Life in the Desert

We continued our exploration of the Sonoran Desert in Organ Pipes Cactus National Monument.  This is a small park in Arizona that borders Mexico.  It was a neat park with awesome flora.  It also gave us a glimpse into the issues that are happening along the border.

This is an organ pipes cactus.

There are many other cactus species there as well.

As well as creosote bushes.

Apparently, other life can be found in this area,

This is a cristate which is caused by a cell mutation and occurs on both the organ pipes and the saguaro cactus.

The cactus was beginning to bloom.

It is spring in the desert.

The teddy bear cholla.

The sunsets were beautiful.

The campground was really busy.

What is left of a mine.

Both gold and silver were mined in this area.

If you are trying to sneak through the park and get into trouble, you can always ask for help.  These boxes were all over in the park.

Food and water were usually next to the boxes.

The southern edge of the park was a fence!  I wonder how people could possibly get across?

We went on a short hike up this canyon.

It began to get a little steep.

But it had a nice view at the end.

Then we had to go down.

We should have read the sign.

This was the only animal we saw running across the desert.  I don't this it was a smuggler.

Fun Times in Tucson

  We spent just over a week in Tucson, Arizona.  There is lots to do in and around there, but the best was seeing our friends, Val and Harlen Marshall.  

We began with a trip to the Saguaro National Park.

Where we saw large Saguaro Cactus. 

And more Saguaro cactus

As we biked through the                                                              park.

We visited our neighbors to the South in Nogales, Mexico.

It is a busy little town.

With a big fence.

We visited another Mission.

The Tumacacori Mission was started by Jesuit Priests.

And the Biosphere 2.

We went to the Pima Air Museum.

 We started off with the Bone Yard Tour.

We saw acres and acres of planes. 

 The museum itself had over 300 aircraft.

And a baby rattle snake...

We also visited the Queen Mine in Bisbee, Arizona.

Where we got to dress like miners..

and tour the mine.

On our way back we stopped at the Tombstone Cemetery.

To read the headstones.

On our last day, we went to Old Tucsan where they have filmed many movies and TV shows.

 They still have an occasional shootout,

 or rope tricks,                                                                                                                        and Reno the engine that is a movie star.

It was the final stop in our Tucson visit.

Biosphere 2

  Do you remember the Biosphere project? In 1984 Space Biospheres Ventures began building an glass enclosed, self-sufficient system to research space colonization.  In 1991 eight people were sealed in the system with the mission of surviving for two years with everything produced inside the Biosphere.  They studied interactions with life systems as well as using closed biospheres in space colonization.The system had five simulated biomes: rain forest, ocean, mangrove wetland, savannah, and fog desert.  It also had an agricultural system and a human habitat. The group did survive the two years, but not without its problems.  They were not able to produce enough food, and the system lost oxygen due to carbon dioxide being taken up by the cement.  This caused the oxygen levels to drop to 14%, which made for tough living.  Oxygen had to be pumped in, thus keeping the completely self sustaining goal from being realized.  None the less, lots of good research was achieved.  A second mission was started, but only lasted six months.  This mission was ended due to management and ownership issues.  Today, the Biosphere is run as an Earth systems research center, and is no longer a closed system.

You can get more information here:Biosphere 2

The Biosphere from the outside.

More sections of the Biosphere.

The ocean.  You can see the beach and part of the coral reef.

This was the orchard, where some fruit was grown during the missions.

A closer view of the beach.  An interesting problem that they had on the first mission was that they accidentally introduce octopus while establishing the reef.  The octopus ended up eating the fish during the night.

Top of the rain forest.

Rain forest floor.

The desert.

The "Technosphere" or basement where all of the mechanical and electrical systems are.

The mangrove biome.

This is what is left of the Savannah.

The Lung

More lung.  This system expands and contracts with the outside atmospheric pressure to prevent windows from being blown out.