MWT – A walk in the desert

Only about 30 miles away from home grows a different desert.

Just past the grocery store in Wickenburg up Vulture Mine Road there’s BLM desert to explore.

I like to see the saguaro, ocotillo, palo verde, cholla, creosote…

…fishhook cactus….

…in all stages of life…

…and death.

I like to handle the rocks, schist, olivine, basalt, quartz.

 

And watch the tiny life.

Next week I’m off to see yet another different desert.

Anybody out there near my path along the Rio Grande to southern Texas?

To tour more of the world, or be our tour guide, go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

SWF – Sunrise in the desert

Wednesday morning we drove early to pick up the new  RV. Then we waited for FedEx, the bank, new tires…

SS – City and country scenes

As most of you know, I don’t spend much time in cities. Yet last week when we drove over two hours to look at a 5th-wheel, then  bought it, we had to drive on freeways, basically looping around the north and east side of Phoenix. Which along with all the “suburbs” is HUGE!

Along the 101 Loop concrete walls display some very interesting and simple patterns.

Not easy to photograph at 65mph in heavy traffic.

SR89 S to Wickenburg

Thank goodness the first half of the trip there is really scenic.

Saguaros near Lake Pleasant

To view more scenes from around the world, or to share some of your own, go to Scenic Sunday by clicking here.

Diverse walk in the Weavers

I’ve been home in Yarnell this weekend and it feels like summer. (Especially compared to the snow on the North Rim.)

Cactus blooming…

…flowers popping with color.

Every where I turned something caught my eye.

Or caught my pants.

What a beautiful world we live in.

From the small and unusual…

…to a tiny hidden alcove of usual desert plants.

We can look down on the world from above,

or look up at the sky from below.

As life scurries along,

I just want to enjoy it all.

The sun reflects on one flower,

and barely finds another.

The old stalks may lean towards the earth…

…while the young reach for the sky.

And water gathers in the draw…

…providing a playground.

Water flows in the Desert

Storm building over the Painted Desert to the north
I always feel blessed and in awe when rain comes to the desert.

Rain covers the diminishing Echo Cliffs to the east
On the drive home the storm built rapidly.

Breaking over the Vermillion Cliffs to the west
Yet already I could see a break where the sun struggled to burn through.

Vermillion Cliffs to the west
And it conquered as the clouds continued to carry their wet load away.

Colorado River in Marble Canyon to the northeast
Look closely up river to see the sediments of the Paria River mixing with the Colorado.

The Colorado River suffers the lack of sediments because the Glen Canyon Dam holds them back.

The mix creates an interesting pattern.

All the little side creeks were flowing towards the mighty Colorado.

But the sun shone on the meadows as I returned towards Grand Canyon.

Lake Pleasant campout

View from camper
Friday afternoon Berta and I took off with the camper to Lake Pleasant, located 30 miles north of Phoenix. Managed by the Maricopa county Parks and Recreation Department, this area offers diving, fishing, hiking, camping and boating opportunities.

Lake Pleasant, a small part
The lake was originally created in the 1920s with the building of the Waddel Dam on the Agua Fria River. In 1992 the construction of a larger dam tripled the size of the lake. Lake Pleasant is Arizona’s second largest lake with 50 miles of shoreline.

Hillside above Lake Pleasant studded with Sagauro cactus
The lake is surrounded by Sonoran desert, the most complex of any desert type because of its diversity of species.

Globe Mallow and Brittlebush

Ocotillo

Pincushion Cactus
This diversity is partly attributed to geologic history.

Barrel Cactus
This geologic area of Arizona is known as the Basin and Range. After spending billions of years mostly under ocean waters a massive uplift to the north and east caused the land to stretch and allowed volcanic intrusions to build several mountain ranges. Erosion filled valleys and today we only see the tips of the mountains.

Chalcedony Desert Rose
Quartz is found in veins and pockets. Chalcedony is quartz that formed at or near the earth’s surface or in a pocket with no pressure creating the Desert Rose.

P and Berta looking at rocks

Three wild burros
A heard of 280 burros roam the adjacent public lands. Left behind by prospectors in the 1860s, they don’t pay any attention to human made land boundaries. We had seen burro dung around camp and heard their echoing cry.

Had to leave Saturday afternoon to pick up a friend from the airport shuttle. But can’t wait for the next campout.