Tag: saguaro

Desert Shadows

Long shadows (including mine) stretch up into the desert landscape full of saguaros and boulders on the Granite Mountain Loop Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 13, 2024. Original: _Z728602.NEF

A different take on a favored scene, deliberately adding my shadow to the desert’s own. I can’t remember if Bear’s shadow mixed in with mine or if his was too short even for this wide view, but I loved hiking this trail with him this past winter and spring.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: April 13, 2024

Coming Down the Mountain

A view of saguaros and wildflowers on the Granite Mountain Loop Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 13, 2024. Original: _Z728573.NEF

A quick snap of a favored view as Bear and I were on our way back to the trailhead, surrounded by saguaros and wildflowers with mountains in the distance. I had been back at work for a couple of months and missed our daily hikes, but these days I’d settle for even weekend walks as I haven’t been able to get up early enough on my days off to beat the heat. We did go swimming yesterday for two hours lest you feel too sorry for us.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: April 13, 2024

Damp Defenses

A close-up of saguaro spines covered in drops of rain on January 7, 2024. Originals: _Z729811.NEF to _Z729855.NEF

One of the many nice things about my leave of absence this winter is that if we got a gentle rain I could step outside and soak it in, instead of driving home in it or even worse coming out at the end of the work day and seeing it had rained while I was trapped in the bowels of the building.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: January 7, 2024

Same Spirit, Different View

Massive saguaros grow beside the Granite Mountain Loop Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 7, 2024. Original: _Z728173.NEF

Whether walking Ellie in our old Portland neighborhood or hiking with Bear in the desert, I value quality but compact and light camera gear so I can keep my focus on our time together rather than photography. I love the mementos of these treasured times, even if you don’t see Ellie or Bear in the picture, I do. If the spirit behind why I take pictures hasn’t changed, the view certainly has.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: April 7, 2024

The Joy of the Familiar

A male Scott’s oriole sings from atop flower buds on a saguaro in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 29, 2024. Original: _A674574.ARW

While I enjoy scenic views my favorite part of hiking is seeing animals and plants, so I love visiting trails over and over and over and over and seeing friends both new and familiar. On this occasion a Scott’s oriole singing atop the flower buds of a saguaro, I had seen it in the area on previous hikes. Nothing exotic about the location, I’m standing on the path between the parking lot and the trailhead structure. But what beauty there was to be seen!

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 29, 2024

Crustal Foundering

A macro shot of the damaged end of a saguaro arm where the blackened protective material has cracked, showing the lighter material underneath, taken in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 12, 2024. Originals: _Z729316.NEF to _Z729361.NEF

When I saw the damaged end of a saguaro arm where the blackened protective material had cracked, showing the lighter material underneath, I was reminded of lava lakes in Hawaii and Iceland. The lava on the surface cools and hardens and can sink into the less dense molten lava via a process called crustal foundering. It took me a while to find the time to bring my macro setup on a day when there was little wind, and even then it took me a few attempts as the breeze was often stronger than predicted.

The National Park Service has a description on their page about Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 105mm macro
🗓️: May 12, 2024