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Via Flickr:
Bell's Pass
McDowell Sonoran Preserve
Scottsdale, AZ

7.5 miles up & down.

B/W for SliderSunday. HSS!

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Via Flickr:
On the trail. Scouting out a long hike for tomorrow.

Desert Bud

2/27/11 - Week 9
Shot last week in Scottsdale and processed today in SEP2.  It was a little early for the desert flowers to bloom, but I was able to catch one here.

Old Timer

2/26/11 - Week 9
Went to a local Scottsdale pizza place yesterday for lunch.  Little did I expect to see this old time radio in a pizza joint setting.  Since it had the names of cities across the top, perhaps it was also an old time shortwave?

Skeleton

2/25/11 - Week 8
This looked like the skeleton of a dead saguaro along the Desert Park Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.  Not sure if it was a saguaro but very cool nonetheless.

Three Mile Climb

2/25/11 - Week 8
Had to work for a few hours this morning and missed an easy stroll with Lin and our friends.  So instead, I went out later on my own and did a 6.6 mile hike.  This shot is from Inspiration Point, the highest spot on this particular trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Pinnacle Peak Map

2/24/11 - Week 8
Map of Pinnacle Peak Park and trail.

Path to Pinnacle Peak

2/24/11 - Week 8
Another shot at Pinnacle Peak which my buddy Norm and I hiked on Thursday.  Good news is this shot is from the backside and we had already come over the trail peak.  Bad news is we had to climb this to get back to the front side.

Troon

2/24/11 - Week 8
My buddy Norm and I hiked Pinnacle Peak this morning.  3.75 miles, all up and down, for a total of 1300' of climbing. This shot is of one of the golf courses tucked in between the several peaks.  SOOC because I'm too tired to process!

1.5 Out of 5

2/23/11 - Week 8
Vista along our 5 mile hike in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Needles Redux

2/23/11 - Week 8
Another cactus species found along our hike through the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

Lanterns of Palm

2/23/11 - Week 8
Not an indigenous species but a symbol of a warm climate nonetheless.  Taken with the SymmetriCam and processed with the Nik software suite.

Tall Guy

2/21/11 - Week 8
Symbol of the Arizona desert.

Needles

2/21/11 - Week 8
Lots of cool cacti along the road on my Scottsdale bike ride today.

Broken Neck

2/21/11 - Week 8
I had another shot all picked out for Trash Talk Tuesday, but came across this bottle on a 32 mile bike ride this morning in Scottsdale.  Actually, it was perfect timing since my lungs were blowing out from all the climbing and it was a good excuse for a rest!  Unfortunately, I could not dispose of the bottle since it was broken and I was on the bike.