Arizona!!

The bastards took our sausage! Our plans to destroy the American economy were foiled by the ever vigilant border guards. They ransacked our lunch that we were planning on taking on the airplane on our trip to Arizona a few weeks ago. Not only are you not allowed to take unsealed meat into the US, if they find it on you in Canada, they won't let you eat it either!

Missing sausage aside, it was a fairly uneventful flight, first to Denver, then on to Phoenix where our good friends Brent and Evelyn Bingham were to pick us up and drive us to their home in Globe, 90 minutes southeast of Phoenix. Apparently a foot of snow fell in the high desert and the highway between Globe and Phoenix was closed so their daughter, Megan, ever so kindly, picked us up and drove us to a hotel for the night. The next morning the highway was STILL closed!

Rachelle and I have always wanted to revisit the desert botanical garden in Phoenix ever since we'd been there 6 or 7 years ago on a previous road trip. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do just that while we waited for Brent and Ev to battle their way across the pass.

While they were white knucking it over the high plateau, Rachelle and I spent a gorgeous day in the sunshine admiring the stunning array of desert plants on display at the gardens. In the middle of the afternoon, the Binghams arrived, and we headed back to Globe. Driving back over the newly re-opened highway was unbelievable! A thick blanket of northwest style snow covered everything.

The next morning Brent took us back to Oak Flats and the snow was still there. Once we got out of the car it became obvious really quickly that it was just too hard to travel in a foot of snow with a rain crust. We clicked off a few photos, got bacIt only k into the jeep and headed to lower elevations where there was no snow.

A short 20 minute drive took us over the pass and down the hill, through Superior, and to the trailhead at the bottom of a large sentinal mountain called Picket Post. There we found dry desert ground and a warm breeze. We quickly headed off of the established trail and hiked up a flank of Picket Post heading for a seguaro cactus that was so large that we could see it from the trailhead. Rachelle stayed at that spot on the broad ridge while Brent and I climbed higher to explore.

The desert seemed like a tended garden. There were open spots to wander amongst the cactus, and what a variety there were! as the elevation changes the plant life changes. Seguaros at lower elevations give way to agaves higher. Brown and green foregrounds become white, snow covered mountains in the distance. Hot dry flatlands hide the cascading creeks and lush cottonwoods at the bottom of the canyons.

It was the first of many amazing days that we had. Over the week we ate huge quantities of high quality Southwest Arizona Mexican food, climbed a few pitches in a limestone canyon, had dinner in Sarah and Kenneth's Frank Lloyd Wright house, visited Rachelle's friend, D Wood in Tucson, collected fossils, and... and... and...

Check out out photo gallery for lots of great photos and some more commentary. If you click the photo, you'll get the next one in order. The photo gallery is a new program for me, so add a comment to the blog if it doesn't work for you.