Sonoran Desert
You have to understand that the holiday season in Tucson Arizona is not quite the traditional environment of snowy wreaths and hot chocolate. Daytime temps can be in the 80s, and nary a cloud is in the sky. So people get creative. Take the habit of dressing up cacti. Saguaros, those classic cacti with the arms, are easily anthropomorphized (especially …
In the American Southwest, luminarias are a traditional form of Christmas lights, made by placing a candle in a paper bag weighted down with a little sand. (They now have electric versions, for those leery of putting a lit candle in a paper bag.) You can find luminaria displays throughout the Southwest, and we found these during an annual Luminaria …
As the temperatures climb here in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, my mind naturally starts to wander back to when we lived for a time in Tucson, Arizona. Ah, at least it’s not the desert, right? Surprisingly, there are summer days when it’s actually hotter here than in Tucson. I’m not sure we expected that. This gallery features photos mainly from …
Spring is the time for desert wildflowers. Many think of the desert as a hot, dry, desolate place, with little more than a couple funny-looking cacti. In fact, the desert can have a spectacular display of wildflowers, especially in the spring. Among the four major deserts in North America, the Sonoran Desert is considered to have one of the best …
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area (part of Coronado National Forest) sits on the Northeast side of Tucson, Arizona, tucked into the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Surrounded on three sides by the Pusch Ridge Wilderness, the terrain ranges from relatively flat to rugged canyons and mountainsides. Miles of hiking trails and even a paved road (closed to traffic) allow easy …