Last night was spent at Oak Creek Canyon Campground, just north of Superior, (not sure where that name derived from), AZ. It is in a spectacular area of rocky spires and high cliffs and is supposed to be the Pinal Apache homeland.
As we pull in we notice an encampment of about 8-10 people who appeared to be Indian. Several wore jackets with the AIM logo on the back. As a reminder, AIM was an armed participant organization in the 1973 armed uprising/standoff with the FBI at Wounded Knee South Dakota.
I was a little uncomfortable through the evening as I wasn't sure that the campground was considered open to the general public or not.
So on the way out this morning, we stopped at the camp and asked about the numerous signs about Save Oak Creek Canyon Campground. After talking for a while, I ended up signing the petition to save the area from a plan to turn it into a giant hole in the ground a'la' the one pictured in yesterday's blog post.
Another prejudice melting away.
Anyway, the destination for the day was nearby Boyce Thompsom Arboretum. Established by its namesake, the arboretum is a collection of desert flora from around the world against a backdrop of Picket Post Mountain.
Thompson, a copper mining magnate, built the arboretum, (and his home overlooking it), after having 2nd thoughts about the effects of his mining activities in the area.
A large variety of cactus;
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| Insides of above flower. |
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| NO! You can't take it home. (Turns out you can take a smaller version for only $9.95) |
Some friendly critters.
And some not so.
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| Tarantula Killer Wasp |
Another fine day in the desert, then headed north towards Sedona.
Good night from Houston Mesa CG, Payton AZ
Brad and Val
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