Bittersweet are my memories of this day. As we get ready to embark on a beautiful trek into the scenic beauty of Arizona for a night under the stars, my uncle snapped this picture of me at the trailhead. This was a trip my Dad and I had planned for quite some time and he was suddenly taken from us by a massive stroke a little over a year prior.
Knowing he would want me to continue the many adventures we shared, his brother and I went and did this in his memory. I felt like he was there as I walked and let the desert lift my spirits and restore my soul.
I love the west and have been a lot of places but something about the desert seems to beckon to me, luring me farther into its enchantment and mystique. I came back to Indiana knowing that I will return, perhaps alone, but return I will and feel the healing power that I felt this day.
Sincerely,
Saguaro National Park
It’s the iconic image of the American Southwest: The giant saguaro cactus, standing tall amid the arid desert, arms perpetually raised to the sky. At Saguaro National Park, you can see more than 1.6 million of these giant saguaro — the largest forest of its kind on the planet.
State(s): Arizona
Established: 1994
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