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In my naive, younger years, I considered desert scenes rather boring. I thought they lacked color, vibrancy and interest however I’ve since discovered the real living desert and just how much I love photographing desert scapes. To experience a desert’s awakening, you truly must be on the desert floor as the sun rises, as I was here. It’s only then that you see the colors of the plants but also their renowned halos. That said, the most most notable were the Saguaro trees and Cholas (both have dense needles), as you can see in this photograph. This photo was taken from a biking/hiking trail in Brown’s Ranch State Park (McDowell Sonoran Preserve), in north-east Scottsdale, Arizona). We arrived just after the park gate opened and cycled into the sun as it rose. It was so (unbelievably) beautiful; I was in awe and in that moment, I counted my blessings for being here. Brown’s Ranch hosts my favorite cycling trail (to date) because they’re undulating and curvy while surrounded by the desert plants, large boulders and the far off mountains. We had a blast! AND what a spectacular morning!
Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California, near the community of Yucca Valley. This high elevation national park is characterized by it's rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees its uniqueness draws thousands of visitors each year.
The Butler Wash ruins (a cliff-dwelling) are located 14 miles southwest of Blanding, Utah, on Highway 95 and is within the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. It was an easy 1/2 mile walk on a slide rock base to a canyon, perched viewing platform. The ruins themselves were located across the the way (across a deep canyon), and it was from here that I took this photo. Although this photo isn't my favorite it's the memory (story to follow) that goes with it that makes me chuckle. The Anasazi people inhabited this area around 1200 AD and although the site had been stabilized and reconstructed to some degree, the authenticity remained true to the original site. As I shot this photo my mind wandered to the life of the Anasazi whom farmed on the canyon's floor; imagining their simple lives, children playing, the winter's cold and the summer's heat. Although the ruins were the highlight of our stop, it was the memory of being locked out of my brand-new motor-home that comes to mind first! I had the keys and the fob (to both the coach and the driver's door) in my hand but neither worked! Why?! Noting that it was late in the day and the cold of night would be upon us soon, I began to worry. Unfortunately, we didn't have cel service so calling a tow truck was not an option. Fortunately however a kind gentleman saw our dilemma and drove us to Blanding so we could buy a new battery for the key fob (presuming that was the problem), and with no money in our pockets, he lent us some. By the time we got back to my motor-home, it was getting dark and very cold (I was wearing a t-shirt). We were anxious to get in but... surprise! You can imagine our surprise when, even the new battery in the fob didn't fix the problem! "No way!", we exclaimed! So, left with no other alternatives, we borrowed an axe from our new-found friend and smashed the small passenger side window. Oh dear, as you can imagine, it exploded and tiny bits of glass flew everywhere! It was in the vents, under the seats and even to the very back of the RV; we cleaned for the next 2 hours! But at least we were warm :-) Sometimes when things go wrong it becomes the biggest story and the most memorable! 🙂 *We later discovered that the locking mechanism within the door was not attached during manufacturing, thus we got locked out.
