A Saguaro Forest

Saguaros seem to grow randomly across the lower Sonora Desert, but each one has a history starting with an individual nursery plant. Conditions have to be just right for the relatively small saguaro seeds to sprout and the tiny plants must be protected from adverse conditions that might prevent their growth. In every case, the saguaro grows very near another plant, the nursery plant, that acts as a sun shield and helps the slow growing newly sprouted saguaro to grow. It is not uncommon for the saguaro to far outlive its nursery plant helper living more than 200 years. Stands of saguaros such as these, seem to grow mostly on the warmer south-facing hill sides. The distribution of all plants depends on moisture, soil conditions and temperature. Saguaros are no exception. They do not grow over about 3000 feet in elevation because of the possibility of hard freezes. The cactus is usually found on gravelly slopes or rocky ridges. Despite the advertising and cartoon association of saguaros with deserts around the world, they are only found in the Lower Sonoran Zone of the deserts in certain parts of Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. There are a few specimens along the Colorado River in California.

Canyon de Chelly

One of the few U.S. National Monuments that have full-time residents, Canyon de Chelly is one of the longest continuously inhabited locations in North America. When I was younger, our family made annual treks via Navajo guided tours into the canyon. The four-wheel-drive trucks too almost the entire day to travel to the canyon's upper reaches, viewing ancient ruins amid the perpendicular canyon walls. The National Monument is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that is still home to members of the Tribe. Except for one trail, down the canyon walls to the White House Ruin, all parts of the Canyon are closed to visitors unless accompanied by licensed Navajo Nation guides. Travel into the Canyon is not inexpensive, a day long tour can cost as much as $50.00 per hour or more per person.

The Canyon is a mixture of the very old and the very new. It is claimed that there are over 2700 archaeological sites withing the Canyon. The floor of the Canyon is mostly soft sand and when wet or dry requires careful driving. The entrance to the Canyon is almost in the center of the small town of Chinle. When I was young, the entrance to the Canyon was undeveloped and had beautiful sand dunes nearby. Now, there are buildings right up to almost the entrance of the Canyon. The whole area is surprisingly small. You can drive completely around the Canyon in a few hours on paved roads and never see into the Canyon.

I think it is one of the most spectacular places in the world and although the area around the Canyon has been subject to development, the Canyon itself has been beautifully preserved.

Rugged Country

For me, this canyon scene along the Apache Trail in the Tonto National Forest defines the term "rugged country." This area is just southeast of Horse Mesa Dam, the dam forming Apache Lake. There are a couple of dirt roads in the area, but as you can see from the picture, there isn't anyplace to put a road. From the bottom of the canyons to the tops of mountains there is about 1200 feet of elevation change. At the end of the Apache Trail at Roosevelt Dam there is plaque with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, "The Apache Trail combines the grandeur of the Alps, the glory of the Rockies, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon and then adds an indefinable something that none of the others have. To me, it is the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature has ever created."

Deer in Arizona

Arizona has two major deer species: Mule Deer - (Odocoileus hemionus) and White-Tail Deer - (Odocoileus virginianus). Mule deer (left) are usually a dark gray-brown, with a small white rump patch and a small, black-tipped tail. Their large ears are distinctive. White-tail deer are tan in color, with a larger tail. Antlers on mule deer tend to be larger than white-tail deer and rise up over the head; the prongs are also forked. Prongs of white-tail antlers are single, and grow off the main tine; they tend to grow forward towards the eyes. Average weights are 225 and 125 pounds (mule deer buck and doe) and 125 and 80 pounds (white-tail buck and doe). See White Mountains Online.

The deer above was lying about 50 yards from the rim of the Grand Canyon.

John Wesley Powell

Did you know that John Wesley Powell's brain is housed in jar at the Smithsonian Institution? Powell willed his brain to science and so it now rests in a preservative. He also left body parts in Tennessee at the battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) in April of 1862. Quoting from the United States Geographic Service:

Powell was made captain of Battery F, 2d Illinois Artillery Volunteers at the end of the year. A few weeks later, he and his battery were ordered to Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. During the Battle of Shiloh, on April 6, as Powell gave the signal to fire, a Minie ball struck his wrist and plowed into his arm. The wound was so severe that his arm had to be amputated below the elbow.

Powell was instrumental in founding and gaining legislation for the USGS.

In the spring of 1878, Congress investigated the rivalry among the western surveys but was unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion. They called on the National Academy of Sciences for advice, and the academy in turn called on Powell and others for suggestions. Legislation embodying the academy plan that contained many of Powell's ideas was introduced, but before it was finally enacted several provisions were eliminated, including one of special interest to Powell—a proposal to change the public land system. The bill that was passed on March 3, 1879, provided for the establishment of the U.S. Geological Survey, discontinuation of the western surveys, and appointment of a commission to codify the public land laws. Powell became a member of the commission, and Clarence King, who had been in charge of the Geologic Exploration of the 40th Parallel, the first of the national surveys authorized by Congress, became the first Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

He is most famous for his trips of exploration down the Colorado River and of course, because of his namesake, Lake Powell. The picture above is the Powell Memorial at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon commemorating his first and second voyages down the Colorado River in 1869 and 1872.

Windows, Arches and Bridges

On the high plateau, wind and water, heat and cold, combine to make the multitudinous forms of the sandstone. No where is the artistry of the geologic forces so evidenced than in the manufacture of windows, arches and bridges of stone. Look closely at the picture above. There is a window looking out on the red cliff beyond. Growing larger and standing free the window becomes an arch. If the arch stretches across a watercourse, it becomes a bridge. So passionate are the lovers of these stone edifices, that their pictures adorn everything from place mats to license plates. Its larger counterpart on the North Rim is called Angel's Window. This smaller window largely remains unnoticed by the multitudes of Park visitors.

Remember to look closely when you go into the Canyon. There are many things the casual tourist does not and cannot see.

Into the Grand Canyon

Hiking into the Grand Canyon is an unparalleled experience in an upside down world of mountains that go down rather than up. It is the reverse of climbing a mountain. As you descend into the Canyon, your vision narrows and the grand vistas of the rim become views of cliffs and flat topped mesas. Instead of feeling cool breezes and catching glimpses of expansive vistas, the walls close in and the air becomes increasingly warmer. The trails are rough and steep. There are no leisurely walks into the Grand Canyon. The minute you step off the rim, you are committed to climbing back out. Any energy you have to climb will have to be used on the return trip.

Some trails are narrow catwalks along cliffs with thousands of feet of exposure. Others are endless trails across huge flat valleys where you lose all sense of being in a canyon, you are instead walking across a plain with mountains in the distance, only these mountains are really the canyon walls. On the rim, you see people dancing on the rocks, taking pictures as they hang out over the cliffs because on the rim there is no sense of scale, nothing to tell you how far it is to the next level down into the canyon.

Viewed from above, the people on the canyon trails seem to be walking in slow motion as they seem to crawl endlessly across tiny trails. Walking inside of the Canyon gives you the same feeling, the distances are so great, your progress across the huge flat expanses appears to last forever. There are no short cuts. Trails in the Canyon are there either because they have been there from ancient times or because they were constructed with picks and shovels and dynamite. Leaving the trails to attempt to travel cross country usually ends in tragedy and sometimes death. The Canyon is never forgiving of carelessness nor foolishness.

The vision of the Colorado River, away in the distance, does nothing to lessen the desert dry nature of the Canyon. There is little water and springs and streams are far between and mostly inaccessible.

There are only a few places left in Arizona, or anywhere else for that matter, that are so wild, so inaccessible and so remote, that they can truly be said to be wilderness. The inner depths of the Grand Canyon is still one of those rare places.

Mogollon Rim

Originally called the Mogollon Plateau, the Rim is one of the most striking geographic features in Arizona. Running across the state from the southeast to the northwest, it is most prominent in the area in northern Gila County. The top of the Rim varies from 6500 to over 7500 feet above sea level and the country below the Rim is almost 1000 feet lower. When I was young, I had no idea how to spell the name because it is pronounced "muggy-on" by most of the locals. Later, I learned that the Rim was in reality the edge of the vast Colorado Plateau. It took me a while to put all of the geography together, because in the area shown above, the cliffs do not look at all like the sandstone of the Four Corners area. Most of the rock is a weathered green rather than the striking pinks and reds of the canyon country to the north. But, notwithstanding its appearance, the Rim is still mostly sandstone and limestone.

When I was young, the Rim was a wild and lonely place with almost no roads and those that did exist were dirt or mud when it rained. We could go for hours without seeing a car or another person while traveling along the Rim. Now, with a number of wide highways crossing the Rim country, it is not only accessible but crowded on many days during the summer. There are still areas of solitude, but the wilderness atmosphere is long gone.

The top of the Rim, and most of the land below the Rim is one vast Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum) forest, said to be the largest Ponderosa Pine forest on the continent. OK, now what that really means is that the other large forests in North America just have different types of trees, usually because they have more water. Even though this huge forest is green and inviting, it is really a desert forest. Annual rainfall amounts are well below most other large forested areas. Quoting from the Land Use History of North America, Colorado Plateau from Northern Arizona University,

Before European settlement, widespread surface fires that occurred every 2-15 years favored grasses and limited pine densities. Early explorers described majestic, open stands with rich grasses and occasional shrubs beneath, as young ponderosa seedlings were often killed by the low-intensity fires while mature pines, with their thick yellowish red bark, were only scarred. The effects of grazing and fire suppression since the late 1880s on ponderosa pine forests have been profound, including a shift to forests with very high tree densities, which in turn has contributed to destructive forest fires. Separate web pages give more detail on ponderosa pine fire ecology and reintroduction of fire to forest ecosystems. Two longer research essays, Changed Southwestern Forests: Resource effects and management remedies, and Restoring Ecosystem Health in Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Southwest are also available in this website.

Mist on Blue Ridge

Located in a fantastic narrow canyon, this is one of my favorite places in the world. If you sank in this canyon they would never find your body the water is so deep. Although the name is far from original, Blue Ridge, it is a one-of-a-kind place where you can see mountain lions sunning themselves on rocks and eagles and ospreys diving for fish. When the water is high, the banks are crowded with pine trees. When the water is low, there are huge cliffs along the banks of the lake. The water is not blue, it is black or green or brown.

Floating on this lake is like flying weightless in an infinite mirror of shapes and forms. It is a rare experience and one never to be forgotten.

Oh! He's so cute!!

OK, cuteness aside, this is a rodent. Like rats, mice, you know, a rodent Rodentia Sciuridae. This is actually a Cliff Chipmunk Tamias dorsalis, also known as: Gray Chipmunk, Gray-backed Chipmunk, Gila Striped Chipmunk, Pallid Chipmunk, Chichimoke, and Chichimuka. But here is the real story about rodents in Northern Arizona, quoted from the Centers for Disease Control:

Wild rodents in certain areas around the world are infected with plague. Outbreaks in people still occur in rural communities or in cities. They are usually associated with infected rats and rat fleas that live in the home. In the United States, the last urban plague epidemic occurred in Los Angeles in 1924-25. Since then, human plague in the United States has occurred as mostly scattered cases in rural areas (an average of 10 to 15 persons each year). Globally, the World Health Organization reports 1,000 to 3,000 cases of plague every year. In North America, plague is found in certain animals and their fleas from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, and from southwestern Canada to Mexico. Most human cases in the United States occur in two regions: 1) northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado; and 2) California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada. Plague also exists in Africa, Asia, and South America

They may be cute, but they are nothing to play around with.

Ocotillo - a bundle of sticks

I know, here goes the scientific stuff again with the scientific name for the ocotillo plant from the USDA,

Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	Asteridae
Order	Solanales
Family	Fouquieriaceae – Ocotillo family
Genus	Fouquieria Kunth – ocotillo
Species	Fouquieria splendens Engelm. – ocotillo

During part of the year the ocotillo looks like a dead bundle of sticks. Close inspection shows that each branch has numerous huge spines. In the Spring or during periods of wetter than normal weather, the plant grows a covering of little green leaves and will then flower, tipping each branch in red or orange. From Wikipedia, "Ocotillo poles are a common fencing material in their native region, and often take root to form a living fence. Owing to light weight and an interesting pattern, these have been used for canes or walking sticks."

Because they are nearly straight, Native American Indians used the plant as a source of ribs for their shelters. Ocotillo are not uncommon as an ornamental plant in Arizona desert communities. The plants are related to the Boojum Tree but that is another story.

The Golden Barrel

Echinocactus grusonii or Golden Barrel Cactus is a common cultivar but a rare and endangered species in its Mexican homeland. Here is the scientific classification:

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Subfamily:	Cactaceae
Tribe:	Cacteae
Genus:	Echinocactus
Species:	E. grusonii

Singly or in bunches, these cactus are becoming more and more common in desert garden settings around the Salt River Valley. They are part of huge number of imported plants growing around the Phoenix area. It is interesting to see fashion and fads in plants, especially in newer developments. A few years ago eucalyptus trees were all the rage, now that people have figured out that they are are very dirty trees, with tons of leaves, branches and other litter, the newer neighborhoods never have them and the older trees are being cut down.

Some of the old standards, like oleander bushes, are hardly ever planted any more. The landscapers have moved on to dwarf varieties of various plants some of which are not adapted at all to the low desert. One extreme example is the predominance of Ficus trees of a certain age. Because of the raising temperatures in the valley, these tropical plants have grown to huge sizes. A couple of years ago, we had a hard freeze and most of the Ficus trees were nearly or completely killed off. They have now grown back, but are merely waiting for another cold year to be killed back again.

Mail Creek, Arizona -- Could you guess?

This is Mail Creek, just below the Mogollon Rim, before it joins the upper East Verde River near Washington Park, Gila County, Arizona. At this point the creek is just about 6000 feet above sea level and is part of the Central Highlands. The Rim, behind all the trees to the north, is the edge of the Colorado Plateau and the rocks in the picture are a mixture of granite and rhyolite with the sandstone and limestone of the plateau. Quoting from Arizona Roadside Geology from Northern Arizona University:

Unlike the Colorado Plateau to the north, igneous and metamorphic rocks are well exposed in many areas in this region. In several areas granitic plutons have intruded into overlying sedimentary rocks. The heat and water associated with this magma caused intense mineralization of nearby rocks, particularly limestone, and copper minerals formed. These valuable copper deposits have been mined historically and are being mined today in the Clifton-Morenci area and the Globe-Miami area. The mines contain low-grade ore (not very concentrated) so huge open-pit mines have been dug to extract enough rock to gather the copper.

Interestingly, some quartzite pebbles associated with ranges south and below the Mogollon Rim have been found in stream deposits atop the rim and to the north. How did they get there? It appears that at one time at least one of the ranges of the Central Highlands, the Mazatzal, was once above and connected to the Colorado Plateau. The Mogollon Rim did not yet exist, and sediment from this range was shed northward onto the plateau.

This area is also known as the Apache Highlands Ecoregion. The vegetation is know as the Western Xeric Evergreen Forest and is a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees.

Cienagas

In Arizona, the name "cienaga" has become associated with huge open meadows high in the White Mountains. According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, a cienaga is also a wet, marshy area in a desert ecosystem that is fed by a spring. No matter what a cienaga is, Arizona has a number of places associated with than name. There is a Big Cienaga Mountain near Sunrise Lake which is neither a marsh nor an open meadow. There is also a Horseshoe Cienega Lake (note the spelling) in the same area.

The picture above was taken in April, shortly after the snow melt which is why the grass all looks pretty squished down. The picture is along Highway 260 just north of Sunrise Lake and I have always known it as the big Cienaga.

Amazing dust clouds from Baja quake

As reported on Arizona Geology, quoted from CNNiReport. Watch out for the bad language, you may want to turn off the sound.

Grand Canyon Rock Squirrel

Who would think that such a cute little critter could be so controversial. Technically known as Spermophilus variegatus Grand Canyon 3, they can be found begging for food along the Rim trails and even down into the canyon. Quoting from the National Park Service, Small Mammal Studies, "Grand Canyon National Park is home to at least fifty-two rodent species (the number of rodentia species currently known to reside in the park. These species include large rodents such as the beaver (Castor canadensis), porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), and muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), to smaller species such as rabbits, shrews, mice, gophers, prairie dogs, voles, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels."

Here is a list of the current Rodentia species known to live in the Grand Canyon National Park:

Abert Squirrel (Sciurus aberti)
Apache Pocket Mouse (Perognathus apache)
Arizona Pocket Mouse (Perognathus amplus)
Beaver (Castor canadensis)
Black-tailed Jack Rabbit (Lepus californicus)
Brush Mouse (Peromyscus boylii)
Bushy-tailed Woodrat (Neotoma cinerea)
Cactus Mouse (Peromyscus eremicus)
Canyon Mouse (Peromyscus crinitus)
Chisel-toothed Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys microps)
Cliff Chipmunk (Eutamias dorsalis)
Colorado Chipmunk (Eutamias quadrivittatu)
Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)
Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)
Desert or Gray Shrew (Notiosorex crawfordi)
Desert Woodrat (Neotoma lepida)
Dwarf Shrew (Sorex nanus)
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis)
Great Basin Pocket Mouse (Perognathus parvus)
Harris' Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophi harrisii)
Heather Vole (Phenacomys intermedius)
House Mouse (Mus musculus)
Kaibab Squirrel (Sciurus kaibabensis)
Least Chipmunk (Eutamias minimus)
Little Pocket Mouse (Perognathus longimembris)
Long-tailed Pocket Mouse (Perognathus formosus)
Long-tailed Vole (Microtus longicaudus)
Merriam's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Merriami)
Merriam's Shrew (Sorex merriami)
Mexican Vole (Microtus mexicanus)
Mexican Woodrat (Neotoma mexicana)
Mountain Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii)
Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
Northern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys leucogaster)
Northern Pocket Gopher (Thomomys talpoides)
Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii)
Pinyon Mouse (Peromyscus truei)
Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Red or Spruce Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Rock Pocket Chipmunk (Perognathus intermedius)
Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)
Silky Pocket Mouse (Perognathus flavus)
Southern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys torridus)
Spotted Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus spilsoma)
Stephen's Woodrat (Neotoma stephensi)
Uinta Chipmunk (Eutamias umbrinus)
Valley Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae)
Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontom megalotis)
Whitetail Prairie Dog (Cynomus gunnisoni)
White-tailed Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophi leucurus)
White-throated Woodrat (Neotoma albigula)

Good luck!

Earthquakes in Arizona???

Yes, my friends it is true. There was an earthquake close enough to Arizona to knock out power in Yuma. You can read about it in the newspaper from Yuma. The 7.2 earthquake was centered about 42 miles south of Calexico in Mexico, but it was strong enough in Yuma to shake things off the shelves in the supermarkets. You can also read about it on the USGS Earthquake site.

Here is the technical info on the quake again from the USGS:

Magnitude	7.2
Date-Time	Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 22:40:40 UTC Sunday, April 04, 2010 at 03:40:40 PM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	32.128°N, 115.303°W
Depth	10 km (6.2 miles) (poorly constrained)
Region	BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Distances	26 km (16 miles) SW (225°) from Guadalupe Victoria, Baja California, Mexico 60 km (38 miles) SSE (165°) from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico 62 km (38 miles) SW (233°) from San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico 167 km (104 miles) ESE (105°) from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 2.4 km (1.5 miles); depth +/- 31.6 km (19.6 miles)
Parameters	Nph= 13, Dmin=70 km, Rmss=0.28 sec, Gp=259°, M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=2
Source	California Integrated Seismic Net: USGS Caltech CGS UCB UCSD UNR
Event ID	ci14607652

Bad weather -- good day at Grand Canyon

The best days to visit the Grand Canyon are when the weather is really bad. This may seem counter-intuitive but when the sky is clear and the sun is shining, the Canyon looks sort-of like a painted backdrop, that is very flat. Even in the early morning and late evening, as the sun is going down, if the sky is clear the light is not nearly so photogenic. If you look at a lot of pictures of the Canyon, you will immediately see what I mean. Snow, lightning, thunderstorms, all help make dramatic pictures.

The picture above was taken during a snow storm in the morning. If you are looking into the Canyon from the South Rim, it is easy to tell if the picture was taken in the morning or afternoon by which of the canyon walls are illuminated. In the background of the picture above, you can see the sun highlight on the North Rim. Given the time of year, early spring, the sun is from the East.

If you look at old copies of Arizona Highways, you will see that practically every picture featured, especially those of the Grand Canyon, have a dramatic sky when it is part of the picture. Arizona Highways considers weather to be a "huge bonus" to picture taking.

Arizona's highest mountain -- Humphreys Peak

At 12,637 feet above sea level, Humphreys Peak is the highest mountain in Arizona. It also the highest of a group of peaks the form the edge of a huge volcanic caldera known as the San Francisco Peaks. To quote Wikipedia,

Humphreys Peak was named in about 1870 for General Andrew A. Humphreys, a U.S. Army officer who was a Union general during the American Civil War, and who later became Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. However, a General Land Office map from 1903 showed the name San Francisco Peak applied to this feature (apparently borrowed from San Francisco Mountain on which the peak stands). Thus the United States Board on Geographic Names approved the variant name in 1911. In 1933, the application of the names was rectified.

The picture above was taken southwest of the peak, looking towards the northeast. From the south or southeast, Humphreys Peak is hidden by the other peaks surrounding the caldera. "A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the ones at Yellowstone National Park in the US and Glen Coe in Scotland. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters. The word comes from Spanish caldera, and this from Latin CALDARIA, meaning "cooking pot". In some texts the English term cauldron is also used. Calderas are formed out of stratovolcanoes." Wikipedia. The Kachina Wilderness is the caldera, a huge bowl shaped cavity. Again from Wikipedia,

Kachina Peaks Wilderness is a 18,616-acre (75 km2) wilderness area located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Flagstaff within the Coconino National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona. The Wilderness encompasses most of the upper reaches of the San Francisco Peaks including Humphreys Peak, Arizona's highest point at 12,643 feet (3,854 m). The area is named for the Hopi gods, or Kachinas, whom according to Hopi mythology live here for part of every year. In mid-summer these Gods fly from the top of the peaks to the Hopi mesas as clouds bringing the rains of the seasonal monsoons. These peaks are sacred to tribes including the Havasupai, Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni. Several religious shrines have been identified in the Wilderness, some of which are still in use.