Day #23 - back to Southern Arizona

All that tromping around Northern AZ got me a little homesick for the sights and sounds around here. We're entering the long, hot, dry summer, but I'm dragging out winter a little longer through photos. This is from January. We were on the road to Bear Canyon and found our way blocked by rapidly rising floodwaters. The clouds were dropping fast onto the tips of the Catalinas and several stranded hikers had to be airlifted out of the various canyons.

Day #14 - Spring flowers

I think we're officially done with winter here. The last gasp was the freak snowstorm on Sunday - now we're slated to be in the 80s for the rest of the week. Sigh. Summer heat, here we come. I'm no fan of extreme cold, and I don't think you could pay me enough to move back to the midwest, but I do miss the changing of the seasons. There's something almost magical about trees blooming and green leaves poking through piles of snow. This shot was taken on the grounds of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ in 2005. A light, wet snow started falling as we arrived, and I found these lovely flowers while we were out on the tour. Wish I could have come back in a week to see everything in full bloom.