National Parks of USA

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Phoenix seems to be disgusting (photo 1).  Heat pouring from heaven and miserable palms don't encourage to visit this town. But on the edge of town we find Desert Botanical Garden, that is paradise for cactus' lovers.

1. Phoenix
2. Entrance to the Botanical Garden
3. The garden lie at the foot of small mountain
4. Blooming barel
5. Cactus' garden
6. Agave

[Ewelina Wajgert]

1. Is this Cholia?    (Cylindropuntia bigelovii - id by Lori)
2, Mammillaria (id by Cohan)
3. Echinocactus grusonii (id by Cohan)
4. Between cactuses we find such a plant. This is Manfreda maculosa (id by Cohan)
5. Cholia   (probably Cylindropuntia fulgida)
6. In foreground Mammilaria compresa from Central Mexico.
7. In foreground Opuntia acanthocarpa

[Ewelina Wajgert]

1, 2 It is interesting how old are these.

3. In the garden we can see the ancient Akimel O'odham households.

[Lori S.]

Yes, the common name for the first plant is "teddy bear" cholla.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_bigelovii

Wonderful photos, Ewelina!  I love saguaros - they have so much character and every one is different!

(An aside... people are funny.  The last time we were at the Phoenix Botanical Garden, people were crowded into the aviary to see the same species of birds, unfortunate captives, that were flying around in abundance immediately outside the aviary.  )

[Ewelina Wajgert]

"teddy bear" cholla.

Great name!

 I love saguaros -

saguaros or saquaros?
I have written by ear but I willingly correct this name at me.

[Lori S.]

It is saguaros, but the "g" is pronounced like "h":

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?saguar02.wav=saguaro

Photo 19273 looks like another cholla, maybe jumping cholla but I'm not sure - there are some species of cholla (Cylindropuntia) down there that always confuse me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_fulgida

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Thank you Lori, your remarks are very valuable. I make at once corretion in signatures.

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Leaving Phoenix with Hwy 93 towards Las Vegas we go trough Joshua National Forest.  Joshua trees are imposing. This day we stay for overnight in Kingman.

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Kingman is small village right before Hoover dam. After some miles we have before our eyes beautiful canyon of Colorado river and lake Mead. Behind the dam it's builded new bridge that clip two edges of canyon. The river is border between 2 states Arizona and Nevada.
The dam is made the people available to visit but I didn't heard pressing water as in Dixcence in Swiss. Inside you can see turbines that produce energy for 4 states.

[Ewelina Wajgert]

We pass the first casino in Nevada and stop for a moment by visitor center that offer the visitors free maps of states and bonus coupons for the rooms. As usual we buy here postcards, a lot of postcards that I collect from every trip. The building is surrounded by catus' garden. They only can stay in the beated down sun. In the background you can see Lake Mead that here spills broadly in order to squeeze for a moment in narrow throat of the canyon.
Along the lake there are beaches but there are not a bit of shadow, therefore we give up to go nearer.

1. Casino
2. Lake Mead
3. Visitor Center

[Ewelina Wajgert]

From here there are only some steps to Las Vegas. The town is noisy, and different from the others. It begin to live at night. As usual we stop evening by restaurant Denis and order our favourite potatos and steak and vegetable salad and delicious garlic bread. But for dinner wait as long as 1 hour  

[Lori S.]

Las Vegas... a place we have only driven through... as fast as possible, LOL! 
On our various driving trips to that area (during which we would usually camp in national or state parks), we became convinced that there are no grocery stores in Las Vegas.     We only came upon them in the smaller centers on the outskirts...  We assumed the residents must just fuel up a few times per day at the ubiquitous $3.49 buffets that are advertised on the giant billboards everywhere.   

(Not that it matters to anyone, but the restaurant is "Denny's".  The American chain has even spread as far as this northern hinterland.)

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Las Vegas... a place we have only driven through... as fast as possible, LOL! 

Us too...

This town hasn't delighted us but my friend encouraged me to visit it. Now I know, it's better this time to spend in more interesant places.
It was the only town on our trip.

[cohan]

1. Is this Cholia?    (Cylindropuntia bigelovii - id by Lori)
2, 3 Cactuses
4. Between cactuses we find such a plant.
5. Cholia   (probably Cylindropuntia fulgida)
6. In foreground Mammilaria compresa from Central Mexico.
7. In foreground Opuntia acanthocarpa

nice place!
2,3 are Mammillaria and Echinocactus grusonii; 4 is Manfreda maculosa, in Agavaceae

[Ewelina Wajgert]

Thank you, Cohan