Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Arizona

Snake at Sundown

Snake at Sundown

Damsel was in the courtyard just after sundown this evening when she noticed this three and a half foot long snake coming across the road out front. She called to me telling me I should bring a camera. After she pointed it out, we went down the RV drive to get a better look.

According to Wikipedia, the species Ctotalus scutulatus (Western Mojave Rattlesnake) is reputed to be aggressive toward humans and, in fact, this guy coiled up into a striking position as I approached. I took this photo before quickly retreating behind the landscape wall. We wanted no close encounters with some of the most toxic of rattlesnake venom.

We backed off and watched the snake slither along the RV Drive until finally disappearing under some of the native creosote on the lot to the west of us. We hope that it keeps on moving away from the area where we will be walking the dogs later tonight.

29 Sep 2016 by Arizona Critters Environment Photography

(Not) Camping Day C – Wickenburg, AZ

Home Again

After a very nice vacation from retirement(?), we are once again parked in the RV drive behind our little house in Wickenburg. The drive home from Palm Desert was uneventful, although we had gusty winds most of the way until crossing into Arizona which put an extra workload on me as the driver. We did manage to keep the high profile RV between the lines and got home without incident.

Overall, Damsel and I are very pleased with our excursion. We saw beautiful scenery in Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California and we were able to have an extended family reunion with Damsel’s sisters and a brother while we were in California.

Damsel managed the housekeeping in the RV including feeding us with fantastic cuisine along the way and when we camped in Stockton, she and her sister took turns at preparing wonderful meals. We both will be going on diets to get back to where we were before we took off on the excursion. Meanwhile, we are resting and contented.

25 Sep 2016 by Arizona Retirement Wanderlust

Camping Day Two – Page, AZ

Jacked Up

Day two finds us in Page, Arizona after spending the day driving from Williams up through Grand Canyon National Park and then on up through the Navajo Reservation to where we are camped tonight. The drive was through some of the most scenic and colorful places on the planet and not all of it in Grand Canyon. Northbound along US 89 from Cameron is also quite spectacular.

The Page campground is a little funky. Our campsite is a pull-through towards the uphill side of the RV park. We are on a bit of a slope and when we did the automatic leveling of the RV, the front wheels are completely off the ground; you can see that in the image above.

Tomorrow, we will be in Utah after a short drive from our campground. Our destination is a nice little campground near Capitol Reef National park. We expect to see a lot more beautiful scenery when we head up that direction.

10 Sep 2016 by Arizona Photography Retirement Wanderlust

Camping Day One – Williams, AZ

Williams, AZ

Our first day out was pretty entertaining except for some congestion on I-40 due to road construction, but enough about that. Elsewhere, traffic was pretty good considering we were traveling on a getaway Friday along the main route between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

We made our first stop at Wickieup, AZ, after going through some pretty scenic areas like rock formations, a Joshua Tree forest and just beautiful places in general. We also stopped in touristy Seligman, AZ, where Damsel did some souvenir shopping at the Roadkill Cafe. We arrived here in Williams this afternoon, checked in and set up camp in the quaint Canyon Motel and RV Park.

Tomorrow, we’re going to top off the fuel tank here in town before heading up US 64 towards Grand Canyon. We checked fuel prices at our next stop and thought it best to tank up here even though we’re still half full. We can refuel when we get up into Utah where prices get lower again.

We will have more tomorrow from the next stop.

09 Sep 2016 by Arizona Photography Retirement Wanderlust

More Tropical Weather Headed for Arizona

Hurricane Newton Track Forecast Tropical Clouds over Wickenburg

We’re in for some effects resulting from Hurricane Newton, currently crossing the Sea of Cortez in Mexico heading northward. In the images above, left to right, the visible satellite image showing clouds over the area, the probable path and intensity of the storm and a photo of some of the upper level clouds and moisture over us. Click on any image to enlarge.

Southeastern Arizona and Southwestern New Mexico are expected to endure some tropical weather over the next couple of days with isolated rain showers and flash flooding. Up here, we can already see the effects of the storm. Today started out crystal clear then after about 3 PM, the clouds associated with Hurricane Newton started to cover the area.

The following is an excerpt from a NOAA prognosis:

Newton continues to be a large tropical cyclone, and hazards extend well away from the center. These hazards will affect a large portion of Baja California Sur, northwestern Mexico, and southeastern Arizona during the next day or so. Moisture associated with the remnants of Newton are likely to cause heavy rains and localized flash flooding over parts of Arizona and New Mexico Wednesday and Thursday.

We’re not expecting high probabilities of storms (only 10 to 20 percent) but we’re well-stocked and will be ready for it if it comes.

06 Sep 2016 by Arizona Environment

A Black Butterfly Browsing the Red Birds

Browsing the Red Birds

Late this morning, I noticed a butterfly in the courtyard among the Red Bird of Paradise flowers. I quickly got my Canon EOS camera and went out front to see if I could get some shots of the butterfly before it flew away.

The butterfly flitted here and there for a while after I got out front, but it finally settled on one of the flowers long enough for me to capture it and its pollen laden wings in this image. Click on the image to enlarge. I also got some other good images here and here.

04 Sep 2016 by Arizona Critters Flowers Home & Garden Photography

Black Bee Pollinator

Black Bee Pollinator

I did not have the camera handy when the hummingbirds and butterflies were browsing the red bird flowers in the courtyard, but I did manage to get this big black bee doing its thing. We have pollinators of all kinds including this guy, the afore mentioned hummingbirds, bees of all kinds and yellow-jackets that frequent these beautiful summertime flowers.

We saw, but did not manage to photograph more critters today. We had the usual little ground squirrels, cottontail rabbits, black-tailed jackrabbits, a bunch of lizards of varying species and one lonely coyote crossing the north property line eastbound. We hope he keeps moving on . . .

Click on the image to enlarge.

25 Aug 2016 by Arizona Critters Flowers Home & Garden Photography

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