On July 24th I finally had the opportunity to go on a “faux vacation” to Arizona. My epic journey took me from Tucson, Arizona to Denver, Colorado, a distance of around 900 miles. Now I share my experiences with you, fellow travelers, before gas becomes so expensive we are no longer able to leave the house, much less state lines.
I took off from JFK on a US Airways flight specifically designed as some sort of sensory deprivation experiment. A 7am flight for someone who hasn’t slept in days is no laughing matter, especially when the seats seem to specifically prohibit sleeping. We were even denied pillows, just to make sure no one had any rest. But I digress…
Desert wildlife near Tucson, Arizona.
I landed in Phoenix, a city I am somewhat familiar with. This metropolitan center defiantly stands in the middle of a scorching desert. Driving around is relaxing compared to the mean, pot-holed streets of New York, but many drivers have an unnatural tendency to tailgate. If someone has an explanation for this, I’m all ears. I’ve driven from Phoenix to New York before, and nowhere else do people more enjoy getting dangerously close to your bumper than here.
The temptation to dine at Pie Zanos Kitchen was too great. This place is a simply amazing create-your-own pizza factory. There are too many options to even list, with several types of crust, countless cheeses, and every topping you could think of (and perhaps some you never did). My order? Wheat crust, house sauce mixed with BBQ sauce, three cheese blend, onions, peas, black olives, mushrooms, garlic seasoning, and a bunch of other stuff I can’t even remember or name.
Afterwards it was off to Tucson. This is a much different place than Phoenix, and by no means a sprawling metropolis. Overall though a pleasant place if you like the desert.
View of Tucson from Pima Mountain trail.
The most impressive part of my stay in Tucson was the wildlife. Some of you may ask “there’s wildlife in the desert, and its interesting?” By all means! There are lizards and rabbits running around everywhere. The zebra-tailed and earless lizards are extremely fast, but if you catch them off guard they will bob their heads, swing their tails, and even change colors. The vegetation is amazing too, though often extremely prickly. The immense cacti have a presence and beauty all their own, much like ancient trees.
Earless Lizard caught unaware. Reacts by bobbing its head, changing colors, and flipping its tail.
Another Earless Lizard, this time tailess. Seen here regrowing a tail lost to a predator.
A desert rabbit.
Epic cacti.
Some of the best nature experiences occurred when I hiked the Pima Canyon trail. Unfortunately the first part of the trail is segregated because it goes through private property. This was the most disappointing part of my trip. Right in the middle of the desert wilderness, on the side of an immense mountain, stand big, ugly private houses. An ironic sign about declining herds is placed near one of these homes, and graffiti on it reads “look at this big ugly house.” I truly wish I had more time over here to investigate why the authorities are allowing this expansion, but I guess its more important that rich people get to live in a beautiful place than it is to preserve our natural heritage for future generations.
Private property fences in the first part of the Pima Canyon trail.
A house being constructed right in the middle of the canyon, despite ecological damage.
Ironic sign about declining wildlife next to house causing the decline.
Rich person's house: 1 Our natural heritage: 0
Right off the bat I had a rare encounter with a Gila Monster, the largest lizard in the United States and also the only poisonous one. Getting bitten by this creature would be a very painful and unpleasant experience, so I kept my distance, but managed to take a strangely amateurish video of it (hint: I was trying to take a picture, but had the camera set to video). At least this makes the encounter look even more unusual and rare.
Terrible video of Gila Monster running from me. Mysterious, eh?
Me running down the Pima Canyon trail.
Bridge over the trail.
Petrified wood on the trail. These trees turned into rock over millions of years, but still hold the same look and texture.
My trek ended abruptly as storm clouds gathered above. Apparently this is flash-flood season, and I returned home just in time to escape a massive downpour. The dry, desolate landscape erupted with lighting, winds, and gallons upon gallons of water. No doubt the plants were very happy because of this, but I was equally happy to be indoors.
Storm clouds forming over Tucson.
Epic lighting storm with flash floods, too epic for my camera. If you would like to make a donation for a new one, please do...
MUCH more to come!
1 comment:
Great reading. Enjoyed. And, I really liked the video. More please.
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