I spent the winter in Southwestern Arizona to get away from all the snow. It's been an experience since my husband, youngest daughter live on a 40 ft. bus. There have been adjustments by all parties, since extra room is really non-existant, but we've done pretty good.
My favorite thing, to date, is the beautiful scenery that can be found in this area. You wouldn't expect a desert to bloom, but it does. Early spring is heralded by ocatillo blooms waving like red pennants from their tall stems, several species of prickly pear cactus putting on a show that would rival the best kept rose garden, and wildlife in abundance. Late spring boasts saguaro cactus blooms that seem to march up and down the ribs of these goliaths.
The past week we've been boondocking along the Colorado River with it's several species of palm trees, stands of bamboo, and aquatic grasses. Just the other morning I caught site of a couple adult Gambel's Quail and what seemed to be several dozen little fuzzballs on legs. Very cute! There are white-winged dove and what I believe are a small population of ringed turtle doves pairing up, and of course, the many great tailed grackles preen and strut for the ladies.
Now that the daughter is out of school for the summer, plans are in the works to start our trek north and east to cooler climes. Temperatures hovering in the high 90s and low 100s this early in the year are more than I'm prepared to deal with. For now, though, I'm enjoying the warmth while hearing tales of snow from our northern friends, and when the heat gets to bad, the river is right there to cool us off. Believe me, the Colorado River may be flowing through the desert here, but it's temperature is still reminiscent of the northern states where it has it's headwaters. I've yet to brave it past my knees, but Alan and Heili just dive right in. Give me a heated pool any day!
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