Thar's gold in them thar hills!

Like the reckless dreamers who came before us in search of wild riches and unspoiled beauty, Arizona did not simply allow us to cross her border--rather, she pulled is in, wide-eyed and thirsting for a taste of her legends. I was particularly entranced by the tale of the Lost Dutchman Mine, a juicy story with all the best elements of romantic old-west adventure and tragedy, including a death-bed riddle. There's even an Apache curse to contend with, and countless mysterious deaths after which bones and belongings are sometimes found, but the map is always missing. I thought long on the legend as we climbed near and around the appropriately named Superstition Mountains. Is there a lost load hiding deep in those secret stone hills just waiting to be reclaimed? Waiting for me; calling to me?
I decide that while Arizona does have enormous treasure awaiting those with enough luck and grit (they have powerball here, haha), her true riches are far easier to find and far more enduring than even the heartiest gold rush myth. I am talking about the distinctive Saguaro cacti that are rarely found outside Arizona but somehow evoke all the lore and mystique of the entire southwest. Seeing these living artworks in person was just as magical as I'd anticipated. No human mind could conceive of nor any artist hand replicate the infinite variations of form and figure found in a Saguaro field. Endless arms posing in suspended motion, figurines reaching and bending and limb-twisting with heads fashioned ever skyward.
As we prepare to leave Arizona and its aura behind us I realize the only Saguaro we'll see for the rest of the trip will be on jars of salsa. I know the places we're about to see hold other treasures that will make our eyes alight, but somehow I think none will be as poignant as the green gold that's hidden in plain sight here in the Arizona desert.
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