Today's Mission: Saguaro

Today's mission: Up close and personal with southern Arizona saguaro. We opted for a walk through Phoenix's South Mountain Park and Preserve, hoping we'd find a few.

We did.

They're woodier than I expected.

Also, the park was much greener than I expected. But this is their cooler, wetter season.

Prepare Weepiness! [Boop]

 

This has always been on the bucket list, seeing the Christmas displays at the Mesa Temple.

Tonight, we made it.

And between snatches of Handel's Messiah and hearing a recording of Thomas S. Monson telling the Christmas story, I got a little weepy.

No Turd Monday, but Lots of Cliff Dwellings

Item: Water was considered a critical.commodity for the inhabitants of the Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings:

I learned today, however, that Walnut Creek rarely runs anymore, as the water is impounded for the city of Flagstaff.

I guess water is still a necessity. Too bad we can't share it with, you know, nature.

Anyway, lots of ruins today.

Tuzigoot we also visited today. Ruins on a hill, reminiscent of an abandoned stronghold I visited in France (Montsegur)

 Similar vibes at Montezuma's castle.

Prelude to the Grand Canyon: A Volcanic Turd

Today's first stop continued the poop theme, with this volcanic turd on display at the Sunset Crater Visitors Center:

I sent this photo to Isaac, who noted a poop theme for our vacation, since I sent him the rock formation resembling buffalo doots yesterday. I'm kind of excited to see what tomorrow will bring.

Speaking of the Grand Canyon: I was expecting canyon views like this, and we got a lot of them:

Like yesterday, however, I was not prepared for certain realities. Like the fact that the canyon, at least on the south rim, is surrounded by a pretty thick forest of ponderosa pine.

Horseshoe Bend, or Buffalo Doots?

We stopped at Horseshoe Bend today.

Everybody talks about the cliffs and the river. I was not prepared for the rock formation that looks like a big pile of buffalo doots.