Last Day In Arizona

Sigh.....time to come home to Wisconsin.   Today it is overcast.  Visibility is down. The mountains are shrouded and seem farther away than before.   We are packing, but it is more like stuffing the car.  The national weather map looks like stormy weather on Wednesday when we will be coming through the Midwest.  Driving home is the "un fun" part of snow birding.

Surprise!  The green barked Palo Verde tree also blooms.

The lavender and white stock flowers smelled so nice

 
Good bye roses

Someday, I hope to have a rose bush as healthy as this one. More than 20 blossoms

Good night Green Valley, Esperanza Estates.  We had a wonderful time!!

Wall decorations in Esperanza Estates

Some units have little arched shelves that contain a variety of decorations.


Metal flowers

Colorful metal saguaro

 Mexican pottery is everywhere.  I had to restrain myself.  Although it is quite lovely, it doesn't fit my decor in Wisconsin.

 A metal lizard

 

 Chili peppers

 This is a bit of a mixed metaphor- sea gulls on a dock and tile mural with horses.

Mountains, ocotillo plants, saguaro, and I am not sure what the people are doing.

 Like pottery, there is an endless variety of statues

Not sure what this Indian statue indicates, but maybe he was ready to play an instrument

A Kachina statue

This guy is my all time favorite.  I think he is a cross between an elf and a leprechaun who loves birds and hiking!!


And then there are quail decorations.

The mosaic artist has been at it again.

On the ground

On the patio wall

On the garage wall



In Arizona, one must give the sun its due

 

These below are inside our unit.

But this one is my favorite.  I love the expression.

I found him in Tubac and he will find a place at our house in Kenosha.  

Buenos Aires Naional Wildlife Refuge March 17, 2014

Our days in Arizona are coming to a close.  We read about Arivica, AZ and drove a lovely winding road 40 miles through high desert rolling tall hills to see the town and Wildlife Refuge.  We were pleasantly surprise to find a very nice walking path.  So off we went.

 I am always amazed at the land  diversity in Arizona.  I know Flagstaff is at a much higher elevation and gets alot of snow.  But here in south Arizona, the lowland desert, high desert and grasslands differ enormously.  Remember, I'm a flat lander.  We learned that this area is called a cienega, "a wet, marshy area at the foot of a mountain, in a canyon, or on the edge of a grassland where groundwater bubbles to the surface. "

 The mesquite trees are just barely starting to get leaves.

 Rolling hills and mountains in the distance.

 There must be water somewhere.  This might be one of the cottonwood trees that are listed as growing near underground water.  Green is always a big surprise.

The roots of these trees bear witness to how raging the monsoon rains can be when they roar through this dry creek bed

Not many trees here, just the "wide expanse of rippling grass"

 It really is a well designed path with bridges over the marsh areas.



Many towns in Arizona add the first letter of their name to a prominent hill.  There is a big A for Arivica over there.

 Quite a bench.  it must have been one very large tree.

 I am not sure what plant this is, but it is the only green thing growing here at the moment.

 This is Arivica Creek.

The water here is very green with algae.  As you can see it really isn't flowing anywhere. 

 The path starts a gentle incline.

 We're now walking along side a hill.

 This could be a path in Wisconsin.  Lots of really green grass.

 Pictures just don't capture the timelessness of this ancient tree.  It was massive.

 I have been very used to seeing junks of rocks strewn along the other oaths we hiked.  This small outcropping seemed to be the only sign of  a rocky base below the soil.

 The green circle in the middle of the field of brown grass gives a clue to where "water bubbles up"

 Another ancient tree what has fallen over but still support several new tree trucks.

 

Rocky shale is just below the surface.

 Not much pond to see this time of year

 On our way back to the beginning.  There are no prickly pear cactus, no saguaros, but a few barrel cactus.

Grass and trees win the growing spots here.  There were just these sparse blossoms.  There is another driving tour of the wildlife refuge that we'll have to plan for next year.  We're out of time today. 

 New side of the Tumacacori Mountains.  We saw the east side when we were in Tubac

 The road back to Green Valley.