Scottsdale, AZ: Cactus Walk in the Suburbs
One of the things I loved the most from our visit to Arizona (apart from spending time with my brother and family) was how we were able to take some walks and enjoy the beautiful scenery that is particular to that part of the US. We took a total of 4 walks, each about 2 miles long and this one was introduced by my brother. It was a paved trail that took us from his neighborhood, through a community center area and bordered another couple of neighborhoods.
The key to a walk in Arizona in summer is to choose the right time of the day to go: right around 5 AM was perfect: it hasn’t gotten too hot yet and you get to enjoy the sunrise too! Of course, I admired all of the cacti as we walked and paused to take pictures.
The photographer being photographed! One of the things I regretted on this trip is not packing a few extra things, among them a set of workout shorts/tank and tennis shoes. I ended up wearing my pjs on these early walks but then had to do some laundry and was very thankful for the use of the washer and dryer in the condo. With the heat, I found I needed to change clothes a couple times a day especially that we were involved in a variety of activities.
Of course, we saw saguaro cacti everywhere we turned. They are all so different with their “branches” going in different directions and holes pecked by birds. Some of them were really tall and majestic.
Can you spot the quail? I spend the whole weekend trying to take a good picture but these little birds are fast and their color is perfect for blending in with their surroundings.
We passed only a couple of the pear cactus and they always remind me of the nopales cacti we ate in Mexico.
The landscape is so different than what we are used to and even the boys were in awe of the different types of cacti. This is the teddy bear cholla! I have a close up picture of a younger one in a coming post when we hiked in a natural preserve. I am just glad that the builders of these neighborhoods left some of the natural plants growing. You can tell by the size of some of cacti that some are really old.
We passed a handful of people on their morning walks and got to see lots of little rabbits. The trail was really well taken care of.
The sunrise was beautiful coming over the hills. I truly think we need to plan a week long visit in the fall or spring at some point in the next couple of years.
I will leave you with this last picture for today, with the bird at the top of the saguaro cactus among the flowers. It would be quite grand to see all of those blooms at the top fully opened!
A bientôt!
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15 Comments
Joanne
What a beautiful morning walk! I love seeing the different varieties of cacti and once you mentioned it, I was able to go back and find the quail.
mimifce
Those quails were tricky!
Jennifer
This is beautiful!!
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
Nancy
Such a amazing different world. Really fabulous. Over here it looks pretty boring comparing to there.
mimifce
I think that is why my family and I liked it so much: it is so different from what we are used to!
jodie filogomo
Isn’t it just something else Mireille?? Every time we go hiking and see all of the cacti, we marvel at the beauty of it. Next time you come, we will have to take the boys on a scorpion hike. I bet they would love that!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
mimifce
We sure did love it! The boys would most likely love it!
Ellie
I have never been to this part of the country but it surely looks like a beautiful area to visit and well worth getting up early for! Beautiful photos!
Ellie
Ellibelle’s Corner
mimifce
Oh, yes! It was so pretty!
Mica
It looks lovely and it’s nice you could get out to enjoy the sunset each day! 🙂 It’s always so nice to enjoy different scenery when we travel 🙂
Hope you had a good weekend! It was a great one here, busy Saturday with volunteering but a relaxing Sunday 🙂
mimifce
I love seeing different landscapes so Arizona was really special for us.
Michelle
Beautiful photos, Mireille! I am always amazed at the lushness of the Arizona desert compared to the Nevada desert. But we get 4 inches of rain per year and Arizona gets 12. I’ve not been there in the Fall, but I can tell you Spring is wonderful.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
mimifce
That is a big difference in rainfall! Makes senses then that it is more lush!
Lovely
This looks wonderful! Loved seeing these varieties of cacti and the sunrise picture is beautiful!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
mimifce
Thank you, Lovely!