Arizona in Bits and Pieces

One of Arizona's Miniature Residents

2011-01-12T23:34:00.004-07:00

Becoming Wild

2008-09-28T00:13:00.007-07:00

A peach-faced lovebird snacks on mesquite at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve.

If you're out for a walk and you spot a glimmer of green in the trees, look a bit more closely.

You might have just spotted a peach-faced lovebird - a pint-sized parrot native to southwestern Africa.

So what is a parrot doing in Arizona?

Lovebirds have managed to do what few other escaped exotic pets have done. They've managed to survive and reproduce in the harsh desert climate of southern Arizona.

While some species of parrots have managed to thrive in urban areas of Florida, California, and Texas, the dry Phoenix climate precludes the survival of most escaped birds. Lovebirds have managed to survive because their native climate is also dry.

Gilbert Riparian Preserve

2008-08-17T01:20:00.013-07:00

The sun sets over a pond at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve

It takes a lot of imagination and just as much ingenuity to use gallons of wastewater to create a desert oasis.

But that's just what the town of Gilbert has done with it's Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch.

The 110-acre water ranch, which consists of seven recharge ponds, a fishing lake, and several miles of walking trails, attracts more than 100,000 visitors a year. It draws visitors of the avian variety as well. More than 200 different species of birds have been spotted at the preserve. It is also home to swarms of cottontail rabbits and feral cats (which no doubt view the preserve as an all-you-can-eat buffet).

An egret wades in the water at the Gilbert
Riparian Preserve

Much of the water in the recharge ponds is treated wastewater. The water, which is cleaned as it filters down through the soil, will eventually recharge the area groundwater.

Saguaros and prickly pear cacti
at the preserve

Gilbert also maintains two other riparian preserves.

An egret takes flight

The Apache Trail

2008-06-24T23:24:00.020-07:00

A view of Apache Lake from the Apache Trail

Forget the Grand Canyon.

Some of Arizona's most amazing scenery can be found along an approximately 45-mile long stretch of roadway called the Apache Trail.

The Apache Trail (or AZ-88) begins in Apache Junction, at the extreme eastern edge of the Phoenix Metropolitan area. The trail is characterized by hairpin turns, steep inclines and declines, and breath-taking vistas of the sapphire man-made lakes that are part of the Salt River system.

Canyon Lake

You'll find the Roosevelt Dam and Roosevelt Lake just before AZ-88 hits AZ-188. The dam was constructed between 1905 and 1911, and was expanded in 1996.

The Roosevelt Dam

Arizona in Bloom

2008-04-07T00:55:00.010-07:00

View of Silly Mountain covered in brittlebush blooms

Plentiful winter rains paved the way for a spectacular wildflower season this March.

Mexican poppies cling to a hillside at Usery Mountain Regional Park

Hillsides that are typically brown were blanketed in green grass and all manner of blooms, from gold and orange Mexican poppies, to bright yellow brittlebush blossoms, to the subtle purple owl's clover.

Mexican poppies

Desert view from atop Silly Mountain

Downtown Phoenix: Arizona Ghost Town or a Work in Progress?

2008-02-25T23:45:00.008-07:00

Skyscrapers are scarce in downtown Phoenix because air-conditioning
can be cost-prohibitive.

A few weeks ago I had some time on my hands, so I went on a jaunt into the heart of Phoenix to take some photos of city architecture.

Buildings under construction in Phoenix

I remember being almost deafened by the silence of the city center, which appeared to be completely abandoned that Sunday afternoon. Except for a few tourists and pigeons, there wasn't a soul to be seen. I'm sure the situation is entirely different on a weekday, but still, the lack of activity seemed unnatural and a little bit eerie.

St. Mary's Basilica

Arizona Sunset

2008-02-21T00:17:00.006-07:00

A Tree is Silhouetted at Sunset

This photo was taken near Lake Pleasant.

Palms in the Desert

2008-02-05T10:35:00.002-07:00

Palm Silhouette at Sunset

While Arizona's Sonoran desert may be better known for its Saguaro, palms are a common landscaping choice in cities and towns.

Palms Outside Castle Hot Springs Resort

Only the California fan palm is actually native to the state. Two native stands of palms exist in Arizona - one in the Kofa Mountains and another recently discovered one near Castle Hot Springs.

These palm stands may be survivors from an earlier epoch.

Palms at Night in Papago Park

The Red Rocks of Sedona

2007-11-30T01:37:00.000-07:00

Sedona in Technicolor

It's about a two-hour drive from a Phoenix to the small Arizona city that has become a Mecca for artists and tourists alike.

I'm talking about Sedona, of course, a city that is renowned for both the spectacular red sandstone formations that surround it and for the spiritual energy that is reputed to encompass it. The area surrounding Sedona is supposedly home to a number of vortices - or centers of spiritual energy.

I'ts easy to see why some believe this to be a sacred place. The vivid red rock outcroppings - which have been given names such as Coffee Pot Rock, Bell Rock, and Cathedral Rock - make for some spectacular scenery.

With it's abundance of hiking trails, the area is a great place to explore the outdoors. Sedona also has plenty to offer those who are more inclined to explore the inside of a shop. The streets are lined with specialty stores, tourist shops, and small art studios that sell paintings, ceramics, blown glass, and much more.

Tempe Town Lake: "Aqua es la Sangre de la Tierra"

2007-11-20T01:58:00.000-07:00

The Light Rail Bridge Spanning Tempe Town Lake is Illuminated
by the Setting Sun

I've lived in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area for over half a year now, so it's a bit surprising that my first visit to the Tempe Town Lake was as recent as today.

After braving rush hour traffic in order to get to the park, the lake was a welcome oasis of tranquility. It's obvious the park is beloved by the joggers, walkers, inline skaters, and kayakers that frequent it.

While at the lake, I took some time to watch low-flying white egrets skim the water's surface and to read the engravings that are etched in the wall that runs the length of the lake. Most of the quotations (such as "Water is the blood of our land" or Water is the salve of our ravages" highlight the importance of water in this arid region.

Tempe Town Lake is situated in the once dry riverbed of the Salt River, or the Rio Salado. The lake was created using a series of inflatable dams. The dams can be lowered quickly in the event of heavy rain. Construction of the lake concluded in 1999.

Tempe Town Lake by Night

Saguaro

2007-11-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

Saguaro Cactus

This slow-growing majestic cactus is unique to the Sonoran Desert, which stretches across southern Arizona and California and northern Mexico. The saguaro can grow to over 40 feet tall and can live over 150 years. The cactus produces white blooms from April to May and red fruit in June.

A Gila Woodpecker Perched on a Budding Saguaro Cactus

Grand Canyon

2007-11-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

South Rim View

It's a sight that has inspired awe for thousands of years.

The canyon is both a lesson in time and scale. The chasm is 277 long, up to 18 miles wide in some places, and up to a mile deep. It has taken the Colorado River over six million years to cleave through the Colorado Plateau, revealing a geology that tells a story two billion years old.

Canyon layers include the Vishnu Basement Rocks, formed by the collision of two tectonic plates approximately two billion years ago; the red shale, limestone, and dark lava of the Grand Canyon Supergroup; and the Paleozoic Sedimentary Rocks, which are all that remains of the marine life, swamps and deltas, and dunes of a vanished ocean.

Visitors Marvel at the Canyon's Vastness

A Tree With a View

State Highway 64

2007-11-06T03:15:00.000-07:00

State Highway 64 serves as the eastern gateway to the Grand Canyon's south rim. When approaching the Grand Canyon from the east, motorists will enjoy breath-taking glimpses of the Little Colorado River Gorge to the North. To the South, they will see cozy dwellings dwarfed by red hills.

View from State Highway 64

Desert Blooms

2007-10-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

When there are adequate amounts of rainfall during the fall and winter rainy seasons, the soft browns and muted greens of the Sonoran desert are overlaid with the riotous colors of desert blooms. The wildflower season in the desert peaks between mid March and late April. Cacti blooming generally reaches its apex in April.

Colorful Sonoran Desert Blooms

Papago Park

2007-10-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hole-In-The-Rock

The improbable red buttes of Phoenix's Papago Park are some of the area's most recognizable geological formations. The buttes, which are easily visible from the freeway, lend the city a certain dream-like quality.

Before the land that now comprises the 1,200 acre park was purchased by the city of Phoenix in 1959, it served as a reservation for the Maricopa and Pima tribes and as a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. It was also declared the Papago Saguaro National Monument by President Woodrow Wilson. The area's national monument status was later revoked.

Over time, erosion has chiseled a hole through one of the park's red buttes. Called Hole-In-The-Rock, this formation was used by the Hohokam people to mark equinoxes and solstices.

Climbing Hole-In-The-Rock via the footpath toward the back of the formation affords park visitors a spectacular view of both South Mountain and downtown Phoenix.

View of South Mountain from Phoenix's Papago Park