2014 Snowflake Pioneer Day Rodeo

I'm disappointed. It doesn't look like we will make it to the Snowflake Pioneer Day Rodeo this year, 2014. It's a great event that takes place every year around 24th of July at the Taylor Rodeo Arena. 

It helped me a little to look back at pictures from past years. Here are some rodeo shots from 2013. (It rained...a lot that year)

And, here are some shots from 2 years ago (2012). 

Maybe we can get up there next year. 

Here's a link to all my Rodeo Pictures: Rodeo

Boyce Thompson Arboretum - Superior Arizona

On a recent trip to Thatcher, I stopped to walk around Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It's a few miles from Superior, Arizona. I got there a little after 1:00 and I knew they closed at 3:00 p.m. during the summer months. But it was okay because hot and humid was the flavor of the day. A little over an hour was plenty of time to walk around looking for interesting things to photograph. There were some high clouds that helped reduce the direct sunlight but it was still hot. I took my time and didn't even get close to seeing the entire arboretum. There will be plenty to see next time. 

Here are some images I found in my camera from the outing. The Cardinal's were my favorite. 

I plan to go there again when the weather is a little nicer and I can spend more time there. Here is a post from another visit I had to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. You can see some of my other work here: AzDewPhoto

Photowalk - Gilbert Arizona Riparian Preserve

A sliver of time captured at the Riparian Preserve (Gilbert, Arizona) Wednesday July 16th in the late afternoon/evening. I felt like I was the only one there. The humidity and temperature were both high. Even the critters were far and few between. I suppose I am the crazy one. However, when I got home and uploaded the pictures there were still a few "keepers"... 

Chuckwalla @ South Mountain Park

This morning I found a Male Chuckwalla while out exploring on South Mountain in Phoenix. It was near the Communication Towers and was sunning itself on a large rock formation. It didn't stay around long once it saw me. He darted down into a crack in the rock. Some internet references claim these can get up to 16 inches long. I would guess this one was 10-12". 

It brought back many memories seeing it sunning on the rocks. My father once caught several of these and brought them home when I was about 10 years old (feels like hundreds of years ago). We had it as a "pet" for a while. I understand they bite pretty hard so we didn't touch it much. 

This is the area I found him. 

He was sunning on the black rocks in the upper third of this picture. 

Water birds, Rabbits, Coyotes, Hummingbirds, Dragonflies... and more on Today's Walk

An awesome early morning walk at the Riparian Preserve was amazingly productive for a hot July day in Gilbert Arizona. 

All the images below are from today. You can see even more at http://www.azdewphoto.com. 

Horseshoe Bend - Page, Arizona

We recently spent the night in Page, Arizona. I took the opportunity to get up early and go see a few of the famous landmarks including Horseshoe Bend. It's located a few miles downstream from Glen Canyon Dam and about four miles from Page to the parking area. There is a half mile hike to the edge of the canyon. The trail will slow you down a little because it was mostly soft sand. 

I realize there are millions of pictures of this place but as long as I was in the area I needed to take “my” picture of it. My lens wasn't wide enough to capture the whole horseshoe so I took a series of seven images and stitched them together in Photoshop using the Photomerge feature. It works very well.

The early morning light and high clouds were perfect. I'm glad I took the time to visit this picturesque location. Pictures don't quite capture the true beauty of being there and seeing it with your own eyes. 

Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Colorado River. 

The sandy 1/2 mile trail...

As I approached the site it didn't look like much. There was one other photographer I could see. I included him many of the pictures so you could see the scale of this place. He is standing on the edge of the 1000 foot cliff overlooking Horseshoe Bend and the Colorado River. 

As I got closer the size of the canyon became apparent and a the canyon opened up with the beautiful greens and blues of the colorado river down below. 

The sides are steep and a beautiful red sandstone. I believe they call it Navajo Sandstone. It was well worth the effort to get up early to be with the first light of the day. This is beautiful country! More info here: Horseshoe Bend, AZ