Lunch at Silly Al's and a Drive to Crystal Hill in Quartzsite, AZ

Five of us got together for lunch at Silly Al's Pizza in Quartzsite the other day.  Sue, in green, was passing through town on her way to Why, AZ from the Palm Springs area so we decided to all be at the pizza parlor and wait for her to get into town.  

l-r Charlene, Sue, Bev and me, Kelly left before we thought to take pics.

After lunch Sue continued on to Why, AZ and Charlene , Bev and I drove in Bev's truck out to Crystal Hill to have a look around.  They hiked up the hill a ways to do they're looking and I wandered around on the flat area looking around.  The light areas on this hill is where the crystal hunters go.  Sue and Bev are in this picture but only I know where they are. Hahaha

The next few pictures are of dead Saguaros and their different stages of decomposition.

After the flesh rots and falls off only the ribs are left.

These are standing ribs.

Fallen ribs.

I was able to get up close and personal to a couple of Saguaros.

See how deep the crevasses are on this one?

And now see how shallow these ones are?

This saguaro has gotten more water.  

The more water the more spread out the skin is.

And as they use up their water supply their skin folds in on itself.

As I was standing at the base of the Saguaro, in the above picture, I was talking to it and reached out to pet it and what should I see?  Someone had pushed or hammered a crystal into it.  Can you see it? Just goes to show, you don't have to hike up the hill to find crystals.

                       

Little crystal I pulled out of the Saguaro.

More death in the desert.  A cholla skeleton. 

Be back soon.

Evie and Joy

This Ocotillo is just dormant, next time it rains here within 48 hours Ocotillos will leaf out and bloom.