Dear Isaac, Maia, and Virtual Wanderers,

Today brought an amazing experiential trip through the Sonoran Desert. We started in Tuscon and took the non-freeway route. This was actually a serendipity trip through the low desert with miles and miles of amazing foliage. We almost didn’t need to stop at the Arboretum, but we did. We zigged and zagged – neither Google or Garmin approved of the route. But, I wanted to see both Boyce and Roosevelt.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a stunning experience in the low desert. On one of my early road trips to the Sonoran Desert, Maizzy, my dog, and I saw road signs on our route. We have been back several times since. They have desert habitats from around the world. We walked and walked – and then I bought more plants there. I was almost wishing I hadn’t bothered with the traffic in Tucson for the plant stop.

We hit the road and got almost back to Globe – but turned to head toward Roosevelt Lake. More low desert terrain – I totally enjoyed just driving through the region.We stopped at Roosevelt Lake and took a short hike. It seems so odd to see saguaro cactus by the water. I had seen it last year when we visited Tonto National Monument and wanted to come back.

After that, we hit the road to Payson. During those last few miles, you could really feel the elevation starting to gain. No more saguaro. By now, Moki is on night 3 of the hunger strike. He wants people food, thank you. He ended up in time out for a bit – more because I needed a break. The thing about traveling with dogs is that they watch your every move and no one has any personal space. Moki got out of the hotel once by accident and I could see him plotting to bolt. But, he didn’t, thankfully. We all just needed to sleep, I think.