Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

African daisy (Dimorphotheca sinuata) south of Desert Hills Trailhead.

2024-02-13 Hiking 0

Three years ago, I hiked the other “half” of Ocotillo Trail and Sidewider Trail, from Apache Wash Trailhead, at the east end of the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve. Today, […]

I'm not sure if it is a measure of cactus needle sharpness, or how thin cans are now, but when I tried to balance my hiking beer on this cholla, it fell off and punctured, forcing me to chug it.

Dixie Mountain Loop

2022-03-03 Hiking 0

I haven’t gotten out of the house for anything more than a spin around the neighborhood since biking the Maricopa Trail three weeks ago. Funeral […]

The most interesting part of the Ocotillo-Sidewinder-Apache Vista loop was the incredible variety of cholla species.

Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

2021-03-11 Hiking 0

In 2020, I started finding heavy flowers the first week of March, when I hiked a half dozen trails in the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve‘s south […]

Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

2020-03-06 Hiking 0

My wife and I were in Houston the end of February, so I didn’t get a hike in the week we left, as we were […]

Closeup of a Teddy Bear Cholla. No, I did not zoom in.

Dixie Mountain Loop

2016-12-16 Hiking 0

With the holidays coming up, I knew I wouldn’t have any time to do a long, out of town, hike, let alone the associated triplog, […]

Dixie Mountain Loop

2011-12-11 Hiking, Rant 0

I was going to do this hike on Sunday, explore some of the new trails and get a few more miles in before hiking with autumnstars in […]

This wreck -- any idea what it is? -- is in the unnamed wash just south of the Western Vista Trail.

Dixie Mountain Loop

2011-01-29 Hiking 0

Report: Time out: 10:50 a.m. Weather: Sunny, about 70, no breeze. Did the trail clockwise, as I am just a clockwise kinda guy. There are […]