13 August 2009

AZ

One more post regarding our recent AZ trip.....

I can't forget some of the dragonflies we encountered. Although I didn't ID that many on the trip, I'm sure we missed a ton.

This is a male Filigree Skimmer from Sycamore Canyon:

... and here is the female Filigree Skimmer:

We also saw many Flame Skimmers. Here is a male:


Regarding small mammals, we saw only a couple species. This is a Round-tailed Ground Squirrel at Catalina State Park:

... and this is a Cliff Chipmunk at Barfoot Park in the Chiricahuas:

I might add on this blog that we DID see a Black Bear! We were hiking down along the Proctor Road trail below Madera Canyon when we turned a corner and were face-to-face with a (fairly large) Black Bear! Luckily, it turned and barreled off through the woods. -whew-

Later in the trip, we found some bear tracks in the mud in Garden Canyon. Here is a photo of one of the bear tracks next to my size-12 boot track:

Also in Garden Canyon were some pretty neat petroglyphs (courtesy of Ashley... I was off looking at butterflies):


A favorite spot of mine in Arizona is Sycamore Canyon. Here is picture as we're hiking back:


Here is a panorama taken near Portal, Arizona:

... and one of my favorites, the ocatillo grasslands below Madera Canyon at dusk:

And lastly, here is a rainbow above the grasslands below Madera Canyon: