Arizona

I am finally in Arizona for a couple of weeks. One of my favorite States. First stop was the Chiracaua Mountains the stronghold of Cochice and Geronimo. see above. I have been seeing lots of new bird species. Here in Sierra Vista AZ visiting my friend Frank Buono (a master birder with 4,600 life species) I have seen 31 new species for my like list. We drove to Montezuma Pass today and i forgot my camera and phone. We could see way down into Mexico and large portions of the existing wall. It was beautiful country.That is a long straight wall.

The Apache called this place “standing rock.”

The Echo Canyon Trail in the Chiracauas.

A rare and unusual species VW microbuses (6 of them camping together). They were a roudy bunch of campers.

Silver meadows Chiracauas

Frank Buono and I doing some serious bird watching. 31 new species in 48 hours.

Frank’s Kitchen Table

Frank and his mother Mrs. Buono

Frank and his extensive bird book library

Sunset

Painted Desert

1000 year old News Paper Rock

Early Avian Biologists

PETRIFIED TREE

Sunset outside Petrified Forest NP.

Two wealthy people built this house got divorsed and never lived in it. The head of TWA and a Vanderbuilt

Great wine in Sedona

Birding in Red Rock Stat Park, Sedona AZ

My favorite picture of AZ

Jerome AZ with seriously steep roads.

Wel I am still in AZ in early May. I will be in Las Vegas for a few days and then to the Grand Canyon. I will add GC pics to the AZ page and then move on to Utah and Nevada. I have seen 62 species of birds that are new to my life list and most have come in AZ. Bird watching is slow hiking, but I will be doing some serious hiking and biking in Utah and NV. I have to have my bikes cleaned after all the traveling on dirt roads which I will avoid from now on. I hope to get my rig cleaned in Las Vegas. there is a lot of bug crap on the windows and front face. I am in Phoenix now where it is nice to be in sonoran desert with saguaro (spell) cactus. In order to get some heavy springs put on my rig I had to skip Tucson. I will have to fly back and visit the Sonoran Desert Museum another time. I visited two different groups of friends (couples) and enjoyed good food and good company.

My friend Kathy Cater form graduate school at the University of Arizona. Another damn Toxicologist. It was great to see her and meet Pete.

I did see saguaro and cholla cactus in Phoenix.

Good bye Phoenix

Welcome the Grand Canyon

GC sunset on the South Rim.

One picture from Monument Valley