Arizona

The saguaro is the quintessential Arizona image. In my postcard collection, these are just six of several Arizona saguaro postcards. Now it so happens, I've been to Arizona a lot. I went to graduate school there, have friends that live there, and was lucky enough to go to a spa in Tucson multiple times. But that's a lot of saguaro.

While the saguaro is found throughout the Sonora Desert, they are most densely scattered around Tuscon. It can take up to 75 years to grow a single arm, and their growth rate can be measured in lines in their needles, just like the rings in trees. There's one genetic abnormality that occurs, a crested saguaro, that is pretty cool to see. I was lucky to see a very large crested saguaro while hiking among them (as in the upper right postcard) around Tucson.

50s/60s Motels in Arizona

Been out of town. Getting this post in so I keep to my every day post schedule. Will write more tomorrow.

Additional info, added Sunday.

I love the pictures of these hotels. For starters, check out the furniture on the patio of a room at the Scottsdale resort. Can you imagine any patio furniture in Scottsdale looking like that now? And how does the name, The Matterhorn Motor Lodge, make any sort of sense in the middle of Sedona? Cracks me up.