Mogollon Rim - Arizona

These photos were taken during a heavy snow near the Mogollon Rim Visitor Center about 32 miles east of Payson, in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.

 

Fortynine Palms Oasis - Joshua Tree National Park

Fortynine Palms Oasis is a sensitive biological area. The hike is 3 miles round trip.

North Joshua Tree BLM - Twentynine Palms, CA

This is free dispersed camping on the Sunfair Dry Lake.

 

Wall Street Mill Trail - Joshua Tree National Park

This is an easy 2 mile hike out to the Wall Street Mill.

Picacho Peak State Park - Picacho, AZ

The unique shape of the 3,374-foot Picacho Peak has been used as a landmark by travelers since prehistoric times. The peak is part of a volcanic flow that has been partially eroded away. The trail to the summit is 3 miles round trip with 1,962 feet of elevation gain.

Aspen Peak Trail - Haulapai Mountain Park

My good friend, and fellow caver Bill Owens, and I hiked the Aspen Trail in the Haulapai Mountains. The mountain range rises up to 8,417 feet above the surrounding Mojave Desert. The highest elevations support Madrean Sky Island habitats. We hiked to the Dean Peak Overlook.

Bill Owens

Bill Owens

Hoover Dam - Nevada

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River. Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume when full.

Monolith Garden Trail - Kingman, AZ

My good friend Bill Owens and I hiked the 6.4 mile Monolith Garden Trail.

Bill Owens

The Apache Trail - Tonto National Forest

The Apache Trail is a 40-mile scenic byway section of Arizona Highway 88 that weaves through the Superstition Mountains between Lost Dutchman State Park and Theodore Roosevelt Lake to the east of Phoenix.

Gila Monster - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

I saw this Gila Monster crossing the trail at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I chased it into the creosote bushes to get its photo. It then turned around and opened its powerful jaws trying to frighten me, that's when I chose to not get closer because they are venomous. A Gila monster bite is extremely painful to humans, but it rarely causes death. The biggest problem you might have if a Gila monster bit you is trying to get the lizard to release its grip! Most of the Gila monster's teeth have two grooves that conduct its venom, a neurotoxin, from glands in the lower jaw. The toxin is not injected like that of the snake, but flows into the wound as the lizard chews on its victim.

 

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument - Arizona

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is an amazing place to go hiking and camping. It's one of my favorite place in Arizona.

The U.S. and Mexico border.

The U.S. and Mexico border.