Bob Harris' post of saguaro inspired me to go back & scan some chromes from our last visit to that area.
First shot is a big saguaro with an attempt to include the moon, which shows as a tiny speck in the sky to the right. Looked bigger when I took the photo.
Second shot is a saguaro "skeleton" that shows the strap-like wood that allows these plants to expand to absorb water.
Third picture is obviously back-lit, which emphasizes the spines.
Fourth shot is in Organ Pipe National Monument, farther south. This is the Mexico-USA border. The post is engraved "United States" on the side you can see, "Mexico" on the opposite side, and "Gadsden" on another face. For non-USA members, the Gadsden Purchase of 1853 partially settled a border dispute between the USA and Mexico.
The next shot is a cholla and to the left an organ pipe cactus.
Next shot is an organ pipe cactus. Highly frost sensitive so it it is more confined farther to the south than the slightly more tolerant saguaros.
An "old man" cactus, so called because of a fancied resemblance of the white needles to an octogenarian's hair.

Bob Harris informed me that recently Organ Pipe has been accessible only with an armed guard because of the shooting death of a ranger during an encounter with probable drug runners. A substantial highway, not visible in this low angle shot, parallels the Gadsden Line on the Mexican side. When we visited, the primary problem was illegal immigrants, left by "coyotes" along the highway, who would cross the insignificant barbed wire fence, then face death from dehydration in the blazing hot wilderness within Organ Pipe NM. Desperate, they would sometimes highjack tourist cars from the parking lot at the spring.

[Bob Harris]

Thanks Walt for the thread, very interesting narrative and I enjoyed viewing each photo. Interesting to see the "border wall" in that territory, a little different than the large concrete walls in the Yuma AZ area. Terri said we visited Organ Pipe back in the 70's when we purchased our first motorhome, but I can't remember it, too many beers ago for me. We visited "Texas" John Slaughter's old ranch in Douglas AZ, it is on the border and there is the same type of fencing there also. Great shots, the film held up very well I would say. Bob

[WPRESTO]

Thanks Walt for the thread, very interesting narrative and I enjoyed viewing each photo. Interesting to see the "border wall" in that territory, a little different than the large concrete walls in the Yuma AZ area. Terri said we visited Organ Pipe back in the 70's when we purchased our first motorhome, but I can't remember it, too many beers ago for me. We visited "Texas" John Slaughter's old ranch in Douglas AZ, it is on the border and there is the same type of fencing there also. Great shots, the film held up very well I would say. Bob

Thanks Bob. Glad you enjoyed these and thanks also for inspiring me to dig out some of the chromes and scan them. Even in the more peaceful time when we visited we uneasy parking so close to the border with traffic regularly moving along the highway on the Mexican side of this rather tenuous barrier fence.

[bluestringer]

Those are great. I really like the backlight one. We have some kind of flowering cactus here, I need to get some shots of them.

[WPRESTO]

Those are great. I really like the backlight one. We have some kind of flowering cactus here, I need to get some shots of them.

Thanks bluestringer. I have backlit shots of several different cactus species. The backlight tends to glow around the needles showing them off to good effect, so I took advantage whenever the light was right.