Arizona November 27, 2006
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Well, a month in Arizona has allowed me to see some very beautiful scenery. I didn’t have a chance to visit the really famous regions of Sedona and the Grand Canyon. However, Arizona definitely has other areas that are extremely easy on the eyes. I was fortunate enough to have had some wonderful drives. Here’s a small glimpse of what I saw:
Kartchner Caverns November 24, 2006
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Today, I finally had the opportunity to visit Kartchner Caverns, a local state park I’d heard a lot about in the past couple of weeks. Kartchner Caverns is a series of living, subterranean caves, meaning the formations are still actively growing and is the home to many bats. While touring the caves, you are not allowed to touch any of the formations. Even accidental touches result in staff marking the area for later sanitation. Only 100 tickets are sold for each of the two cave tours and you must book ahead. Well, it was definitely worth it. My friend Davey and I made plans to go after I finished shooting for the day so at about 2:00 pm, we headed out in his newly purchased Subary WRX for our scheduled tour time.
The above photo is one of the only photos I was allowed to take of the area. The hills are actually the “roofs” of the underground caverns. No photography was allowed within the caverns during the tour, although every 3-4 years, for $150 USD, the park allows photographers to go and photograph the entire day. This is something I would LOVE to do sometime, as the formations were absolutely amazing.
The following photos are of the postcards I purchased to remember my visit by:
The left image is a close up of Kubla Khan, an amazingly intricate, 5 storey rock formation in the Throne Room. To the right are soda straws, delicate, paper-thin, hollow formations that grow only 1 mm every 100 years. Kartchner Caverns is home to the second longest soda straw in the world, a stunning 21 feet 2 inches long! The longest sodas straw we were able to see in the tour is 9 feet long.
More wonderful formations found in Kartchner Caverns.
To the left is an overview of Kubla Khan, the centerpiece of the Rotunda/Throne Room tour. To the right is an amazing formation I didn’t get to see, one of the centerpieces of the Big Room.
Bisbee and Tombstone, AZ November 22, 2006
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Today, I had a day off so drove southward to Bisbee, AZ. This is a quaint little historic mining town surrounded by hills and has a tourist village feel. There really isn’t too much to the town other than shopping for gifts and surprisingly good eats.
After spending a few hours photographing and sight-seeing in the area, I drove up to Tombstone, AZ, a historic western town famous for the gunfight at the OK Corral, where Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil and Morgan Earp fought the Clantons and McLaurys on October 26, 1881. The town itself isn’t much to look at and the historic area is now essentially a recreation of an old western town, set up for tourists. However, it was still fun to walk around for an hour or so.
After returning to Bisbee for the evening, I had a fantastic Mexican dinner at Santiago’s Mexican Restaurant. I like Mexican food but am often disappointed with what I find. I’m not sure what they did but the fish / citrus beef tacos were amazing! Next time I’m in the Bisbee area, I’m definitely going back!
Another Day, Another Day Off November 18, 2006
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With a second day off from work, I headed out to Catalina State Park to see the desert sites and take some photos. It was another hot day and I enjoyed some great scenery.
Later, I headed to a restaurant I’d been meaning to check out, Anthony’s in the Catalinas. Quite the fancy restaurant with a wine list of 1700 wines! I had no idea it was that classy and I felt somewhat under-dressed. Still, the food was delicious. The only thing missing was someone to experience it with me.
Mexico November 17, 2006
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As some of you may know, I was originally scheduled to go to Mexico for my last trip of the year. Well, I didn’t end up going for work but as fate would have it, I did manage to get to Mexico afterall. I was photographing a property in Nogales, AZ, a small border town across from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. With a day off, I decided to risk not being allowed back into the USA and headed south. Nogales, MX is a border town set up partially for tourists and partially as a result of Mexicans who came to try to enter the United States. After several unsuccessful attempts, these Mexicans gradually built up their temporary shacks into homes and settled in Nogales. There isn’t a lot to see in Nogales, but I did pick up some souvenirs and I can now finally say that I’ve been to Mexico. And as for getting back into the US? It was ridiculously easy. The guard looked at my passport and gestured for me to keep moving. Ha.
25°C in November November 2, 2006
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Somehow, it just doesn’t seem right. It’s November and it’s hot and sunny every day. Not that I’m complaining… it’s actually nice. Just a bit odd.
I had a day off today and went exploring a bit. I’m in the desert – Phoenix, Arizona. There are some interesting areas in Arizona. Sedona, Grand Canyon, etc. Unfortunately, I’m driving in the opposite direction to these places. Not that there aren’t cool areas in the Phoenix/Tucson area. So today, I went to a couple of the local mountains and to Scottsdale. Lots of great restaurants and shops in Scottsdale, which is apparently where the money is in the greater Phoenix area. Trying not to shop, but I did buy a bottle of wine today before going for a sushi dinner.
