Poring over my Arizona atlas, one "blank spot on the map" caught my attention — a section of a desert mountain range where the CSS had not documented any crests. Satellite photos showed that these foothills could be accessed by several 4WD roads leading from the highway, and also showed plentiful saguaros. I knew I could expect to find crests among them ...
I had arrived in the desert long after sunset, but I knew this camping spot well enough that I had no trouble finding it in the dark. I was up early enough the next morning to see twilight reddening the eastern horizon:
After sunrise, the "dawn patrol" floated serenely in the distance:
Soon, I had taken the first road to the base of the mountains, parked and headed out afoot. My first discovey was pure serendipity — this saguaro growing down in a wash couldn't be seen from a distance:
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/cryavapai400/crest402.php
After an exhausting climb, I reached a rare treat I'd spotted from below. One half of this twin (shared-root) saguaro is a ring crest, and the other half looks like it is also starting to crest:
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/cryavapai400/crest401.php
I decided to continue to the top of the hill, passing this saguaro with a mutant/cresting pattern in its trunk:
On the top, I rested and swept the landscape with my binoculars. Seeing no further crests, I started scrambling down the other side, where I saw this tall Y:
It was too early in the season and too dry for cactus flowers; I spotted only a single fishhook pincushion cactus in bloom:
The path of the crest-hunter is beset on all sides by evil plants that will rend the flesh unless carefully avoided:
A few of the ocotillos displayed brilliant blossoms:
Reaching the base of the hill, I spotted a small arm crest in the distance. I made a half-hearted effort to find it, but gave up when my energy and enthusiasm began to flag (spoiler alert: I would find it on a return trip):
Hiking back to my vehicle, I was keenly observed by this kestrel perched on a saguaro:
I had just enough daylight left to find a good campsite off the highway, and set up camp before the sun slipped below the horizon:
Later, Venus emerged in the darkening twilight:
When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can choose to dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, or you can choose to seize the tremendous opportunities that the new day brings.
— Harvey Mackay
At sunrise, I was greeted by the third-quarter moon:
The low-angle light brought dramatic shadows to the hills across the valley:
This is cow country; the first road of the day took me past their watering hole:
I began a familiar routine: parking and walking up a small hill to get a better view. On the way up, I stepped around this hedgehog cactus with its intimidating defensive shield:
At the summit, my binos and spotting scope picked out two crests — both arm crests, and both nearby. The first required a short hike up the slope towards the base of the mountains (Extend-O-Cam view):
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crmaricopa600/crest625.php
A cactus wren nest I passed on the hike:
This view of the saguaro forest gives you an idea of the "needle in a haystack" nature of the Crest Quest!
The second arm crest, as it turned out, was right next to the Jeep road I'd driven into the area — I literally had passed within 10 feet of the saguaro! My (admittedly lame) excuse for not seeing the crest is that it was on the opposite side of the saguaro from the road (Extend-O-Cam view):
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crmaricopa600/crest626.php
Another road, another hill. My binos picked out this crest in the distance — one of the few times I've actually gotten a photo of a bird perched on a crest:
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Actually getting to the saguaro required backtracking all the way out to the highway and taking a different road. By the time I arrived at the saguaro, an hour later, the bird was gone:
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crlapaz/crest61.php
Only a few hundred feet away, I found this newbie top-crest:
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crlapaz/crest62.php
... and only a stone's throw away from that saguaro, I noticed this nubbin that looks like it might be cresting — I couldn't really tell from the ground:
The next road I took passed by these ruins, probably related to the nearby mines:
This saguaro had both a glomerate mass and a Y-arm ... maybe the two deformities are caused by the same genetic mutation:
When the road became too rough, I parked and walked around the area. My binos picked out a crested saguaro on the far side of the valley ... did I have enough time to hike over to it and get back to my vehicle before sunset? As it turned out, yes I did!
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crlapaz/crest63.php
Close by, I saw this gracefully-curved double-Y-arm (or would that be a W-arm?):
Hurrying back to my vehicle, I found a javelina skull in a wash and posed it on a boulder for this photo:
One last Y-tip saguaro as I drove out of the hills:
I found a good campsite just as the sun disappeared behind a distant ridge:
Once again, Venus shone over the evening twilight horizon:
The road to finding your niche is paved with curiosity, courage and the conviction to follow your own path. Embrace the journey, for it is in the searching that we often find our true selves.
— Harvey Mackay
The next morning, I was back on the road early, primed for adventure. The first of many roadside Y-saguaros:
... then a good example of a spiral saguaro:
This multiple-Y qualifies as crested:
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https://crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crlapaz/crest64.php
A tall Y:
... and another:
An arm crest way in the distance? It's at the very limit of my spotting scope and telephoto lens, and the heat waves aren't helping ... I decide not to pursue it:
Closer by, a Y-arm:
At first glance, I thought this saguaro hiding in a palo verde was just one more Y-tip, but it turned out to be a ring crest:
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crestedsaguarosociety.org/crested/crlapaz/crest65.php
One last tall Y:
Just before reaching the highway and heading home, I passed some more mining ruins:
In three days of driving these 4WD roads, I think I'd only seen one other vehicle. Now, only the cows watched me leave:
As expected, I'd accomplished what I set out to do: I'd filled in this particular "blank spot on the map" with several crests. As I drove the long road home, I was already thinking about other desert mountain ranges I'd seen in my atlas, that still remained to be explored.
A great accomplishment shouldn’t be the end of the road, just the starting poing for the next leap forward.
— Harvey Mackay
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