snakes in and out of the most beautiful Sonoran desert land- scapes I have seen. The bright yellow brittlebush flowers were in bloom when we visited, and the humble little hedgehog cac- tus were resplendent as they
cans first arrived in this area, they saw the evidence of these canals and of these ancient people, and they began to build their own canals for the same purposes. Recognizing that they were building a modern city
mountain, and this “wind cave” offers a welcome cool breeze to all the hikers that stop for a snack before heading down. It’s the return trip that really made our heads spin, however. The trail runs alongside a huge
In addition to fishing off a pier on the Salt River, the region offers scenic drives and opportunities to add to your birding life list
showed off their vivid magenta flowers. This trail is so little used that hikers and bikers mix hap- pily. We saw only one other person on the trail each time we went and, because we al- ways had our cameras in tow, each hike or bike ride quickly turned into a photo shoot! The Sonoran Desert around Phoenix isn’t strictly about cactus and craggy mountain peaks, however. The most stun- ning urban oases—which are true desert oases—lie along the waterways and lakes that are sprinkled around town. Phoenix was originally settled by early peoples who took clever advan- tage of the natural rivers in the area to build irrigation canals to water their crops. When Ameri-
on top of an ancient one, they named the city “Phoenix” after the mythical phoenix bird that regenerated itself by rising out of the ashes of its predecessor. These rivers still flow today, and there are many access points where you can slip away from the urban chaos to watch the long-legged water birds standing by the water’s edge, or cast a fishing line, or simply admire the sunrises and sunsets as they reflect in the water at the base of the mountains. We visited the Verde River while riding our bikes in the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation and again at the Eagle View RV Resort, which backs up to the river. Lots of RVers gather beside their rigs to watch the
wall of jagged cliffs that are covered from top to bottom in lichen. Lichen is a living organ- ism that comes in all colors of the rainbow and, on this par- ticular trail, once the sun moved high enough in the sky, the li- chen lights up in brilliant shades of yellow and orange. The towering walls of rock came alive. Making our way down the trail, we often looked over our shoulder at those vibrant cliffs, watching the colors change in the sunlight. On the other side of Usery Mountain, heading north from Mesa on the Bush Highway, we discovered the magical Wild Horse Trail. This is a wonderful mountain biking and hiking trail that winds up and down and
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