Mike in the Wild

A four and a half mile hike from the Desert Vista Trailhead provided some authentic Sonoran Desert excitement.  The Phoenix Sonoran Preserve is on the far north side of the city, close to twenty miles from downtown.  The park protects some pristine desert from the urban sprawl that's already encroaching Wildflower season having peaked, I was expecting to photograph mostly cactus blooms, desert birds and new vistas.  However when I arrived shortly after sunrise, I was surprised to see a number of hot air balloons floating above the park.  For almost an hour they appeared in various locations to the north and west of my route.  But even more exciting for me was finding a massive great-horned owl's nest in a saguaro cactus just some minutes into the excursion.  Perched inside was the mother with up to three nestlings.  While the light wasn't quite perfect when I spotted the birds, it was ideal a couple hours later when I returned to my car via the same...

Ten miles on rough forest roads promise a spectacular look at an archaeological site, riparian areas and grassland mesas - all under the park's protection. Pueblo La Plata is the name of the remnants of a long-abandoned native American settlement in the preserve. Its crumbled stone masonry walls still outline this ancient pueblo's many rooms.  It sits atop the highest point on this section of the Perry Mesa, were you could easily see approaching visitors and intruders miles away.  At the same time, it's above its namesake Silver Creek Canyon and a critical source of flowing water.  It's a dramatic setting, with a panorama of the flat mesa-top's grasslands meeting the big, blue sky. The prairie is periodically punctured by the cliffs of a defending canyon's walls. You are free to wander in the structure's roof-less rooms, but they're not well-excavated.  Dense grasses and over-grown bushes might house venomous critters.  In any case it's ...

It's a short and easy hike that promises a good look at the ancient cultures, riparian areas and grassland mesas that the park is protecting. Lightly streaming water crisscrosses the one mile descent from the mesa-top trailhead along the course of  the Badger Springs Wash.  Just before its confluence with the Agua Fria River you're greeted by a collection of ancient petroglyphs high on canyon walls.  Upriver to this waterway are massive, rounded boulders with several waterfalls. Meanwhile, all around you is a lush riparian area with tall cottonwoods and deep water.   While the trail ends at this point, the park service encourages you to explore the banks of the river.  Flora and fauna abound, with wildflowers and grasses thriving during my early spring trip.  I was able to identify a number of desert birds, including phainopeplas, Costa's hummingbirds, house wrens, canyon wrens and verdins.  I saw a medium-sized red bird that could have been a car...