White Tank Mountain Regional Park

I've had a lot of fun over the years hiking around this area, close to where I grew up.  Its pretty classic Arizona desert terrain - chollas, saguaros, mesquite.  This is the only place I've ever seen a Gila Monster in the wild.  You don't want to get bit by one of those.

Almost Sunset

Nearly 30,000 acres makes this the largest regional park in Maricopa County. Most of the park is made up of the rugged and beautiful White Tank Mountains on the Valleys west side. The range, deeply serrated with ridges and canyons, rises sharply from its base to peak at over 4,000 feet. Infrequent heavy rains cause flash floodwaters to plunge through the canyons and pour onto the plain. These torrential flows, pouring down chutes and dropping off ledges, have scoured out a series of depressions, or tanks, in the white granite rock below, thus giving the mountains their name.

Ancient Arizonans pecked hundreds of figures and symbols on the rock faces of the White Tank Mountains. Some may approach 10,000 years old. All have withstood sun, rain, and vandals for 700 or 800 years or more.

Eleven archaeological sites, occupied during the time period A.D. 500-1100, were located within the boundaries of White Tank Mountain Regional Park. All of these sites can be attributed to the Hohokam Indians. The White Tanks were apparently abandoned by the Hohokam about A.D. 1100. There is no further indication of human occupation until the historic period, when the Western Yavapai controlled the area. Due to the ruggedness of the terrain and the difficulty of obtaining water, sites in the White Tank Mountains were restricted to large canyons leading out of the mountains on the east, north and probably west.

A rock drawing was serious business to its maker. While no one can say precisely what most of them "mean", we know they had important functions in the lives of their makers. They were not simply stone-age graffiti. The symbols recorded events and marked locations. They were a magical way to control nature so rain would fall or mountain sheep would let themselves be caught. Some served as trail markers and maps. Others represented religious concepts.

Most of the sites in the area are concentrated around the White Tanks themselves. The Tanks probably held water the year-round and thereby drew people to the region. Petroglyphs on rocks indicate the Indians were more than transients. Pottery shards along the Agua Fria and Hassayampa signify the presence of villages and a good possibility that an Indian trail connected the streams with the White Tank long before Europeans came into the area. The discovery of possible agricultural terraces or check dams indicates that farming may have been carried on in the various canyons of the White Tank Mountains, by utilizing seasonal runoff and rain water.

looking up at the "waterfall"

Verbiage Courtesy Maricopa.gov

Puerto Peñasco - Morúa Estuary

I've been going to the "estuary" for as long as I can remember.  It's one of my favorite places on the planet.  Its basically a large bay that fills and empties with the incoming and outgoing tides of the Sea of Cortéz on a daily basis.  At extreme low tides you can almost walk across it.  I came very close to loosing an ATC once years back as incoming tides nearly stranded me on an island in the middle of the bay.  I believe there are only two homes on the estuary, both of which oyster farms.

Officially the "Morúa Estuary" is a this small (only about 2700 acres) but very important ecosystem hosts over 140 species of endemic and migratory birds that either nest, live, migrate to for the winter, or stop over enroute to destinations further south.  Once a haven for off roaders (yes, like me), it is now protected by motor vehicles which has created a very serene environment to walk or kayak or fish.

An osprey and his catch of the day.  Sorry for the crappy shot - it flew out from behind a bush and startled me. 

Condos were built on the other side of the estuary.

Two vultures - these birds are really really large.

Dogs love the estuary too.

A Long-billed Curlew (a type of Sandpiper) walks along the shore.

Interior of the estuary

Two American Oystercatchers - they are in the right spot - there are two oyster farms located here.  $3 will buy you a dozen oysters pulled right out of the water. 

Catching fish isn't only for the birds - this is what my dad caught on a recent trip:

Sea Trout and Pompano

The kids weren't quite as lucky but they'll keep trying.

Organ Pipe National Monument

On our recent trip down to Puerto Penasco I pulled over and took a few photos of the surrounding Sonoran Desert landscape.  Beautiful in its own unique way, it can be a very harsh environment for a number of unique desert southwestern inhabitants including animals and plants, the occasional tourists and their cameras, drug smugglers, border patrol, and immigrants looking for a new and better life.

 

I probably only walked a few yards off of the highway when I noticed Cholla Cactus thorns embedded in my shoes.  Nasty little boogers.

 

This area known as Organ Pipe National Monument is home to the most dense population of organ pipe cacti on Earth.

From Wikipedia:

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. National Monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona which shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. The park is the only place in the United States where the Organ Pipe Cactus grows wild. Along with Organ Pipe, many other types of cacti, as well as other desert flora native to the Yuma Desert section of the Sonoran Desert region grow here. The Park is a beautiful preservation of the American Southwest.
Land for the graded through the Monument was donated by the Arizona state legislature to the federal government during Prohibition knowing that the north-south road would be improved and make contraband alcohol easier to import from Mexico. In 1937 the land was officially opened as a national monument.^[3]
At the north entrance of the park is the city of Why, Arizona; the town of Lukeville, Arizona, sits at the park's southern border. Lukeville is a border crossing point to Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.

How to get Seagulls to Pose for you (in 6 easy to follow steps)

Step 1. Go to the beach (or a zoo with seagulls) and bring some bread.  Seagulls apparently like wheat bread.  A lot.
Step 2. Set up a camera on a tripod (or set it somewhere stable).  Hook up a remote.  You may want to cover your camera with a shopping bag as seagulls poop a lot.
Step 3. Have one of your kids spread bread pieces all over in front of your camera.  Manually focus on them while they're doing this.

Step 4. Walk away so that the seagulls will come closer to your camera.  Unlike in the movies, seagulls really don't like people and they won't land on your arm when you hold it out.

Step 5. Wait for the seagulls to come.  Take advantage of the time you're sharing with your kids to talk about life.

One seagull is always the first and the bravest.  Once the brave seagull comes and takes a piece of bread, it's on like Donkey Kong.  Its like seagull popcorn.

Step 6. Take a bunch of photos with your remote and then show your kids!

*note: some people have said that bread isn't good for seagulls.  Don't worry about that, there are plenty of them.

Photoshop Fun - Halloween Scarecrow

Here's a fun shot of my son in his scarecrow costume I shot on Halloween.  A somewhat neglected (it's hot here in the summer!) church garden made for a great backdrop during our trick or treat route.

This was taken hand held at 128,000 ISO with a nearby fluorescent street lamp as my only source of light.  It was pretty much near dark and I was surprised to see how much the camera picked up when I looked at the lcd.  That's why people pay big bucks for the D4!

After brightening his mask, removing the block wall and a nearby roof and some street lights, I had a much spookier image:

Add some creepy fog and a scary crow and you've got a spooky Halloween image!  Jeepers!

Happy Halloween!

Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.

The Phoenix Public Library is among many of the places around Phoenix that showcases these altars.  "Stories of Our Lives" artist-made altars inspired by Día de los Muertos runs from Oct. 22 - Nov. 3 at the Burton Bar Central Library.  Here are a few photos of the exhibit: (thank you artists for letting me photograph your artwork!)

Not all altars are dedicated to people - this one is dedicated to a lost pet.  Tim Burton would be proud.

I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Wait a minute - the beatniks are alive and well.  I know, we live in the Melrose District.

If I can get out to a few more exhibits around town I'll upload more photos.  Very interesting stuff and great inspiration for my new tattoo.