Phoenix & Buckeye, AZ (11/8 thru 11/12/2019)

Things have been pretty quiet here in Goodyear, but I have been visiting nearby towns in an effort to drum up some worthwhile activity.  Quite frankly, the many parks on the west side of Phoenix (which led me to choose this area for a base camp) have been somewhat disappointing.  There hasn't been much water, very few trees of any size, and not many birds (except for mourning doves, grackles and mallard ducks, all of which I have more than enough photos already).  One neighborhood has two lovely lakes, but primarily those birds that don't interest me.

Another item on my "to do" list, a visit to the Phoenix Mormon Temple, has been accomplished.  This is the sixth temple I've seen in the state of Arizona, leaving only the most recent addition near Tucson.  That one will stay on my list for now.  Anyway, after slugging my way through afternoon traffic, I spent several enjoyable hours walking the grounds until after dark.

I even got some time at a nearby conservation area where there was one cooperative
bird, a cactus wren.

When I returned to the temple, I noticed a red-tailed hawk perched on the golden trumpet of the angel Moroni.

There was a nice sunset that evening, although it was mostly hidden behind a mountain range.

On the day I hiked around the lakes in the community of Estrella, there were only two birds I wanted to photograph, a kildeer and some type of sandpiper (I think it's a least sandpiper, but who cares?).

Another morning I drove through the old town of Buckeye to a state wildlife area.  Here I found a few birds, but not the numbers I was hoping for.  Mostly there were yellow-rumped warblers and one black phoebe.  I liked the "spotlight" on one of the warblers.  On the way out, there was a red-tailed hawked perched in their favorite location, the cross-arm of a power pole.

I have been around Phoenix numerous times over the years, either driving through or visiting some of the other towns in the valley, but the last time I went downtown Phoenix was in 1979.  You can imagine how much it has changed in forty years.  My first stop was at the Arizona State Capitol complex.  In addition to the old building I saw way back, there are now several additions.  I still like the original building best.

Patterned after the Washington Mall, there is a memorial plaza across the street with about thirty monuments to individuals, organizations and events.  I'll just share with you some of my favorites.

Father Kino, among other accomplishments, founded 26 missions, mostly among native tribes.

Navajo "Code Talker" Memorial

 There is a memorial to the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to our constitution.  The first two seem to be under constant attack these days.

The Battle of The Bulge was probably the most decisive battle against Germany in WWII.

The Desert Storm Memorial is definitely the most colorful.

The Korean Wae Memorial includes a traditional bell presented by South Korea.

Part of the USS Arizona Memorial includes a name tag for each sailor who went down with the ship in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The tribute to the 9/11 terrorist attack is very touching to me.

There is even a memorial to the Arizona Confederates (who knew?)

Unfortunately, the plaza has become a gathering place for protests and demonstrations, with over 100,000 assembled to protest immigration policies in 2007.  A sign of our times, every monument has caused a certain amount of controversy in one group or another.

Goodyear & Glendale, AZ (11/1-6/2019)

A huge area southwest of Phoenix was obviously all farmland until recent years, when serious residential development got underway.  Dozens of beautiful residential neighborhoods, all with spectacular landscaping, now occupy large chunks of land here.  However, there is still enough farmland, as well as raw desert, to allow future development to accommodate the large influx of new residents, most of whom seem to be coming from California.  This is probably the same pattern that has been occurring in the Valley of The Sun for the past 100 years or so.  Water will be the main limiting factor at some point.

Here is a photo of one of the many cotton fields still  visible, in addition to numerous vegetable farms and sod farms scattered about.  The climate is such that crops can be grown year-round, if there is sufficient water for irrigation.  I have no idea how long that may continue.

Since my arrival, skies have been mostly cloudless, with only a couple exceptions.  When I noticed clouds developing one day, I went out to enjoy a beautiful sunset.  To get a clear view without buildings marring the scene, it was necessary to drive some fifteen miles farther west.

Northeast of Goodyear, the city of Glendale has long been established as a Phoenix suburb.  Its growth has been spurred in part by sports facilities and events.  For example, several major league baseball teams conduct Spring training there.  Also, since 2006, a unique stadium for football and other large events has been a significant attraction.  Originally known as University of Phoenix Stadium, but now called State Farm Stadium, this marvelous structure not only has a retractable roof but also features a retractable playing field, one of only three in the entire world.

Starting with a blank slate, the stadium has fostered a whole community of related developments, such as an NHL hockey arena, multiple baseball fields, hotels and restaurants.  Of course,  roads, sewers, parking and other infrastructure items are all in place.

The retractable field was designed to allow natural grass as the playing surface.  When outside, the grass is fertilized, watered and soaks up that Arizona sunlight.  For games, the field moves inside via a system of wheels riding on train tracks, powered by a large number of 1 HP motors.  It takes more than an hour to complete the move, while the roof can be retracted in less than fifteen minutes.  Once the field moves inside, the outside space is used for VIP parking, such as team buses, players' families, game officials, etc.

Speaking of the roof, it is made of a special translucent fabric supported by a system of metal trusses.  The two main trusses are supported at either end by "super columns" that are quite large.  Those are used to display a variety of items, such as historical photographs, plaques representing local high school football champions, etc.

The stadium, of course, is home to the Arizona Cardinals, one of the NFL's founding members (then in Chicago).  The team actually formed in 1898, long before the NFL.  After Chicago, it was based in St. Louis for many years.

Several NFL championship games, including two Super Bowls, as well as college football championships and the Fiesta Bowl, have been played here.  Some of the memorable games for me include the Boise State victory over Oklahoma (in overtime) and the Florida Gators winning the 2006 national championship over Ohio State.  Many other events, such as soccer, wrestling, basketball, concerts, monster trucks, etc have been held here.  During my tour, preparations were underway for a major awards dinner that is conducted annually.  Permanent seating can accommodate over 63,000 people, but portable seating can increase capacity to 78,000.

Like most NFL venues, there is a Ring of Honor to recognize great players from the past.  Pat Tillman was not only a football hero, but gave his life in Iraq while serving his country, having volunteered following the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack.  There is also a statue of Tillman outside the stadium.

In an operation such as this, the requirement for communications capability is massive, particularly for TV broadcasts.  There is WIFI throughout the facility, as well as large cable runs, all managed by a data center with racks of servers and other equipment.  Two large, modern scoreboards are also controlled from here.

The tour included the visiting team's locker room and training room, said to be spartan in comparison to the Cardinals' facility, which we were not allowed to see.

I'm glad I finally got to tour this stadium.  Having visited many athletic facilities around the country, I can honestly say this place is special.

On a personal note, I want to tell you that I am in the process of selling my home in Colorado.  While I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, I want to get back to more Summer travel and will probably spend Winters in FL.  We'll see how it all develops.

Navajo Reservation, AZ (10/28/2019)

My original plan was to leave Colorado sometime during the first week of November and visit several places in Northern New Mexico before going to Arizona.  However, incoming bad weather forced me to change both the timing and destination.  With heavy snowfall forecast for Eastern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, I decided to go straight to Arizona.  And with snow expected along my route through the mountains, I needed to leave right away.  Turns out it was a good decision, since the snow arrived as predicted, even where I had chosen to spend the night on the south side of the mountains.  Fortunately, the roads were clear and presented no problem for my travel.

Crossing Arizona and the Navajo Reservation on Highway 160 is always a treat.  This very scenic road passes the Four Corners Monument, the road to Canyon de Chelly, the road to Monument Valley and the road to all the incredible features near Page.  In between these points is some great red rock scenery that always frustrates me because it is mostly off limits to visitors.  With few places to pull off, even distant photos can be really difficult to get.  Since there was little traffic this day, I was able to get a few photos by stopping in the middle of the highway or pulling onto the tiny shoulder.

One of the first scenes, a mountain range to the south, reveals the cold front I was passing through. High winds buffeted the motor home all day, even blowing away one of the vent covers up top.  Thankfully, I didn't encounter any more snow before having it repaired.

  Later, the trailing edge of the front came into view.

This rock formation is known as Baby Rocks.  Notice the Navajo housing at the base of the butte.

This area has numerous volcanic plugs, remnants left by the volcanoes that erupted some 35 million years ago.  This one, not far from Monument Valley, is called  Church Rock.

The highway passes several mountain ranges that would be fun to explore.

One of the larger Navajo communities along this route is Red Mesa, ironically located in Apache County.  Refusing to bow to political correctness, the district high school refers to itself as "the Redskins". 

 The road enters a canyon with jagged peaks resulting from a monocline, where the earth's crust breaks  and one side of the crack tilts skyward.

Beautiful pink and cream sandstone lines the road for miles.  This area has the potential to be a major park, with countless canyons that could provide trails for hiking, mountain biking and off-road driving.  Apparently, the Navajo people prefer privacy over tourist dollars.

This roadside attraction in the community of Tonalea is known as Elephant's Feet.  Nearby are Coal Mine Canyon and Blue Canyon with fantastic colorful formations that few people see, due to limited access imposed by the Hopi  tribe.

Route 160 ends at Highway 89, near Grand Canyon.  This area of colorful dunes is actually a remote section of the Painted Desert.

I'm now in the town of Goodyear, a few miles from Phoenix, and plan to be here a month.  Hopefully, I can find some good places to share with you.