Thursday, May 31, 2012

Desert Road Trip

My awesome shoulder has limited my outdoor activities over the past year, but now that it's on the mend, Doug and I decided to take the quad out for a ride last weekend. A two-hour drive from our home gives us this:
I'm always just a little bit nervous watching Doug back the quad out of the back of his truck. He's a pro at it!

Every time we head up to these parts (between Globe and Young, Arizona on US188) we see something different. This time, the saguaro cactus were in bloom  and oh so pretty!

And speaking of pretty, these prickly pear cactus blooms were everywhere. I got a little too close to one of these bad boys and got a knee full of cactus stickers. OUCH!

~sigh~


Imagine our surprise after sitting on a rock for a while, me getting stuck with a cactus followed by drama, and then getting back on the quad and seeing a bighorn sheep sunning himself at the top of the hill. He was completely unconcerned with us, and I got a bunch of photos of him as he finally stood up and sauntered into the brush. It's so cool to see stuff like that out in nature! Of course, Doug paced it off and determined that the sheep was 76 yards from us. :o)

You can see Roosevelt Lake in the distance, between the canyon walls:
It's our favorite picnic spot - a great place to relax and unwind.

How about you?
Do you have a favorite place to land for a picnic?

PS: If you "like" PaperTurtle on Facebook you can see a video I uploaded. :o)

13 comments:

scrappyjacky said...

Such amazing scenery,Deb.

helena said...

I love the idea of taking the off roader in the back of the truck - what fabulous views and love the feet photo

Marti said...

And some people think that Arizona has no beauty! These is so much to see. I love the desert.

Irene said...

Beautiful scenery. I can see why this is your favorite place to picnic.

Cheri said...

While I'm a shore girl myself, this is absolutely beautiful! I can see why you miss it.

Unknown said...

Pretty pictures! And boo that you got stuck by a mean cactus! :( Love you!

Maria Ontiveros said...

I adore that picture of the blossom - it's a photo card ready to happen! Our favorite picnic spot is at the Christmas tree farm where we go each year - tables on a hill over looking the farm and the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
Rinda

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous weekend x

Mom said...

Oh, all that worrying I did for nothing--you did not fall off the cliff! So beautiful, absolutely love when the cacti are in bloom. Such unexpected beauty. Did you use Elmer's glue to get out the stickers? Poor baby girl! Love you, Sweetie! xo

Amy said...

I hope it was a good break for you Deb!

Becky said...

This looks so fantastic. How lucky to be able to go for a picnic there! Our favourite place is a beach in Cornwall near Hugh's parents - only get there about once every 3 years though and then we have to pray that it doesn't rain lol! Have a lovely weekend x

Karen said...

We were in the Arizona desert just about a year ago, and it is beautiful. So different from the landscape here. Our favorite spot is one of the Finger Lakes. They are all beautiful--in all four seasons.

Ginger said...

An incredible view! I don't think anyone would get tired of that :)

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