Phoenix: Desert in the City

Phoenix, in south-central Arizona in May, already hits temperatures that drive any sane individual into an air-conditioned room or a swimming pool. It's a massive and rapidly expanding urban sprawl in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, surrounded by high desert mountains and flat, brown valleys. What brought me to this hot spot was a sister's graduation and a cousin I hadn't seen in 40+ years. We settled in just north of downtown at the old and still elegant Clarendon Hotel. Since we needed to beat the heat, we decided to spend a little more and do it in style.

We spent most of our time with family in a posh timeshare resort in Scottsdale, in the Clarendon's giant pool and spa, or enjoying good local restaurants in Phoenix's "midtown" culture (Gallo Blanco, Alexis Grill, Pizza Heaven). Any extra spare time on my hands lured me to the outdoors. We drove to some of the "green" spots on the map, and found that we were not only in a large city in the desert, we had discovered some of the desert within the city. Our first excursion took us up N 7th Street to the North Mountain Preserve. It was already mid-morning and the sun was beating down relentless dry desert heat, which for me, does not go well with outdoor activity. We drove through the preserve's picnic areas and settled at a shaded table near a little water source to watch the desert come alive. First to arrive were the fast little Harris' antelope squirrels and one or two rock squirrels. Our avian visitors included mourning doves and a cactus wren; and the following day in the central part of the preserve, Gambel's quail and black-throated sparrows. A quick hike up the north mountain gave us a good view of the city below. A quick hike up the canyon of the central mountain reserve gave a different view and a flowering cactus.

Our visit to the Desert Botanical Garden gave us sticker shock on the entry fee and views of vegetation along the paths outside the gates. Besides we had a plane to catch. Maybe next time.
My sister called me on my last morning there with her usual "hey sissy. whatcha doin'?" "Sitting on the top deck of a hotel, overlooking the skyline in Phoenix, sipping a cafe latte." Another one of those life-is-good-moments taken in. I'll be back. But maybe next time I'll choose to go in the winter.