Today we broke camp, headed North to Kingman, Az., and then Southeast on one of Arizona’s Scenic Byways, stopping for the night at Burro Creek Camp.
This is our type of place, surrounded by peaceful canyons, mesas and mountains.
This camp is part of the Department of The Interior and is run by the Bureau of Land Management(BLM). We stay here for half price with our Golden Age Senior Pass.
The vegetation here is distinctive of both the Mohave and Sonoran Deserts, which meet in this region.
The Joshua Tree is really a large yucca. We have seen it in the southern California and Arizona deserts and also in North central Mexico.
The joints of this teddy bear cholla easily detach and adhere to exposed skin and clothing and are encased in sharp, barbed spines. Birds and wood rats like to nest here in this thorny protection.
The palo verde tree above is common in many parts of the desert and receives it’s green color from the abundance of chlorophyll near the surface of the branches.
This barrel cactus will easily live for a hundred years and stores water in it’s barrel.
The buckhorn cholla is very common in the Mohave and Sonora deserts. Notice the long thorns.
The wood of the mesquite tree is often used for smoking meat.
The creosote bush occurs in some of the driest parts of the desert. After a desert rain the fresh, moist air carries the pleasant odor of this bush.
The fruit of the prickly pear cactus can be eaten or made into jelly and is an important food for many desert animals.
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