Arizona Photo of the day

[convulso]

here's some weather we aren't having now in tucson...taken in july or august of last year from the apartment balcony (that's looking to the northwest toward the catalinas near sunrise / swan):

Edited January 31, 2007 by convulso

[colin]

What do you mean that we're not having? Are you being facetious?

It looked kind of like that this morning, but just not as warm and without the thunderheads.

[MJLO]

it's pretty much rained in Phoenix the last couple of days. Wasn't pretty like that. Just boring rain.

[convulso]

jeez - i just meant from my perspective...i could've phrased that any number of ways.

i remember it being warm and sunny when i took that pic; lately, up here, the sun hasn't seemed as robust - even when it's sunny. guess it depends on where you live in the area and what time of day you get out (i usually don't get out of the house much until later in the day.)

[convulso]

some double-rainbow action from the same vantage (also taken last summer):

...this is more like the weather i've noticed since i've been back in town these past 5 days. my idea of the current weather out here has partially been shaped by my recent drive back on I-10, where it was clouds and rain from austin all the way to tucson. all i've noticed is overcast weather, but i know it's cleared up some here in the past couple of days. i like the clouds anyway.

there ought to be a new body of water in southern AZ and NM designated on future atlases - every time i drive I-10 east of willcox and west of lordsburg, NM, there's what amounts to an enormous shallow lake to the north of the interstate - acres and acres of water. that area's gotten a lot of rain since last summer, but damn - it's there literally every time i go through. what's up with that?

Edited February 1, 2007 by convulso

[colin]

Beautiful! Yeah, those monsoon rainbows are something. That was taken from your apartment?

The lake you're referring to is a playa. There are quite a few of them in that area, which probably somewhat explains its desolation. One of the larger ones is the Willcox Playa just to the southwest of there, also slightly visible from I-10, but it's used as a bombing range and off-limits.

I think it was there the last couple of times I drove through as well, although it's been a little while (Christmas and like October). We've gotten such good rain the past year though.

[convulso]

yeah, that's the single good thing about living in this part of town, and in this specific apartment (as opposed to the ones downstairs, etc.) - you see that outside your window, and it's pretty close. i still wouldn't renew the lease, though - gates, aged northeast & rust belt transplants, and the traffic from the high school all get old up here.

come on, man! i know what a playa is. i've always thought of playas as dry lakes, though. i know about the willcox playa, since for some reason it's mentioned in lots of travel books, but i guess i never thought of playas as having standing water for weeks / months on end. i really just am wondering if this is something new or if it is cyclical - the great salt lake, for example, is shrinking all the time and much of it is shallow, as a playa lakebed is. maps of the lake have changed pretty dramatically in the last hundred years. i guess i wonder at what point a playa becomes a lake, if ever.

not that i think about it all the time.........

Edited February 1, 2007 by convulso

[colin]

i guess i wonder at what point a playa becomes a lake, if ever.

Good question, but I certainly don't know. I'm sure there is a definition in some sort of intensely academic book on geography.

If you're ever heading back east, there's a back way you can take from Carlsbad to Kermit, TX via NM 128 and Jal that runs by some crazy salt flats.

[convulso]

If you're ever heading back east, there's a back way you can take from Carlsbad to Kermit, TX via NM 128 and Jal that runs by some crazy salt flats.

never been that way. i have gone down highway 54 from carlsbad / guadalupe nat'l park to hit I-10 at van horn, and that's some desolate driving. probably the most desolate i've encountered in the west. funny thing is, you can still see guadalupe peak from I-10 on a clear day..that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 or 80 miles.

and on this past drive, i took your advice and drove the US 290 route through brenham, TX to fredericksburg (that town was a surprise). really pretty - but even prettier was the route further east from livingston to huntsville and on to navasota. hard to believe that area is so close to houston - it looks very different. it's not exactly hill country, but similar - though there's lots more water.

[colin]

The Daily Star (or probably any newspaper, for that matter) doesn't particularly like people to link directly to their pictures, so here's a link to the story:

Tucson Time Capsule: Old downtown hotel begins to fade away

They've been doing a series this week called "Tucson Time Capsule" that shows a photo from 20 or so years ago with something that no longer exists. Yesterday was Pima County Hospital, today's is the Roskruge Hotel. I had never heard of this place, but Downtown actually has a few old motels, like the Glenwood, that have since been converted into apartments, except for the Downtowner, which is, I believe, exclusively for crack and meth addicts, and strung-out prostitutes only (I've heard they do drug tests when you register).

[MJLO]

it's always sad when things like this go the way of disrepair

[rolltide35401]

Here are a couple from a recent trip to the AZ...

Nogales

Redington Road to the east of Tucson

Coronodo National Forest looking southwest into Tucson

[convulso]

looks like you made a rather comprehensive round for a brief trip. wonderful pics. just drove through nogales today (en route to somewhere else - ended up in globe - don't ask.) actually left a note on an AL car in globe whose owner apparently was from the same small county in AL as i (according to the tag number...) - weird.

if you have more, post! these are great.

[MJLO]

I gotta get more pics of the valley up

I'll work on that today

[loftguy]

[colin]

Cool stuff. Thanks for posting.

Is Durant's a famous restaurant? I had walked by it before and it just sort of looked famous.

[convulso]

love that last photo. reminds me of flower in LA.

[MJLO]

yay for Tempe firworks

[convulso]

what were the fireworks for?

here's some tucson vice-style whatnot...got bored last summer at home, walked downstairs and pointed the camera upward:

[colin]

Went for a random trip today northwest of Marana down a well-graded road, which, strangely enough, had two signs indicating that it was closed (like that would stop me!) then out to Casa Grande on more random farm back roads. Wonderful sunset though. Got these pics within a stone's throw (and I would like to throw some) of the Wal-Mart Distribution Center.

The map says that there aren't supposed to be any mountains there, but they might be the Vaiva Hills since I was pointing mostly WSW.

[colin]

When I was moving last weekend, I woke to this sunrise.

[Charles Pearson]

When I was moving last weekend, I woke to this sunrise.

Wow! That's a great picture!!!

[MJLO]

ok boys and girls

it's been months since pics have been posted?

do we not have photo worthy things going on here?

[clarebear]

ill get out today and get some pics of tempe. mjlo, you should take off some tmie from work and get some too.

Edited September 21, 2007 by clarebear

[colin]

Since no posts for a while:

I-10 on the way to Phoenix last month:

Also, outside my window one day: