where's the roadrunner?
Coyote in Saguaro National Park - September 12, 2026 (iPhone 16 Pro)
Last September, my nephew and a few of his friends from college visited Arizona for a college football game. On our way to Tucson, we drove through Saguaro National Park so the "Kansas kids" could get a feel for desert flora. It was pretty hot, so we didn't expect to see much fauna.
We stopped at a roadside picnic area to allow everyone out of the car to view the varieties of cactus, cholla, and other spiny things up close. As we drove into the lot, I noticed a coyote resting near the entrance, under the shade of a mesquite tree. He seemed content to in his cool spot.
After ten minutes of looking around, everyone piled back in the car and we began the serpentine drive back to the main road. As we came around a bend, there was our coyote friend, trotting in the middle of the road, making his way to find us.
Hopeful for a picnic.
I was driving and slowed to a stop. The coyote did the same, in the middle of the road. This "standoff" continued for several minutes. He seemed to be suggesting that a toll was required. I had more than enough time to take this photo with my iPhone through the front windshield.
The coyote eventually gave up, moved to the side of the road, and allowed us to pass. He turned back in the direction he came, headed back to the shade of his tree.
Certainly, disappointed in the lack of sandwiches.
Undoubtedly, waiting for the arrival of more visitors.
Or, perhaps, plotting to capture a roadrunner.