Diary of the traveller

Evgeny Safronov

The Southwest USA

Part 6

We found a town with a very interesting name «Cal Nev Ari» near our next point.

It was the town on the border of three states, Nevada-Arizona-California. If you hear Nevada in the name, you may look for a Casino. Exactly so, the next billboard invited you there. Now we were at the point 319. ECHNOMASTUS johnsonii, MAMMILLARIA microcarpa, ECHINOCEREUS chrysocentrus, OPUNTIA erinacea, FEROCACTUS wislizenii, OPUNTIA basilaris.

ECHINOCEREUS chrysocentrus RUS 319

ECHNOMASTUS johnsonii RUS 319

OPUNTIA erinacea RUS 319

FEROCACTUS wislizenii RUS 319

We voted for Nevada on the crossroads of the three ways. We made our choice on the bridge across the Colorado River and said Good By to Arizona . The memorial bridge named after Mike Callaghan (the government executive of Arizona State ) and Pat Tillman (the American football player).

The bridge's arc made of the reinforced-concrete is the biggest in the New World . It is, approximately, 30 km from Las Vegas .

We could have passed by that hot spot, but none of my companions had been there, and who knows about the next chance? I had lived in this city for several days last year, so, I wanted to show them that megalopolis of entertainment if only partly. But the fortune managed the other way. We ordered our navigator « Las Vegas -the center» and went on. We reached the city, entered it and went on, according to our navigator. Luxurious hotels flashed not far away. But I saw that we moved far from the centre. We arrived at last. It was some village more then 10 km from the city. I didn't understand that evil joke of my navigator. We had no time to go back and decided to move to the North.

30 miles to the North from the gambling palace and now we can relax at the next cactus grow. Point 320.

ECHINOCEREUS chrysocentrus RUS 320

FEROCACTUS cylindraceus ssp.lecontei RUS 320

CYLINDROPUNTIA abyssi RUS 320

The time was 17 PM, the temperature - + 34C . We were to find a place for night stay. Of course, we could return to Las Vegas , but then our night would cost 150-200$ per person!

We left the road, turned left through open gates and went two km more. It was + 34C at 8 PM. We slept enough and waked up at 6.30 AM. The temperature was + 26C . We made some shoots when our tents became dry. Point 321. (S on the map).

FEROCACTUS cylindraceus ssp.lecontei RUS 321

There is a strategic site of US Air force to the North from Las Vegas . It is a blank space on Google map (between point S-T-U on the map). And there was no any information about cacti at that place. It is so called Zone 51 – the range of fire of Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR). We decided to walk on the periphery of it. The desert was around us and there were many air fighters overflying above us. There was a base somewhere near. There were many alerts about aliens along the roads and at the petrol stations. How we could manage without them?!

There was nice tiny Agave utaiensis v. eborispina. It had grown upon the limestone. And Coryphantha vivipara f.rosea, very beautiful yucca and echinocereus were growing near it.

AGAVE utaiensis v. eborispina RUS 322	CORYPHANTHA vivipara f.rosea RUS 322
ECHINOCEREUS sp. RUS 322	Юкка

We reached the Tonopah. We had information about Sclerocactus nyensis somewhere here. We searched the hills but got nothing. There were no cactuses, but many hares and some sort of gnawers and reptiles.

We decided to turn back and, suddenly, we saw a huge purple flower between grey-beige colors of desert. It was near our car. We found 5-6 plants more. They were very beautiful! It was a pity that the seeds would be later. Point 323. (Point T on the map).

SCLEROCACTUS nyensis RUS 323

We rounded the range of fire and entered the Death Valley National Park . California again!

** Death Valley National Park is the most arid National Park in USA . It is the biggest NP in the USA , with space 13 518 sq. km. It is located to the East of Sierra Nevada in California . It got the status of NP in 1994**

Have you ever spent a night in the valley with such a name? There was no anybody at the camp. I want to say – alive. We put on our tents and began to cook supper: BBQ pork ribs, vegetables and whisky.

There was strong wind with + 30C at sunset. We took shower and went to sleep. We should get up early in the morning.

We started at 6.30 AM. And first thing we saw on the road was the Glossy snake. It had crossed the road without learning the rules and was dead now.

I specially marked temperature during the day: 6.30 AM – + 21C , 7.00 AM – + 25C , 7.30 AM - + 31C , 9.00 AM – + 34C , 10.3 AM – + 36C . We went to the point U, where I had been last year.

ECHINOCACTUS polycephalus v.xeranthemoides RUS 324 (179)

ECHINOCEREUS chrysocentrus RUS 324 (179)

OPUNTIA basilaris v.whitneyana RUS 324 (179)

ECHNOMASTUS johnsonii RUS 324 (179)

ECHINOCACTUS polycephalus RUS 324 (179)

That Park's climate is the most dusty and hot among other parks of USA . There is Badwater here, the place, where the second deep place in New World is placed ( 86 m below sea level). The first is placed at Argentina (Grand-Baho-de-San-Julian, 105 m below sea level).

The record temperature + 57C were registered at the Death Valley near Badwater on 10.07.1913. It is the highest temperature in North America up to now. The daily summer temperature over + 50C is common in that park, and at night temperature in winter may come down below zero.

The most famous place here are dunes from the quartz sand at Stovepipe Wells.

We made a stop at the departure from the park. Point 235. And nothing new is here.

Our American journey was coming to its end. The last point 236. The Helendale place. And as a last gift – there were many nice Sclero and Echinocereuses with great number of seeds. Very good consummation of the trip!

SCLEROCACTUS polyancistrus RUS 326

ECHINOCACTUS polycephalus (мёртвое растение)

ECHINOCEREUS engelmannii v.howei RUS 326

OPUNTIA basilaris v.ramosa RUS 326

Next day my plane steadily flew up and only its shadow was left on the takeoff strip.

Good by, America !

Evgeny Safronov.

November 2011.

** Publication preparing Sergey Mironov**

** Instead of epilogue…

It is the material for the book – 8500 km of the travel, 15 Gb of photos and a great number of impressions. But the form of internet article force в me to reduce the copy. 10 National Parks and Monuments, 7 States of the USA and more than 50 species of cactuses were displayed and described in that article. I tried to select most interesting photos. **

Special thanks to:

Evgeny Safronov for placing copy on our site.

My wife Galina for page proof and layout of the text.

Natalie &Alexey Goncharenko for translation.

Mike Sheinin for texts correction.