On The Road – Winter Wren – April 2022 in Arizona – Part 1 (of 2)

We spent part of our first day in Phoenix before heading to Peoria. I took the opportunity to hike a trail to Piestawa Peak, which has great views of downtown Phoenix (pictured here). The trail was very crowded mid-morning on Saturday and it was getting hot, so I didn’t feel too bad turning around right before the top (where it also got a little too steep for my taste). In the foreground is a Palo Verde tree, which were blooming prolifically at this time and to which we soon found ourselves to be extremely allergic (after initially suspecting that somehow we got Covid on the plane ride from MA).

In Peoria, we stayed with my brother and his wife at their resort timeshare. The plan was to relax some, and use this as a base to take some day trips to Phoenix and northern Arizona sightseeing locales. For me, the best part of Peoria was taking pre-dawn runs from the resort to the nearby Sunrise Mountain Park before it got hot. Lots of wildlife to be seen on the way. Here 2 Gila woodpeckers were hanging out near their nest within this cactus.

Here the sunrise is starting to come up behind another cactus. One of our later day trips was to visit the Botanical Garden in Phoenix, where you could see and compare all of the various kinds of cactus. Unfortunately, my cactus identification skills have not persisted to the present, so not exactly sure what kind is pictured here.

At the top of the “mountain” (really a large hill I would say), there was a rewarding view of the sunrise (so that part of the park name was at least apt). On this Sunday morning, many balloonists were taking off and also enjoying the sunrise also.

During my morning runs, I often stop briefly to take pictures of the birds or other wildlife as well as the views (because that’s how I roll!). Having only previously traveled on business trips to Arizona, most of the birds were new to me. Gambel’s quails like this one were almost a guarantee to see every day. I also saw a few Greater Roadrunners very briefly – true to the iconic cartoon character, they were too fast for me to get a photo!

We took a day trip from Peoria to visit Montezuma Castle National Monument. Here is Montezuma Castle itself. This cliff dwelling ruin of the Sinagua people dates from the 12th century and overlooks a decent sized stream. It’s a very pleasant and short walk to the base of the cliff from the visitor center. Visitors are not allowed to access the ruins themselves on the cliff.

A short drive north of Montezuma Castle is Montezuma Well. Montezuma Well also has some cliff dwelling ruins. The overlook this collapsed limestone sinkhole filled by an artesian spring. Here you can walk down to the pond itself and view one of the dwellings near the water up close. You can also see the outflow steam leaving through an opening nearby.

The next day was a longer day trip to visit the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks. It was a cool and very windy day – a welcome respite from the heat around the Phoenix area. The Petrified Forest has lots of short walks that you can take as you drive through the park. This picture of a horned lark on a petrified log was taken on the walk to the Agate house. I captured a frontal view of this same bird where you can better see the diagnostic black, yellow and white facial pattern, but I chose this photo because you can clearly see the eponymous “horns!”

A moderately longer hiking trail leads down into Blue Mesa. Not sure how they came up with that name, as it is really a “badland” where the purple (rather than blue) striping is more dominant and striking. Here is the beginning of the descent into the floor. On the floor itself, seemingly out of place petrified logs of various sizes are scattered along the trail (unlike other areas of the park where they are crowded together more tightly).

In addition to the Agate House, other archaeological sites include Puerco Pueblo. At its peak in 1300s with over 100 rooms, it is thought to have housed as many as 200 ancestral Puebloans. Nearby to the (not pictured) foundations lie multiple rocks with interesting petroglyphs. This petroglyph shows a person watching an ibis with a frog – proving that birdwatching is an ancient activity with a long history!