The Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections. They are located on either side of
the city of Tucson, Arizona.
The
park is named after the saguaro cactus, native to its desert environment.
In the eastern Rincon Mountain District, Cactus Forest Drive
is a paved eight mile drive with beautiful views of the desert. There are many
pull overs and hiking trails on the route.
There are around 1200 species of plants in the Rincon
Mountain District and about 400 species in the Tucson Mountain District.
The saguaro cactus is the largest of the 25 species of
cactus located in the park. It can grow up to 60 feet tall and weigh up to 4800
pounds. If the conditions are right, it can live up to 200 years.
All of these photos were taken on the drive in the Rincon Mountain district.
The Sky Ranch Lodge is located on top of a mesa and has some
of the best views in Sedona. This was our favorite spot for hiking and watching
the sunset.
It is conveniently located across the road from the airport,
and close to shopping and sightseeing.
A short walk puts you at one of the most popular overlook in Sedona. This area gets crowded, especially at sunset.
The location is very convenient for hiking to the airport vortex. The trail head is located at the back of the parking lot just across the
main road.
The
property features an outdoor pool with waterfall and a large hot tub.
The grounds are beautifully landscaped with walkways,
bridges, sitting areas, and fish ponds located throughout.
There are many choices for accommodation options. We chose one with a kitchenette at the back of the property with a garden view.. We would have loved to have had one with a mesa view at the front of the property, but they were all booked when we made reservations.
We loved everything about the lodge, but the views from the patio were amazing!
Relaxing on the patio and watching the sunset is the main attraction at the lodge. It's easy to understand why that is by this photo I took on our last night there.
Sedona is a special place not only for it's beautiful red
messes, but also for it special energy. Every year, thousands of people travel
from all over the world to experience these vortexes.
Sedona’s vortexes are areas of concentrated energy rising
from the earth in a swirling pattern similar to a tornado.
This vortex energy is also reported to be found at sacred
sites such as Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid.
It is said that the vortex causes the twisting of juniper
trees in places where this energy is strongest.
There are four main Vortexes in Sedona. We hiked to the
Airport Vortex.
We started
our out from the parking lot next to the airport vista overlook. It is a little
over half a mile from the vortex.
The lot is a large parking area on the left up Airport Road
from the vortex parking. There are only eight spaces to park close to the
vortex and they are always full. The lot is across the road from the Sky Ranch
Lodge where we were staying. I highly recommend staying there! It is a
beautiful place! I will make a post about it later.
Be sure a check out the overlook across the road from the
parking lot. The view is amazing!
The views from the Airport Mesa Overlook are worth the hike, regardless of rather you feel the energy or not!
I was looking for a place to stay in Tucson, Arizona when I came across the Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch. The front entry had me hooked immediately! I read on about the accommodations and amenities, which all sounded good, so I made reservations.
I have been disappointed many times when I was expecting a place to be how it was presented and it wasn't. But let me tell you, this place exceeded my expectations! It is amazing!
The Hacienda Del Sol is one of Tucson's oldest and most prestigious guest ranch resorts with a very interesting history. Read about the resort's history here.
The resort offers lodging in an older section or in the new area. We chose the newer area.
The adobe buildings and grounds are beautiful!
We stayed in #52, which is at the top of these stairs.
Besides being incredibly beautiful, our room had everything we could possibly need. We even had soft robes to put on after getting out of the shower!
Brightly colored tile work is throughout the grounds and buildings.
There are walkways, gardens, and courtyards connecting the old and new sections.
The door to our room
One of two pools on the property. This one is an infinity with a hot tub connected located in the new section. We had this one to ourselves the whole time we were there.
The second pool is located on the side of a hill in the older section. The view is breath taking from the pool and hot tub both. Both pool areas are great places to watch the sun set.
The perfect place to watch the sun set on a chilly day.
I noticed a rainbow as we were loading the car to leave. The perfect ending to a perfect stay! I hope you enjoyed the tour around the Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch.
