Arizona This And That

My week in Arizona had special memories, and one of my favorites was being in the Watchtower at Desert View.
Seeing the raven reminds me of my first visit with my daughter and the Junior Ranger badge she earned. It also reminds me of my book club friends and the last book we all hated!

How cool to go out and pick your citrus.

And guess where you find this beauty? The aviary?No - at the library.
Janet?? Where are our exotic birds cleaning up the gardens?And this is a rare Phoenix sight because rain is rare.
Yes! Rain and snow for my visit!

This was a great combination stop. We tried a Horchata drink.
Unique and a must try if you can.

Indian dinner with mom was fun, down to the spicy tea.

In the back of my mind, I though of those who come to these vast, gorgeous parks and die. Its quite sad, but not so rare. These cliffs and drops are not rides. I watched a few reckless souls playing along the edge in the heavy winds, and just wondered if they felt invincible.

Subtle decorations in the Grand Canyon Visitor Center.

Reminders of the farm.

Fun Western yard decorations.

With Sara at Thanksgiving.

Thanks for good friends and hospitality.

Hermits Rest Route, West Of the South Village, Grand Canyon

Perhaps we didn't have the best day to in the South Village, but a dozen years ago, this view would have been of that huge thick cloud, so today we were grateful.
Phantom Ranch in the above picture is in the valley to the left. Below a close up.

A long look down.

We actually saw a brave soul on a bike. He probably wasn't planning on the snow either!

The only sane place to be at this moment.

A break in the clouds for a bit of a view.

The storm hits the El Tovar on the rim, and its time for us to go.

Leaving the park - Arizona sky on fire.

On our way back to Flagstaff, we saw more snow and an ugly storm.
Winter came too early for me.

Hermits Rest Route

Watchtower at Desert View, Grand Canyon

After seeing so many images of the Watchtower, I was so excited to finally get to climb it.
The views outside, and from the inside were the first thing we saw in the park, and I could have gone home happy right there.

This was still unexpected though - snow drifts and ice.

All three (or four) interior levels were open, but the roof was under repair.





Watchtower information from the national park site:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/photosmultimedia/colter_wt_photos.htm