Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Yesterday morning, I awoke fairly early (for me, these days) at about 6:00 A.M., showered , dressed ,and headed for the community pancake breakfast that is held every Thursday during the winter.  I got a short stack of pancakes and coffee for $2.50! 

After breakfast, I headed south to Organ Pipe cactus National Monument.  This is a beautiful park, located on the Mexican border, and is dedicated to the preservation of these cacti, which are found in this part of the Sonoran Desert.

 The park has a stark beauty, and if I had not been raised on stereotypical images of Saguaro cacti by Yosemite Sam and Wiley Coyote, I might have thought myself on another planet. I took the two driving loops that were appropriate for my PT Cruiser, which took a total of about three and a half hours

                                                          Visitors Center

Alien Landscape

Organ Pipe Cactus

Rock Formation

The bees love these!

Stark beauty