Orchids of the desert

I have come to the conclusion that there is a certain kind of plant that should be named: Orchids of the Desert. I am referring to the yuccas or the banana yucca in this case. While enjoying my walk through the desert botanical garden before Tai Chi class, this week the yuccas are in full bloom. So I got my first viewing with them up close and personal.
The flowers are so beautiful. Delicate and slightly fragrant. The smell is oddly familiar.... hmm, like a banana! Ahh... hmmm... so good! The fragrance is very faint, it does not fill the air around you unfortunately, but nevertheless to see them is just as pleasing.
So on my walk I had a mission. Find all of the banana yuccas. They are easy to spot since the yuccas are so tall up to 15 feet in some cases. There were some smaller ones though around 8 feet, and hence the viewing of the flowers.
The wildflowers are all but done now. I am seeing that the cacti are getting ready to bloom. An older gentleman was telling me that in the high desert the cacti, yuccas, and other flowering plants have yet to open. When they do open at the botanical garden, it may be my cue to head for the high deserts in Arizona.

Huge Chuckwalla Lizard

Ok, this is getting unreal. I guess there was a point when the Park ranger said that Camelback Mountain is popular for chuckwallas. I went again this morning and on my way back down when the temperatures were on the rise baking the East facing side, I had hit one of those tricky passes where it is downhill gravel (this is where mountain goat maneuvers come in handy...). I had successfully made it down the passage and stopped. I started thinking now if I was a lizard this is where I would be hanging out. I am starting to pick out good lizard sun rocks. So I started to slowly scan the rocks and What??? I see this huge chuckwalla (pictured above) on the rocks above me right along the gravel side. Since I was concentrating so keenly on getting no scraped knees and bruises I did not even notice this guy two feet away from me.
Hot digity dang! This guy is huge. And it is a male by the way. Males have red on their back. Females are just one shade of lizard grey color. And the female was below me hiding under a rock. I clearly scared her with my "ooos and ahhs" and flashing my camera around.

A father and his daughter (about 5 or 6 years) came up the trail. I showed them the sighting. The girl let out a scream. And telling her daddy she wanted to go home. Oh dear. I told her that the lizards were more scared of her and would not attack her. Poor girl. I felt bad that fear was the immediate emotion and not awe.

By the way, yes I spotted a snake. Did not take a picture as it quickly slithered under a rock. The tail was showing a bit and I studied that... no visible signs of rattles. I am pretty confident it was not a rattler. But regardless, I left it alone.

And now that chuckwallas are so popular on my camelback outings. No more pictures. That is unless I find one over a foot or so. I wonder if they get that big.

Cute Chuckwalla lizard!

It's a snake! No! It's a gila monster! No! It is a Chuckwalla Lizard!

I encountered this cute creature on the hike on camelback. This is my second sighting of a chuckwalla lizard. I hear they are popular on Camelback and love to sun themselves. They are not poisonous. And are more likely to run from you. But they can be brave as this one showed to be.

They are sooo cute! The first one I saw two weeks ago was about a foot in length from head to tip of tail. This one seemed to be deflated because the first one had its side out thus creating the shape of a turtle's back.

I waited for about a minute before the lizard got brave and showed itself on the rock. I guess it did not mind me standing there. A guy came down the trail and saw the lizard and exclaimed, "It's a gila monster! A really, really small one." I told him it was a chuckwalla lizard. "Really? Are you sure?" "Yes, I am sure." I looked it up two weeks ago. And told him we would be in big trouble if it was a gila monster. They are poisonous. I hear that they sink their jaws deep into the skin and send out the poison that way. That's got to hurt and no way I am going to find out first hand. And chuckwallas are harmless. And all of this time the chuckwalla remained where it was. Perhaps thinking we did not see it anymore?

I will keep posted the wildlife sightings on Camelback. Temps are rising now (upper 80s) so more animals will be coming out in the warm weather.

Butcher Jones Trail

I spent the rather warm (upper 80s) Easter day to the mountains. Specifically, I hiked Butcher Jones Trail nestled along parts of Saguaro Lake, which has been created by the Salt River projects (dams and thus water for the valley). In the backdrop of this picture is the famous Four Peaks. While the Four Peaks was not my destination, it was one of the visible landmarks for my hike.

I parked my car at the Butcher Jones recreation site where it was full of large family gatherings for the Easter day. Fortunately the trail leaves the picnic sites and leads along some beautiful scenic spots overlooking the lake, desert, and vistas. I will pause for a moment in telling the story of Butcher Jones. As I am told, the nickname "Butcher" is a joke. W.W. Jones was a rancher and a doctor who had cattle in these parts spreading from the Salt River (upper Scottsdale/Mesa) to the Four Peaks wilderness area during the late 19 century. A rather large area covering thousands of areas. It is astounding to me to have the cattle grazing in the desert as the vegetation seems not to offer a lot for cattle. It's a desert! What do they eat?Not too far into the hike, there is a short detour (.1 miles) that visits a dry waterfall. This is where the water would be coming out (the V shaped rock, yellow rock). As I was walking the dry beds to the waterfall, it is apparent that water has not flowed for some time now (years?). As one continues the hike, the trail still follows the meandering shoreline rising higher and higher along the cliffs. The slopes are exposed and abundance of wildflowers are seen amidst the desert scape. I saw more varieties and colors of flowers than on South Mountain. Yellows and blues are still the dominate color but there were white, orange, and pink contrasts to be seen.During the hike, there were some panoramic views of the lake and cliffs. Saguaro Lake is an oddly shaped lake following the rugged cliffs in and out of coves. For the next mile and half or so, the trail left the lake and started into the desert terrain. So I was able to leave the noises of loud boats and people for a bit. I realize that sound travels far in the desert. So I could hear many things, mostly boat traffic.
So began the next segment of the hike. Even being in the desert, there is a lot of changes of vegetation and scenery in a short span of time. The trail becomes a little more rugged and less maintained. The cactus and shrubs extend often over the trail and sometimes the trail encroaches the vegetation. It is apparent that the wilds of nature is taking back the trail. I have small scratches on my arms and legs to prove it.

And then when rising over the crest of a large hill, another part of the lake comes into view with the sweeping views of Four Peaks and the wilderness area. Turkey vultures were my steady companions. I saw them often during my hike flying low and than out circling with sometimes four in the same area.

And thus concluded my hiking destination. The trail took one to Burro Cove with a vista overlooking the splendors. There is a trail that continues along the shoreline but one needs to become a bushwhacker extraordinaire to continue this journey. As it was 2pm and temps well into the 80s, it was time to take savor the scenery, hydrate the body with plenty of fluids and foods and then head back. The trail length to Burro Cove is 2.6 miles.

On my return hike back, I stopped at a rather secluded cove. I took off my hiking boots and sweaty socks and soaked my feet in the cold waters. It was nice to sit a spell even with a entsy bit of shade to enjoy.

It is nice to know that the desert splendors among the mountains are so close considering locations. And one can quickly leave the traces of city scape behind. To get away and be on desert time.

Wildflowers at South Mountain

I was at South Mountain today for two purposes. One, to take a break from hiking Camelback, which I have started hiking twice a week, so I could do a moderate workout on my tight thighs to loosen up some. The second reason was a request for the wildflowers that are starting to be in full swing in the desert.
I went out to hike at 1430 hours. During the middle of the day and the highs in the lower 80s. Regardless of the heat, it was vastly pleasant to take a hike. There were nice breezes blowing through and I was protected with sunblock and shade (hat/sunglasses) plus water and electrolytes.
I am tempted to hike more often during the midday or afternoon. It is very different atmosphere than when I hike during the morning hours. I was contemplating what the changes were. Primarily reason may because there were less hikers and bikers on the trail. There were people out but very few, especially up on the National trail. But less movement and stillness, even though the wind was gently breezing. Not so many birds out chirping. A quiet feel that slowed my pace to being rather meditative and just being in the moment.
The next few are going to be pictures of flowers. Small flowers. The need to get up close and personal with the intimate characteristics of the subtle changing yellows, blues, oranges and the poise of the flowers.
I know the color contrasts are not vibrant...maybe looking a little bleached or more appropriately-dusty. But this is the beauty of the desert. It is so subtle. I am finding the desert is not a place to be hurried if one wants to appreciate the full gamut of beauty and the secrets the desert has to tell. Even though it was still, there were still plenty of critters out and about. The lizards were the most active. I saw a chipmunk and several beetles that can fly too. There was a hummingbird at one point. And I saw three birds passing through. Two looked to be some sort of miniature bird of prey of some kind.
And yes, your eyes are not teasing you, this is a snake. I made sure to include this one because I know there are so many snake fans out there and been asking about snake encounters. Cute little guy stretched out on the trail keeping warm, enjoying the sun. I was tempted to lay down with it for a spell to soak in some of the rays and hear any exciting tales of rattlesnake encounters. But no, I left it in peace. The snake did not seem bothered by my presence.
And thus my walkabout. It was nice to be out at South Mountain. It is like home now since I have been there so many times. Always nice to return to something familiar but yet observe the changes present. I had not expected this hike in many ways. I went with my before mentioned purposes but yet, the walkabout served a higher purpose that I did not plan for. Indeed it was very meditative. The pace just right to fit the day. To drink in the sights, smells, and what sounds that could be heard-the silence broken only occasionally by friendly greeting and smile with a fellow neighbor. The walkabout was also very restorative. I have needed this kind of contentment and peace for some time (especially with my February sickness streak). I am fairly certain that I will get much rest tonight. The kind that is deep and reaches down to the soul to dream the visions and mingles with loved ones far and near.

NOTE: Since I have already had some report interest in my snake encounter... I am going to give the snake a rest by declaring I have looked it up and identified my snake. It is a glossy snake, VERY harmless to humans.

Mazatzal Wilderness

Some eons ago, about the 2 of February, I went on a twelve mile hike up in the Mazatzal Wilderness North of Phoenix in the Tronto area. I found a hiking group that was hosting this event. Only four of us were present to do the hike.

I am going to do my best to describe this hike. It is hard because of the vast changes in scenery. We were already fairly high up altitude wise when we got to our destination at the Barnhardt trailhead. The trail takes you through the canyon gradually making your way up the switchbacks and along the side of the canyon to the top showing the vista of all around.

This is what it was like in the first part of the hike. We arrived at the trailhead at 0850 hours and got started promptly. As with the rains in the valley, Northern Arizona had been getting snow. How lucky! It is dark just because the sun still has a way to go to reach the sky up above and the canyon walls so tall that I realized that many portions of the canyon does not even get sunlight during any part of the day. So it stays colder with snow and ice.

This is how far the sun is able to reach it's sunrays during the day. I do not know if you can tell but "white lines" on the rocks are actually waterfalls that had become frozen.
Here is a close up of one still life waterfall. I think it is a wonder of nature. I never really thought to see anything like this before. Water that had finally froze in motion? One of the hardest parts of the hike was that there was frozen water everywhere including on the trail. It made it very tricky to get across some parts. Try walking on pure ice with only the canyon wall on one side and the drop off on the other side of forty or more feet. And the trail in some places was only wide enough for my feet to step in front of another step. No missteps or else! No joke.

I named this the bonsai ice garden. The picture does not serve justice. It warmed up to 38 degrees ... oh yes, did I forget to mention that the average temperatures in the morning hours were around 28 degrees according to the thermostat we had with us? It changed of course when we got out of the canyon to more sun. But we were marveling this bonsai ice garden. Droplets of water trickled down the ice. The cactus all frozen in.

The scenery changed when we got higher. Less snow and the vegetation changed a bit. This was an area that was ravaged by the wildfires some years ago. So the vegetation is quite shrubby.

The giant aloe species were abundant. I loved seeing them. So different from the valley where the Saguaros are the primary giants.

Yes, I was here. Proof I did the hike. :)

It certainly was a very magical hike. It seems like a dream. Does a place like this exist just about over an hour from Phoenix? The hidden secrets.

Desert Trekking

The valley of the Sun is a valley that is surrounded by mountains that have seen thousands of years of change from seas, rivers and now all that remains are the mountains, valleys, and formations: the skeletons that tell the ancient history since the basement of time evolving still etched away in the layers of rocks and dirt.

And along with the natural changes are the cultures of diversity of plants, wildlife, and humans. Now the valley hosts one of the largest cities in the USA with about six million people. Why on earth would anyone want to live in the valley where we had boasted some record breaking temperatures in the sweltering heat of the summers? But truly, I think any sane person would say, I stay because of the desert.

I had come to the valley in the Fall of 2003 for attendance to ASU program for music therapy. The desert did not have any particular draw to me. But as a sojourn once commented in a book about desert treks of solitude, the desert has magic and a draw for those who come for respite, to listen. If you live in the desert long enough, one may feel the pull, the power of the desert. It is strong for me and in the three and half years at ASU was enough. While I was in LA, I would have dreams about the desert. I have become a desert Gecko. And so begins a new chapter of life back into desertscape.

My newest venture is desert hiking. Even though Phoenix with the smaller communities of Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert and so on, it is rather easy to get to the natural world. Phoenix boasts the largest park within a city. South Mountain Park. I trek only a dent of the park as the park itself is approximately 17000 acres. Every Saturday I go making a two to four hour hiking venture.

The area I hike is about a 30 minute drive through stop and go traffic so rather close. I take some trails along the lower ridges that overlook the vast metropolis. This is looking at downtown Phoenix and the North part of Tempe and Scottsdale in the North expanse on the right side of the photo. This is more looking to West Valley of Phoenix. An area I do not frequent much. I live and hang out in the East valley. But as one continues to hike, one goes into the interior and sound ceases to exist from the city. At least for me. And a changing desert landscape exists. Saguaro cactus and Cholla cactus are the "trees" of the desert here. With the Saguaros towering over my head. The cholla cactus may look friendly and furry, but do not let their furriness deceive you. One learns quickly not to fool around with cactus. I had gotten some very sturdy hiking books in the area several years ago. Designed not only for desert terrain but also if I do have a careless mishap with a baby cactus my feet are protected. I have not had a mishap yet happy to say.


Do you see the green? With all of the rain the Southwest got during the December and beginning of January, the desert came to life; rejuvenated by the water. Including grass. It is a shocker for me actually to see grass here, especially this much. The grass has gotten so long in some areas some that it is long enough to mow?? And this cactus above is actually the size of a cantaloupe. I was on my knees and had the camera sitting on the ground.


The Saguaros are the trees of the desert. They are stark giants standing amid rocky seemingly desolate terrain. They have acclimatize well to the desert, but I often wonder on the impact of human population and pollution is having some effects on these Ents of the Southwest. Now a few know I have this tendency to hug trees. Yes, I am a tree hugger. Walk through a forest of oak, evergreen and such and will hug a tree for the pure joy of wrapping arms around a tree trunk. I would love to hug a Saguaro but as evidence shows, they are a bit wary of tree hugging people like me and developed these harsh, pointy defenses against such acts of love. They do not know what they are missing.
There is always more to see. Arizona does not lack in natural beauty.