Sunset and Moonrise

 

We climbed the stairs to our rooftop deck, one more time,

in anticipation of a stunning sunset since we had so many

clouds in the sky.  It was 5:18

The Superstition Mountains were bathed in interesting

shadows.

At 5:32 the sun set as promised by local weather forecasters.

And 10 minutes after the sun set, our heads snapped to 

the east as the Moon began to rise.

And, the entire sky lit up in a variety a pinks,

purples, oranges and golds... in every direction, no matter

where we looked.

It took about 13 minutes after sunset for the Moon to clear the eastern 

horizon line before it disappeared behind a band of clouds.

Meanwhile (looking west), the setting sun continued

to provide us with a non-stop sunset.

Spectacular to say the least.

Then 32 minutes after the moon rose and disappeared behind

the clouds, it reappeared.

Not quite a Harvest Moon,  where the moon rises very

close to the same time that the sun sets, but not bad for

second place!!!    Yesterday, Oct 30 it took about 10 minutes...

After enjoying this fabulous experience for about 60 minutes,

we headed downstairs with about 85 new shots on my phone

including my favorite panorama...

which features the Superstition Mountains and the rising moon.   We are

blessed with great sunsets all winter long.  However I

promise to change the subject matter of future blog  posts

as we head down the road into AZ winter. 

Three Minutes and 14 Seconds...

 Oct 25: Sunrise 6:41 - Sunset 5:39...

I went up on our rooftop deck at 5:40 p.m.,  and

this is what I saw in 3 minutes and 14 seconds.

I snapped the first 3 photos as I did a counter clockwise turn

and then again in a clockwise direction.

ENJOY...

West...

Southeast

North - over the Superstition Mountains...

West again

North again

Southeast again

And West 1 more time for the "Grand Finale"!!!

Road Trip Sedona and Flagstaff

As we headed out of town to check out some fall colors

we encountered many road closures, not road construction, 

but road closures, which gave us a shaky start. 

 

Once we exited I-17 onto Hwy 89A, things got a little better

as we headed north thru Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon.

This scenic route includes lots of red rock formations.

Our first stop 2 1/2 hours and 157 miles later

 was worth every minute and mile.   The Chapel of the Holy Cross

was absolutely stunning.  It was completed in 1957

and is on the Register of National Historic Places.

It has been part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix

since 1969 when it was split off from the Diocese of Tucson.

The climb up thru the canyon offered colored rocks &

steep spires. 

Colors were turning

but every scenic pullout was jammed with cars that

were overflowing onto the shoulder so we missed

most of the "stops" we had planned.  There are many

hiking trails in the area and that was the problem.

We did manage to find a parking place at a "Scenic Vista" overlook

and really enjoyed looking back down the Oak Creek Canyon drive.

A special bonus...   A Native American Arts & Crafts show

was taking place at the Scenic overlook.  Yippee.

Day 2 offered it's own beauty as we headed south on

Lake Mary Road, also known as County Road 3, which was 2 paved lanes

with absolutely no traffic, even though it was a Friday.  A welcome

relief from yesterday's wall to wall traffic!!!

Since we had all day we deviated from the plan now and then

This side trip (also paved) on CR 128 lead us to 

one of the Lowell Observatory locations which houses a 

Perkins Telescope.   This is a non-profit research institute that 

offers private and guided tours.  A little research will tell

you the specifics of a Perkins Telescope.

And even though it wasn't dark, I couldn't resist looking towards

the sky while standing under this giant Jeffery Pine at

an elevation of 7210'

Lake Mary Road is 53.7 miles long and is lined with one lake 

after another...  Lower Lake Mary, Upper Lake Mary and you

got it, Lake Mary.  The maximum length is 5 miles with a width

of about 2000'  and a shallow depth of 38'.  The surface

elevation is 6895' on a good year!!!

The only wildlife we saw were small birds and 1 deer,

but we spent a lot of time looking anyway.

After stopping at many lovely paved picnic sites, 

we drove over to the west side of Lake Mary to see Mormon Lake.

 

The Mormon Lake Lodge is still open during the summer season,

although Mormon Lake is now dry!!!

Down the road a bit was a historical marker that told

us about the Mormon Dairy that was located on this

spot between 1876 and 1886.

The residence is still standing near by, with power and

water connected, plus a house # and a paddle lock on the door!!!

And when the scenery changed to one with no tall trees

and looked like this, we know we were getting closer to home.

And when you can see the Weavers Needle (left) standing

proudly next to the Superstition Mtns there's no doubt that

we'll be back home in about 30 minutes.  As usual, Don

did all the driving while I look about 212 shots, 

which included photos and videos.  We spent half of the day

above 7200'... all the way up to 7600'   DEVINE...

Oh yes, when we got up in Flagstaff and put on our shorts,

it was only 34 degrees.   Mission accomplished!!

AHHHHH... Relief is in Sight!!!

Since I've been doing non-stop moaning and complaining

about the weather, I thought I'd share this forecast...

Pretty encouraging if you look ahead about a week.

Monday the 26th 50% chance of rain.  Sunday indicates about

a 20% chance, but when it says 20% it usually doesn't happen

but it's time to think positive... and those lows are looking pretty

good, which means that it will be

more fun to play Pickleball in the morning. 

On the courts a  few days ago  we had enough players

to occupy 5 of our 6 courts.  Everyone paused a

moment to enjoy a hot air balloon as it passed overhead

on its way towards the Superstition Mountains.   Ahhhhh 

Our resort implemented a new eating option this

season called "Heat & Eat"  Just get on-line, review 

the menu and select your options.  You can order

breakfast, lunch and/or dinner + desserts  Just plan

ahead a little...  order before 3 p.m. for a next day delivery

to your front door.  Refrigerate until you're ready to

"Heat and Eat".

Don chose Meatloaf and I chose Pot Roast.  As you can

see, the portions are ample and we split each one so we

had 2 meals each...

And you don't even have to think.  The meals include

an "eat by" date along with microwave heating instructions.

Very tasty.   We'll do it again.  And since 

we've been "cooking" 24/7 for the past 4 months this was

a real treat, my kind of "heat"   So let's hear it for "Heat and Eat"...

otherwise known as NO COOKING tonight.  

UGHHHHHHH>>>

 Phoenix AZ breaks record for most 100 degree days in a year!!!

And if that isn't enough... The most 100-degree days record comes 

after Phoenix already broke previous records for most 110-degree days

 in a year and most 115-degree days in a year.  

Phoenix broke the record for most 110-degree days in a year on Aug. 9.

 As of writing, there have been 53 days over 110 degrees in Phoenix 

this year, smashing the previous record of 33 set in 2011.

Phoenix broke its record for most 115-degree days in a year two months

 ago on Aug. 14. As of writing, there have been 14 days at 115 degrees this year.

Phoenix had its hottest month on record in July of this year, 

only to be broken by August. Collectively, it was the hottest 

summer season in recorded Phoenix history,  which began in 1895.

Facts provided by Channel 12 News Phoenix AZ

One of Don's favorite sayings use to be

"Love the Hot Dry Air" but that's not allowed 

any more.   And I must confess that here in Gold Canyon

(45 miles east of Phoenix) our temperatures are

a little lower... Right now 91 in Gold Canyon with

a forecast high of 98 while it's 95 in Phoenix with 

100 degrees forecast for the high... so there goes another record,

 but who's counting?

"Killdeer" the Bird

NO, the bird does not kill deer.  These birds are common in 

the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and almost 

everywhere in North America.  It  is the largest of the ringed plovers, 

and the only plover in its range with a double breast band. 

And,  I just happened

to see one yesterday during my early morning walk.

Killdeer spend their time walking along the ground 

or running ahead a few steps, stopping, bobbing their

head by extending their neck and then running again, etc.

A most interesting characteristic that is easy to identify 

and fun to watch.

They are easy to identify because of their distinct markings.

 They are brownish-tan on top and white below. 

The white chest is barred with two black bands, and the brown face is

 marked with black and white patches. 

The bright orange-buff rump is conspicuous as they

get ready to take of... 

Killdeer like  open ground with low vegetation (or no vegetation at all), 

including lawns, golf courses, driveways, parking lots,

pastures, fields, sandbars and mudflats. 

This species is one of the least "water-associated" of all shorebirds.

I took the first photo which spiked my curiosity.  Additional

photos along with many fascinating facts 

were provided by the Audubon Society and Wikipedia.

Before the sun was up  morning I heard a tremendous flapping noise 

and thought it was coming from my iPhone via my ear buds.

By the time I got my act together and switched to "photo",  the 2 bands

 of sandhill cranes we almost out of site, as they headed to the

southeast corner of AZ where they will winter at the

Whitewater Draw Wildlife area near  McNeal... and we plan

to be there soon to admire them in person.

 

In Nov 2013 we visited Bosque del Apache Nat'l Wildlife

Refuge, just south of Socorro NM, to see thousands of

these large birds, with a wingspan of up to 6 feet, all in one location.

And  the subject  of one of my photos became the

 subject matter for the first stained glass window I ever made.

See how one thing leads to another!!!  Stay tuned.,,