Flagstaff

Made a small trip to Flagstaff last weekend 

to help my cousin build a lodge. This is a picture of the fire

contrasted against the night sky and a small oak grove.

Small side trip to Sedona. 

We bypassed the tourist shops,

but stopped to appreciate 

the amazing landscape. 

Cactus and flowers... 

The sun shines through the branches of a juniper tree.

Red rock...

 

 

Cottonwood seeds....

The cottonwood looks like snow amid the flowers. 

Cactus Flowers

We've been home for about a week, but my mind continually reflects on the beautiful plants, flowers, and landscapes of Arizona in the spring.

On my last day in Arizona, Ron drove me to the airport, but not before stopping to see some of the neighborhood flowers. Linda had scouted them out during her morning jog and suggested that we pause to appreciate them. These plants were well worth the detour, especially the magnificent white cactus flower shown above. Does anyone know their names? It seems a shame that I remain so ignorant of something I admire so deeply.

Desert Museum

Our family had the opportunity to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson. What an amazing place! It was more of a living museum that highlights the plants and animals of the desert southwest.



A family of bobcats.



A nesting hummingbird.







Harris Hawks originated in Argentina and slowly made their way north. They arrived in Arizona about a hundred years ago and have adapted quite well.



A century plant.





Cactus flowers.



Agave plants.



I swear this lizard was following me back and forth along the glass.



This snake posed quite nicely.

The Apache Trail

As we left the ruins at Tonto National Monument, we returned to Gilbert by means of a long and winding road known as the Apache Trail. About a century ago, the US government enlisted members of the Apache tribes to build a supply road through the rugged desert mountains to the construction site of a new hydroelectric dam. The dam and reservoir would eventually bear the name of then-President Theodore Roosevelt, while the road would be named for the Apache.

The road has been improved somewhat in the last hundred years, but it still remains a dusty, 26-mile stretch of unpaved, but incredibly scenic highway.



Roosevelt Dam.



We encountered this western diamondback sunning himself on the highway.







The cacti were in bloom all around us. We must have stopped at least a half dozen times to photograph the plants and scenery.



An agave plant stands at the edge of a steep canyon. This photograph does not adequately show the extreme contrasts of the landscape. However, part of the Apache Trail is visible in the background.



Another reservoir formed by the dams along the Salt River.



At one point we stopped the car for me to get a picture of the Superstition Mountains. The sun was setting and casting a warm, reddish glow over the desert. I climbed a small hill away from the highway and paused. This saguaro captivated me by the way it towered over the desert and by the way the wind seemed to hiss as it passed through the cactus needles. I didn't want to leave. For a moment it was like all the mental chatter ceased as I felt myself merging into the beauty and mystery of that land.





The Superstition Mountains at sunset.

Desert Flowers

Rhonda's father brought us on a hiking tour of the Tonto National Monument. We began at the base of the hill and climbed more than an hour toward the old cliff-dweller ruins. Along the way, a National Park Service guide showed us all the many flowers currently in bloom. We often think of Arizona as a barren desert, but quite the contrary, it is a place of abundant natural diversity and beauty.





I believe the guide spoke of this plant as miner's lettuce. It was the only plant on the tour we were allowed to eat, and to me it did in fact taste like a combination of spinach and lettuce.



Dakota standing with Rhonda's father on the trail.



A cactus flower.



Indian paint brush.





The teddy bear cholla looks all soft and cuddly until you get a closer look. It's tiny spines have small hooks that burrow into the flesh of any person or creature foolish enough to get tangled in its branches. Our guide made this warning, "If you're falling in the desert, it would be far better to land on a sharp rock than a cholla."



Certain birds nest in the cholla because they know that snakes will not even attempt to brave the cactus spines.





The desert is blooming with wildflowers. The Mexican poppies create patchworks of orange along the hillsides.

The Mesa Temple

My family and I flew to Arizona to spend time with Rhonda's father. We got free tickets last Christmas when the airline bumped us from the flight to Guaymas.

Rhonda's dad picked us up from the airport and drove directly to the Mesa Temple where we planned to watch the Easter Pageant. We arrived at sunset, so I was able to get a few pictures of the temple in the last rays of sunlight. I also got a few pictures of the Christus statue in the visitor's center.