, if not hundreds, of them.
I then learnt that the saguaro is a tree-like cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea, that can grow to be over 12 meters tall. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and very few other places.

I enjoyed the walk out to it until Janet told me to listen out for ‘Rattlers’, after that it was a quick photo or two and back into the car sharpish.