Desert Flowers Hike

We went hiking in the desert outside of Mesa yesterday over at Usery Mountain Regional Park.  It reminded me a little of our hikes near Tucson.  Plenty of desert -- well marked and really a beautiful day.

The regional park is used a lot and the trails are easy to follow.  We started out on the Noso Trail and ended up on the Blevins Trail.

Almost immediately we saw lots of flowers.

Bushes, cacti and trees had some blooms going.  It was just one of those days I said to myself, "I love the desert".  I think it has been a dry season here and we marveled at how green things were.  I can't image how it would be if it rained three of four times a month here.

The ocotillo blooms were the most prevalent with their bright orange colors.  But their were plenty of purple cacti too.

We picked easy trails and enjoyed a leisurely walk through the countryside.

On a great day like this we were not alone
A guy and his dogs

Another guy and his bike

And some creatures
A dove (or quail)

Some ground squirrels

And a hawk 

And a couple of saguaro cactus sitters

It was a pretty big one and I barely got a photo of him.  We were walking up the Crimson Wash Trail and he was criss crossing it in front of us.  Even though I was 'ready' I still almost missed him.

Mostly on our hike, I think we enjoyed the flowers most of all.  They just kept coming.

The trails took us in a series of right turns so we essential walked in a rectangle box direction.

After a good hike, the trail took us back to the Horse Trailhead Staging Area where we were parked.

We found a covered picnic table and enjoyed more of the day over a picnic lunch.  Another great time in the desert...

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Desert Museum - Tucson Feb 2014

We picked up friends Kirk and Susan at the Tucson International Airport on Friday.  They flew in from Oklahoma City to join us for the weekend.  Pam and I hadn't been to this airport for years and were quite impressed.

Parking was right across the street from the terminal and couldn't have been easier.

Inside, we had a few minutes to wait and I was very impressed.

They had a waiting area for people complete with an overhead monitor so you could see your party getting close to the meeting area.  And nearby was a coffee shop in case you had a bit of a wait.  Then near the baggage area and front door was a ticket payment machine so you could take care of it without having to line up and pay outside the parking lot.

Way to go Tucson!  Well done.

We saw our friends on the monitor as they deplaned and walked down the hallway to Baggage Claim.

We got their bags, snapped a photo and were off!

We stopped near the Desert Museum for some sandwiches at a picnic area.

A couple of miles later, we found a parking place and started through the Desert Museum.

The Desert Museum started out in the 1950's and they have kept expanding and improving it.  It is over 21 acres with 2 miles of walking paths, 16 gardens, 1200 native plant species and 56,000 individual plants.

We were there 3 years ago and it was just as spectacular this time.

We took off in a counter-clock wise direction of the grounds past the 'Ancient Arizona' display. By the Earth Sciences Center we went through the underground cave with an aquarium.

Then we headed for the mountain lion and the black bear area.

Not too close...

And we also saw some deer and took advantage of the great views from an overlook down over the desert.

And a big horn sheep enjoying the day

The museum has over 500 volunteers and we saw quite a few.  They do a great job make it more enjoyable for the rest of us.

Then we made it over to the 2:00 PM program called 'Raptors in Flight'.  This was worth the price of admission.  First the barnyard owl

The the peregrines

And the Harris hawk.  They were another highlight of the day!

There was a bit of a breeze and it just magnified their soaring above our heads.

Next we made our way over to the Riparian Corridor and saw some more birds in the aviary.

We capped off our time at the museum with a cup of coffee on the back porch of one of the cafes.

It was a perfect afternoon at the Desert Museum!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

The Painted Desert

This is part two of our trip last week through the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert.  We continued north from the southern entrance to the Petrified Forest National Park not far from Holbrook, Arizona.  We had a number of stops along the way and ended up back in Holbrook, where we started the day which ended up being about an 80 mile day trip.

As we proceeded from Puerto Pueblo in the Petrified Forest and continued north, we crossed over I-40 and saw a display commemorating the old Route 66.  The roadside information included a map showing the towns Route 66 went through from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The series of old telephone poles still stands next to the raised ground which was the highway for many years.  It is now over run with sage brush and weeds and has been replaced in part by I-40.

Then on to some more spectacular views of the painted desert.

Fred Harvey was a entrepreneur who build a series of lunch rooms and restaurants along the railroad system out West.  He is credited with establishing the first national restaurant chain.  Among the locations that became part of the Fred Harvey Hotel chains along the Santa Fe Railroad were the La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, the Desert Inn here in the Painted Desert and the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.

The Desert Inn was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during 1937-1940 on the site of an earlier construction called the Stone Tree House and taken over by the Fred Harvey company from 1946 to 1963.   Hopie artist Fred Kabotie painted the unique murals on the walls.

Outside, there were trails and markers near scenic stops.

More sweeping views overlooking colorful canyons.

Near the northern end of our route, we stopped at the Visitor Center.  The National Park Service always does a good job of explaining the history and significance of the area.

One last shot of some beautiful rocks on display.

Next, we went to Jim Gray's Petrified Wood store near Holbrook.  It was a souvenir and gift shop mixed with huge display that was also a museum.

We also took a drive through the historic part of downtown Holbrook and passed the Wig Wam Motel.  It was fantastic!  During the early days of Route 66, the motel came up with this unique idea.  Now it is a stopping spot for tourists and photographers like me.  There was a great collection of antique cars parked in front of the motel rooms.

Our stop in Holbrook turned into one of our favorite days seeing the sights.  We got to see a lot of amazing scenes and learned about the recent and distant past history of the region.  If you ever have the chance to stop in the area, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Thanks again for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...