More Photos from the High Desert

In Arizona, you don't have to stray far from home to land in a totally different environment.  Last week we drove 90 minutes south to visit the high desert for a few nights.

Each morning, we'd wake to this view of mountains in the distance, throw on our jackets, and walk a nearby nature trail through a wash area.  I had high hopes of spotting a javelina, but we only saw one lone coyote the entire trip.  Nights were very quiet -- eerily so compared to the traffic noise we hear from the main road a few blocks away at home.  The sounds of silence actually kept me awake the first night.

Look at the view from the local Walmart parking lot!

I wish I'd stopped to take photos of the wildflowers blooming alongside the highway in the desert.  I snapped this photo of some flowering vines growing around an old foundation. 

I did a double take in a Tucson parking lot because I usually only see this in Mexico -- a stuffed animal or doll tied to the front grill of a car.  

 

We took the backroads on the way home Friday and stopped briefly in Florence.  Florence is known for its prison, but has an historic downtown area.  I snapped a few photos of the old Catholic Church.  

 

Now we're back to the grind, paying penance for our upcoming trip to Paradise.  Craig's painting and I'm spring cleaning and gardening.  This desert rat can't wait for warm saltwater!