Desert Hiking - March 2013

Growing up in the desert, it is hard to convey what that means to people who have never been to one. Most people have images of Bugs Bunny stuck in endless sand dunes or some desolate place devoid of any life. The Sonoran Desert which covers Phoenix has a tremendous amount of flora and fauna. The City of Phoenix set aside a massive park - South Mountain Park - with over 13,000 acres of desert mountains right in the center of town. Since this was close to my house, I am very familiar with the park as is anyone who drives around and sees the massive TV towers on the southern edge lighting up the night sky.

A friend and I set off for a nice hike in South Mountain along with many other Phoenicians that day. The weather was warm and sunny, and the wildflowers were in bloom. There are many trails easily accessible from the city for all activity levels. Just bring lots of water and a camera, and you will easily have a good time. The smells, sounds, and sights of the desert are very unique and unlike anything most people have ever experienced. If you get the chance, I always recommend it.

Spring Training Baseball - March 2013

The stated purpose of my recent trip to Arizona was to see three Spring Training games with my San Francisco Giants, although seeing my friends and getting back to nature were also motivators. I am not alone in visiting Arizona during March as shown in the above map of visitors staying at my hotel. March is a beautiful time to visit the Valley of the Sun with temperatures in the 70-80 degree mark with sunny skies and very expensive rental cars and hotel rooms.

The first game was the Colorado Rockies v. Giants at Scottsdale. Scottsdale Stadium is one of the older parks in Phoenix for Spring Training and is showing its age. The location is perfect, but the parking is tough and the seats and speakers are not enjoyable. It was my first hot dog and beer of the season which were bought at the only stand where 100% of the profits went to the little league team running the stand! Plus, a night game was a perfect cool introduction to Phoenix baseball. Unfortunately, the Giants lost this game.

The next day, I went to the Giants v. Rockies at the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. This place was impressive. It is the first ballpark built on Native American land next to Scottsdale and near the new Talking Stick Resort, which is a fun place to lose your money too. Everything was perfect except sitting in the desert sun for over two hours. Beer and sunblock work well in those brutal conditions. Their food is also impressive with a highly recommended Bison Dog with excellent flavor. Local beer from Four Peaks and SanTan too. I had my big camera with me to take some better photos. I had a great time there, especially with a Giants win!

The final stadium was HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ to see the Giants v. Chicago Cubs. This is the final season at this old park, so I made sure to pop an Old Style and squeeze in between some big Cubs fans. One of the nice things about Phoenix is that the mountains are usually visible in the outfield which makes any hit even more impressive. Ironically, I did not get a hot dog here since my belly was still full from an awesome green chile fry bread taco from my favorite place in Phoenix. The Giants won this last game of my trip, and fortunately I had full shade the entire game - plus a little A/C from the press boxes directly above me.

Even though I enjoyed my trip, I will probably not return for Spring Training. I recommend that every baseball fan visit at least once - especially to justify a trip to Arizona - but the scene has changed from the simpler times I remember growing up. The tickets are expensive, the stadiums are packed, and the baseball is not very interesting. We are really just watching practice games with few big names and fewer big plays. Fortunately, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the National League West and seeing my Giants play at Chase Field will always be a draw.

Sedona - March 2013

Words cannot accurately describe the beauty of Sedona. This small town is nestled at the base of the Mogollon Rim in Northern Arizona in the middle of red rock country. The region was formed when erosion carved through the sandstone rock and created the cliffs and rock formations seen around the region. Sedona sits at the top of the Verde Valley in central Arizona which itself used to sit at the bottom of a large ocean.

Arizona was subject to many geologic events which created the Grand Canyon, regional volcanos, and the beautiful scenery around Sedona. I spent many days in this region during college and also exposed hundreds of rolls of film. This time, I let a professional do the driving courtesy of Pink Jeep Tours.

Their Broken Arrow Tour took me down the off road trails near town to places not easily visited by rental car. The tour was simply amazing with incredible scenery and a great tour guide and group. I highly recommend taking the tour if your get the chance. It was a great experience.

Of course I had to get my obligatory self portrait in front of the red rocks. On this trip, I was able to bring my Nikon D5100 camera with the standard 18-55 mm DX lens. I used a polarizing filter to accentuate the blue skies and red rocks for even better pictures.

We encountered some mountain bikers and other jeep tours on the ride. You can also rent your own off road jeep to drive around the area, but I found it much better to leave it to the professionals.

Enjoy these other Sedona pictures:

Flagstaff - March 2013

After a quick trip to the Colorado Plateau, it was time to head back to Flagstaff for dinner and sleep. Flagstaff is home to Northern Arizona University and is in a part of Arizona with Ponderosa Pine forests at 7,000 feet elevation. The city, resting at the base of the 12,633 foot San Francisco Peaks, receives snow and is generally cold and windy - definitely not what people think of Arizona!

I moved to Flagstaff in 1997 to attend Northern Arizona University. It is a relatively small city with around 50,000 residents. Over the years, it has grown into an even better city, although I am rather upset that the Five Guys and Chipotle opened AFTER I left town. The main BNSF railroad runs through the middle of town and is a constant background noise. It also splits the downtown bars with the university, a great combination for college students.

Dinner was downtown at Diablo Burger. This small restaurant serves amazing hamburgers using local ingredients. The burger at right is locally raised beef with local bacon, local goat cheese, and Hatch chile mayo. Yes, it is served on an English muffin. It was amazing. Perfectly cooked beef with all the tasty extras, including a local stout. You can guess they are big on the local thing at this restaurant. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Flagstaff, although it is cash only. Interestingly, they only accept cash as a way to keep the profits locally instead of paying extra bank fees for processing. Cool place.

Time for some more beer. Flagstaff is home to six breweries which are part of the Flagstaff Ale Trail. That is nearly one brewery per 10,000 people! Fortunately they are all within walking distance of each other and many downtown hotels to avoid driving. This was my first visit to the new Lumberyard Brewing Company which was very impressive. They are an offshoot of the Beaver Street Brewery which was a favorite during my college years. It is a nice place looking like an upscale rustic lodge with an outdoor fire pit for those cold summer nights (and freezing winter nights). They were out of the Imperial Red, but their Scotch Ale was perfect to close out the night.

It was fun to see the old college town again and get some good food and beer to recharge the body and soul. After some needed sleep and warm clothes, it is on to the rest of my Arizona Adventure.

Here are some additional Flagstaff pictures:

Wupatki National Monument - March 2013

Just down the road from Sunset Crater lies Wupatki National Monument. This place is special for me since I have shot many rolls of film here. It is the site of several ancient Native American pueblos and many artifacts. It is speculated that the eruption of the volcanos almost 1,000 years ago created a fertile plain in the region capable of agriculture. The region includes several pueblos, ball courts, and even a blowhole that connects to an underground cavern. It either expels air or creates a vacuum based on the air pressure. It is pretty cool, but apparently did not serve any known purpose to the inhabitants. Here are the recent pictures. Again, it was overcast, but the pictures are still good.

Sunset Crater National Monument - March 2013

San Francisco Peaks from Lowell Observatory

I just got back from a week in Arizona mainly for Spring Training baseball, but I managed to spend time with friends and see some great scenery. My family moved to Arizona in 1986, and I lived there until 2001 when I graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. Most of my time was spent in Tempe, AZ growing up and exploring a very unique part of the world.

On my recent trip, I immediately drove my rental car the 2 hours and 6,000 foot climb from the desert of Phoenix to the forests and cool, windy weather of Flagstaff. I had not been back to Flagstaff since 2010 and was anxious to see the springtime weather in the region. Flagstaff is blessed with cool weather and proximity to some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in the world within a short drive from downtown. It set an amazing backdrop for a college student from the giant desert city.

Within a short drive from Flagstaff lie two special National Monuments where this former college student spent many days hiking and taking pictures. The first of which is Sunset Crater National Monument. The area around Flagstaff had significant geological activity including major volcanoes and lava flows. There are so many cinder hills around that the transportation departments dump cinders on the icy roads instead of salt for traction! Below are several pictures from Sunset Crater. It was an overcast day, so just imagine these photos bathed in high altitude sunshine.