It was good to get away from the pavement for a little while this evening and enjoy an hour-long ride through the desert. Our guide, Jake, pointed out petroglyphs carved by the Hohokam tribe about 1,000 years ago and told us about the huge saguaro cactus we saw along the way. I think Jake probably overstated the age of the cactus based on what I read on Wikipedia; but at any rate, saguaro cactus live a very long time – 150 years or more. Woodpeckers peck holes in the cactus and lay their eggs. The cactus wren, the state bird of Arizona, then uses the same holes for their nests after the woodpeckers leave.

South Mountain Park before the ride

Petroglyphs

The “L” is not a petroglyph but the four small carvings at the bottom are.