Arizona - November 2011

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Anne and I traveled to Arizona on the 1st of November, 2011, returning on the 8th. We visited Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near Ajo, Saguaro National Park in and around Tucson, Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, Meteor Crater near Winslow, and Lost Dutchman State Park in the Superstition Mts near Phoenix. We flew into Phoenix and drove to Ajo for our first two nights then to Tucson for the next two then to Holbrook where we stayed in a WigWam one night and planned another there at a chain motel. However that second day in Holbrook had snow and freezing temps forcast so we toured Meteor Crater in the AM and then drove on back to Phoenix where we spent the last two nights of the trip. On this entry I'll add a bunch of pictures from several of the places we visited - with apologies for the late posting of this trip. Probably the best way to view the pictures is to click on the first one, then go on through the whole album.

Lee

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Photos

Organ Pipe NM - Arch Canyon
Arch canyon was our first and only major hike in Organ Pipe NM - where we climbed for a view of the arches from behind - and almost couldn't get back down.

Organ Pipe NM - On top of the Ajo Mts.
View from our lunch spot above the arches.

The arches
This is the view from above the canyon and behind the arches. You can see the very small arch above the larger one. Actually saw a couple more arches earlier on our hike.

Organ Pipe Cactus
This is the monument's namesake. The monument is at the northern edge of this cactus' range.

Barrel Cactus
Along the trail in Saguaro National Park

View from Mt. Wasson
Located in the Tucson Mt. district of the park. At 4687 ft above sea level, this is the highest point in the park. About an 8 mile round trip hike up and back.

The Saguaro Cactus
The Saguaro cactus, namesake of the Saguaro NP and pronounced "sa'warou", can live more than 150 years and attain a heigth of over 50 feet.

The Boneyard
Mothballed C-130 cargo planes at the boneyard near Tucson.

Bridal Veil Falls
At the end of the Douglas Spring trail in the rincon Mt district of Saguaro NP. No water in the falls when we were there.

Douglas Spring Trail
In the Rincon Mt district of Saguaro NP.

Salt River Canyon
Crossed this canyon on Arizona highway 77 traveling from Tucson to Holbrook and the Petrified Forest NP.

Painted Desert
Part of the Petrified Forest NP

Route 66
All that is left of the famous US route 66 in the Petrified Forest NP. The telephone poles mark where the highway used ot be.

Petrified Wood.
In the Petrified Forest NP.

Our Wigwam
The Wigwam motel in Holbrook, on the official National Register of Historic Places. For good or bad, it retains much of its historical ambiance.

Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.
Anne on the corner. Do you know why this is a famous corner?

Meteor Crater
Us on the rim of the crater. The crater is a privately owned property, officially designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967. It was created 50,000+ yrs ago by a meteor weighing over 300 tons.

Snow between Winslow and Phoenix
This is why we didn't stay around near Winslow and Holbrook. They got a lot of snow later that evening

Petroglyph Wash
From the Hieroglyphic Trail near Gold Canyon, AZ, southeast of Phoenix. Erroneously named for the petroglyphs at the end of the trail.

Petroglyphs
At the end of the Hieroglyphic Trail.

There's a storm across the valley
From the trail in Lost Dutchman State Park south of Phoenix

Superstition Mountains
From the trail in Lost Dutchman State Park.

Comments

[Cherrie Sneed]

Nice Trip Photos and notes
Danny and I are very interested in going to the southwest in early fall. All your photos and notes are great. Sister Ann and I are flying to Tucson in late April and will \"bird\" for a week with a small group. Here is our itinerary: Saturday April 21st - Fly into Tucson. We\'ll bird the Saguaro National Park that afternoon, and stay in Tucson that night. Sunday - We\'ll bird Mt. Lemmon, northeast of Tucson. Expect some desert birds, plus some higher elevation ones. We\'ll stay in Madera Canyon that night. Monday - Birding Madera Canyon. This has been called the best overall birding spot in SE Arizona. We\'ll stay in Sonoita that night. Tuesday - Today we\'ll go to Patagonia State Park, Sonoita Creek Preserve and visit the Patton\'s back yard to look at their feeders. Staying in Sierra Vista. Wednesday - We\'ll bird Fort Huachuca, a military post in Sierra Vista which allows birders. Also, the San Pedro Riparian area and make a stop at the local wetlands. Staying again in Sierra Vista. Thursday - Just south of Sierra Vista are canyons which have many non-desert birds. We\'ll visit Ramsey Canyon, a Nature Conservancy property, Ashe Canyon and Miller Canyon. We\'ll stay in Portal. Friday - Portal is a very small town, no traffic lights or even paved streets. It is a birder\'s destination. We\'ll walk the town, checking feeders first and then drive into the Chiricahua Mountains. In the evening, we\'ll head back to Tucson, where we\'ll stay. Saturday April 28th - This is the day to fly home. Depending on flights, some of us may have time to do some early morning birding.