The Bush Highway is a scenic road through the desert, east of Phoenix. It runs from Highway 87 near Fountain Hills to Mesa, a distance of about 18 miles (29 km). Along the way there is a broad range of desert scenery including mountains, a lake and a river. Of course, desert foliage is abundant…
Author: shotsbyp
Water in the Desert
This is a late morning picture of Saguaro Lake, in the McDowell Mountains east of Phoenix. This area is part of the Sonoran Desert and you can see the signature Saguaro cacti along the ridge in the foreground. The lake is is the fourth reservoir on the Salt River, formed by the Stewart Mountain Dam. The dammed end of the…
Prickly Subjects
I’ve been out in the desert looking for interesting pictures. I’m always attracted to the many varieties of cactus, particularly at this time of year when they are flowering. Most recently I was out with Nadja Petersen in an area east of Scottsdale in the McDowell Mountains. The morning light did not favour photographing the…
Valley Views
While reviewing my files from Death Valley one last time, I came across two wide angle views that hadn’t caught my eye earlier. I’ve chosen to publish them today, my last pictures from Death Valley, I think. This first picture was taken from the road along the east side of the valley, looking south. It…
Mesquite Dunes
Mesquite Dunes is an area of Death Valley National Park where, as the name implies the landscape is one of sand dunes we typically associate with a desert. It was my favourite area of the park, very picturesque and an excellent subject for photography. Less than one percent of the Death Valley desert is covered…