Fortean Arizona

[Endlessly Amazed]

I will from time-to-time post photos of Arizona here to provide a slice-of-life for those Forteans who do not live in the SW American desert.

Yesterday I took a drive in the rural areas of Maricopa and Yavapai counties. About 25-30 miles of unpaved road, then about 75 miles of paved roads to get back. The unpaved road took me about 3 hours to drive. I saw five other vehicles, so a busy day. A few tricky parts as the road was washed away from the rains last week. I met a man living in the wilds; 2 horses, one he was riding, the other had his gear; 2 dogs who were ferocious as free dogs in the boonies are. He looked very peaceful and relaxed. BTW, no cell phone service out here for the most part. So, I always have contingency plans in my head before I leave my house.

The photo is of a retreat center about 3/4 of a mile from the road from where I took the photo. The shadowed cliff in the upper middle has been carved out by the Kirkland creek over the last 10 million years or so. The soft gray horizontal line below the cliff is a line of 60-80 foot high cottonwood trees. The very tiny rectangles are the retreat buildings. So, civi - civi - civilization

The second photo is of a really well-maintained road that goes up the south cliff face of the Bradshaw Mountains. The cliff face is at about a 70 degree incline, so steep. Sometimes the boulders, the size of cars, come down onto the road unexpectedly. After every rain, some rocks come down - usually the smaller ones - but still big enough to wreck your car. The lighter S curve on the cliff is a dry creek - waterfall area where all the plants periodically wash away after heavy rains.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

Two more roads from yesterday's day trip. I spent most of my time on the unpaved road on the other side of the dark mountains in the first photo. The second photo, Arizona Road 62, is that unpaved road. If you blow up the image, you can make out tiny little sand-colored lines. That is the road in the distance. These areas are mostly free-range cattle ranches.

 

[Coal]

Two more roads from yesterday's day trip. I spent most of my time on the unpaved road on the other side of the dark mountains in the first photo. The second photo, Arizona Road 62, is that unpaved road. If you blow up the image, you can make out tiny little sand-colored lines. That is the road in the distance. These areas are mostly free-range cattle ranches.

Stunning pictures @Endlessly Amazed

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

Stunning pictures @Endlessly Amazed

Thanks! When I am out in the backcountry, especially by myself, I am pretty cautious. Many times, death and destruction are only a moment's distraction away.

 

[kesavaross]

Thanks! When I am out in the backcountry, especially by myself, I am pretty cautious. Many times, death and destruction are only a moment's distraction away.

It does look desolate. I live in the UK which is obviously very different.

 

[Lord Lucan]

Thanks! When I am out in the backcountry, especially by myself, I am pretty cautious. Many times, death and destruction are only a moment's distraction away.

I visited Arizona many moons ago and loved it. I look back on the few days I spent there fondly. Amazing scenery & friendly folk.
Incidentally, this is a great book on crypto creatures & legends of Arizona (available on Amazon) which I can recommend.

Have you ever seen anything odd in your travels in the wilderness?

 

[maximus otter]

It does look desolate. I live in the UK which is obviously very different.

Quite a few people every year manage to prove that it’s not so very different.

Anyone who thinks that nowhere with a UK postcode can kill you, should avoid places like Dartmoor or the Highlands.

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

Quite a few people every year manage to prove that it’s not so very different.

Anyone who thinks that nowhere with a UK postcode can kill you, should avoid places like Dartmoor or the Highlands.

maximus otter

Plenty of cannibal crofters in the Highlands.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

I visited Arizona many moons ago and loved it. I look back on the few days I spent there fondly. Amazing scenery & friendly folk.
Incidentally, this is a great book on crypto creatures & legends of Arizona (available on Amazon) which I can recommend.

Have you ever seen anything odd in your travels in the wilderness?

Thank you for that book recommendation. Definately now on my list.

Weirdness: Yes. A sasquatch-like line of footprints in the wilderness. See link. I vaguely remember posting a photo, but now I can't find it in the thread. Will have to look up the photo on my hard drive and redo later.

https://forums.forteana.org/index.p...ch-in-north-america.4733/page-39#post-1987564

Other things I thought were weird, but not paranormal:
Cattle used for practice in rodeo competitions, like head and heel roping, often have cattle crash-helmets strapped on them to prevent injuries from being roped over and over.
Arizona has nuclear power plants, much heavy industry mining, and military bases and military research facilities. So, on a regular basis, one can see inexplicable machinery on the road or on mountain sides. Like trucks retrofitted with tank treads.

Also out in the backcountry, away from prying eyes:
Entire herds of cattle dead from arsenic poisoning from illegal gold mines. (I think this problem has gone away now from easy arial monitoring.)
Uncapped mine entrances.
Illegal immigrants using national parks on the border to cross. One just nods acknowledgement and ignores on both sides.
Weird fetishes or structures taking hundreds of hours to create. NOT to live in.
A careful, ritual arrangement of many dead dogs.
A private security system, involving multiple trucks and men, continually monitoring a remote valley owned by a billionaire. The trucks all have a "utility-like" logo on them.

 

[ramonmercado]

Weird fetishes or structures taking hundreds of hours to create. NOT to live in.
A careful, ritual arrangement of many dead dogs.

Any more info on these?

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

Any more info on these?

No. I think they are unrelated: different places, and different times. The dogs were killed at a time in the 1980's which had a spate of animal killings in central Arizona: dogs, horses, cattle. Then it all just went away.

When I stumbled across the most elaborate, weird fetish, I was by myself off the beaten path. The hairs on the back of my neck raised, and I was very afraid. It was something which took a very long time to make, it was still being worked on, it was hidden and private, and was important to the maker. And I had accidentally violated its secrecy.

 

[skinny]

^ Koo koo creepy, EA.
Were you in situ for the Phoenix Lights affair? What's your take on what went on there?



Those desert shots are reminiscent of my own backyard up north in outback South Oz. The Flinders Ranges is my annual go-to for P&Q.

One of my favourite Olly Stone films is U-Turn, shot and set in cactus AZ. Love the deserts. If I ever get to the US, AZ is a must-see place. Big ol' car and a headful of dreams. Night skies like the halls of Valhalla.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

^ Koo koo creepy, EA.
Were you in situ for the Phoenix Lights affair? What's your take on what went on there?



Those desert shots are reminiscent of my own backyard up north in outback South Oz. The Flinders Ranges is my annual go-to for P&Q.

One of my favourite Olly Stone films is U-Turn, shot and set in cactus AZ. Love the deserts. If I ever get to the US, AZ is a must-see place. Big ol' car and a headful of dreams. Night skies like the halls of Valhalla.

Skinny -

Interesting to have an Australian compare the wilderness areas here to your home territory. Yes, the total peace and quiet are sanity-givers.

I wasn't in Arizona at the time, but it received much national attention here. I think it was a US military trial of both technology and of public reaction. I have a different assumption and expectation set from most Forteans here.

Yes, the night skies here, once you get out of the city, are wonderful! Many dark sky areas.

Please post some photos of your wilderness for us here on a fortean Australia thread! I would love to see them.

 

[Floyd]

O

Quite a few people every year manage to prove that it’s not so very different.

Anyone who thinks that nowhere with a UK postcode can kill you, should avoid places like Dartmoor or the Highlands.

maximus otter

Or Moss Side.

 

[Floyd]

I will from time-to-time post photos of Arizona here to provide a slice-of-life for those Forteans who do not live in the SW American desert.

Yesterday I took a drive in the rural areas of Maricopa and Yavapai counties. About 25-30 miles of unpaved road, then about 75 miles of paved roads to get back. The unpaved road took me about 3 hours to drive. I saw five other vehicles, so a busy day. A few tricky parts as the road was washed away from the rains last week. I met a man living in the wilds; 2 horses, one he was riding, the other had his gear; 2 dogs who were ferocious as free dogs in the boonies are. He looked very peaceful and relaxed. BTW, no cell phone service out here for the most part. So, I always have contingency plans in my head before I leave my house.

The photo is of a retreat center about 3/4 of a mile from the road from where I took the photo. The shadowed cliff in the upper middle has been carved out by the Kirkland creek over the last 10 million years or so. The soft gray horizontal line below the cliff is a line of 60-80 foot high cottonwood trees. The very tiny rectangles are the retreat buildings. So, civi - civi - civilization

The second photo is of a really well-maintained road that goes up the south cliff face of the Bradshaw Mountains. The cliff face is at about a 70 degree incline, so steep. Sometimes the boulders, the size of cars, come down onto the road unexpectedly. After every rain, some rocks come down - usually the smaller ones - but still big enough to wreck your car. The lighter S curve on the cliff is a dry creek - waterfall area where all the plants periodically wash away after heavy rains.

Three hours to drive 30 miles of unpaved road? It would take double that here to drive on a paved road.

 

[Kondoru]

It looks very barren. But not completely dry, and I expect the plants look appealing up close.

Do they flower wonderfully after rain?

I love cacti.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

It looks very barren. But not completely dry, and I expect the plants look appealing up close.

Do they flower wonderfully after rain?

I love cacti.

Some do; not all. It depends on the time of year, how much rain, specie of cactus, the local microclimate, etc. Some years, certain species or even some individual plants won't flower after heavy rain if they don't have enough built up energy to make flowers and seeds.

Here is a photo of saguaro cactus thawing out the morning after a night's snowstorm. I took the photo yesterday. This was on the side of the Bradshaw mountains.

Notice that the snow and ice had already melted from everything else due to the ground's ability to absorb sunlight energy and convert to heat. The saguaro, however, were at a different temperature than the ground and short shrubs on the ground. It looks like the snow fairies had only decorated the saguaro.

 

[Floyd]

Some do; not all. It depends on the time of year, how much rain, specie of cactus, the local microclimate, etc. Some years, certain species or even some individual plants won't flower after heavy rain if they don't have enough built up energy to make flowers and seeds.

Here is a photo of saguaro cactus thawing out the morning after a night's snowstorm. I took the photo yesterday. This was on the side of the Bradshaw mountains.

Notice that the snow and ice had already melted from everything else due to the ground's ability to absorb sunlight energy and convert to heat. The saguaro, however, were at a different temperature than the ground and short shrubs on the ground. It looks like the snow fairies had only decorated the saguaro.

I've got to ask- do you ever get 'a warm smell of colitas rising up through the air'?

 

[Mythopoeika]

I've got to ask- do you ever get 'a warm smell of colitas rising up through the air'?

You can get that anywhere you walk in London.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

I've got to ask- do you ever get 'a warm smell of colitas rising up through the air'?

Is this some kind of weird in-house UK thing? I actually don't know what you mean.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Is this some kind of weird in-house UK thing? I actually don't know what you mean.

'Colitas' is something to do with green-leaf marijuana.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

I've got to ask- do you ever get 'a warm smell of colitas rising up through the air'?

Recreational and medical marijuana is legal in Arizona. So one can easily buy. And have delivered to your door. My husband is living his high school dream here. I smell it sometimes when I am in the city.

When I am in the wilderness, it is an environment in which MJ can't survive. Also, very few people compared to that massively populated island kingdom: AZ 30 people/square mile (but almost everyone is in the greater Phoenix metro area). UK: 712 people/square mile. It mostly smells like sage, flowers, and pine trees here.

@Mythopoeika - thanks for the explanation. I wish you guys would speak proper American English.

 

[Mythopoeika]

@Mythopoeika - thanks for the explanation. I wish you guys would speak proper American English.

'Colitas' isn't a UK English term. I had to look it up. It's Mexican.

 

[Floyd]

Is this some kind of weird in-house UK thing? I actually don't know what you mean.

I was thinking of the Arizona landscape and the famous road (Highway 163) that was on an Eagles album (also known as Forrest Gump road) and the lyrics to Hotel California popped into my head. Sorry.

 

[pandacracker]

I had a great trip in Arizona

Drove from L.A. to Gold Canyon (just out side Phoenix)

From there drove to Flagstaff via Sedona and the Echo cliffs

Stayed in a cheap motel on route 66 then went to Antelope canyon, looped back to say a quick hi to the Grand Canyon and then back to L.A.

Was stunned as to how beautiful the desert was.

 

[skinny]

I wish you guys would speak proper American English.

the dessert

Creme brulee?





Places I go that bear a resemblance to Arid-zone-a.

 

[Floyd]

I had a great trip in Arizona

Drove from L.A. to Gold Canyon (just out side Phoenix)

From there drove to Flagstaff via Sedona and the Echo cliffs

Stayed in a cheap motel on route 66 then went to Antelope canyon, looped back to say a quick hi to the Grand Canyon and then back to L.A.

Was stunned as to how beautiful the dessert was.

Did you go to Winslow?
I'm standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine sight to see, it's a girl my Lord in a flat bed Ford....
Sorry. Got carried away. Again.

 

[Endlessly Amazed]

Creme brulee?





Places I go that bear a resemblance to Arid-zone-a.

It is a dimensional warp! That looks exactly like Arizona.

Edit: I looked at several of your youtube vidoes about Australia. It is surprisingly similar. We even have similar snakes, who are now coming out of winter hibernation and are cranky, hungry, and horny. This ends my season for wading through thick brush looking for the perfect photograph.

@Floyd1 - Arizona HWY 163, just south of Utah, was where I was blown off my feet by a pink sandstorm on the Navajo Reservation. Fun times.

 

[kesavaross]

Quite a few people every year manage to prove that it’s not so very different.

Anyone who thinks that nowhere with a UK postcode can kill you, should avoid places like Dartmoor or the Highlands.

maximus otter

I should have explained myself better. I meant more the landscape than the actual places in the UK where a person can get into difficulty and suffer or die.

I know all about the Cairngorms (Scotland UK). Once years and years ago with a group of friends while trecking between places to camp and to rock climb we found two ladies not so far from a town who had gone for a very unsuitably dressed 'stroll' when the weather turned bad on them. It was nice and warm and sunny when they started out......

This was years before mobile phones. They hadn't informed the local police or anyone where they were going. Two of our group went back the 6 or 8 miles to a place called Tomintoul in the torrential rain and high winds and low temperatures to raise the alarm and got there late evening. Due to the awful weather and high winds, the mountain rescue didn't arrive until next morning.

Those young ladies would have been dead from exposure well before the morning had we not found them by chance. Because of them, I spent the night in a bivvy bag. I stank like a skunk next morning.

 

[maximus otter]

I should have explained myself better. I meant more the landscape than the actual places in the UK where a person can get into difficulty and suffer or die.

I know all about the Cairngorms (Scotland UK). Once years and years ago with a group of friends while trecking between places to camp and to rock climb we found two ladies not so far from a town who had gone for a very unsuitably dressed 'stroll' when the weather turned bad on them. It was nice and warm and sunny when they started out......

This was years before mobile phones. They hadn't informed the local police or anyone where they were going. Two of our group went back the 6 or 8 miles to a place called Tomintoul in the torrential rain and high winds and low temperatures to raise the alarm and got there late evening. Due to the awful weather and high winds, the mountain rescue didn't arrive until next morning.

Those young ladies would have been dead from exposure well before the morning had we not found them by chance. Because of them, I spent the night in a bivvy bag. I stank like a skunk next morning.

Well done.

In Fort Bill a few years ago, l was appalled to discover that the authorities felt compelled to post someone at the foot of Ben Nevis. This functionary’s job was to suggest politely to ****ing idiots low-information tourists that shorts & espadrilles were perhaps not ideal hill-climbing kit.



maximus otter

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