29 Palms to Tucson, formerly Sedona

I was going to Sedona but when winter finally hit me at Wickenburg I decided to come down to Tucson. Here are the last of my pictures from Wickenburg to Tucson of my Wyoming to Arizona trip this fall. I was on the road 3 1/2 months.

Vulture Peak from the campground and Trailhead, with Cholla Cacti forest in the foreground.

A wilted Saguaro Cacti, Choola and ocotillo Cacti while on hike to Quartz Peak in the Sierra Estrella Wilderness SW of Phoenix AZ.

The sunrise on the desert.

Trailhead to Quartz Peak

Near the head of the trail looking back down into the desert

Smoke,fog and smog separate the distant mountains.

Long bony fingers of mountain ranges stretch out into the plains below.

Looking north along the Sierra Estrella Range

Looking SW from Quartz Peak. The main peak is made up of huge boulders of white Quartz, as seen in the foreground.

Rood Anderson (R) and I on Quartz Peak. Rood was my www.warmshowers.com (a bicycling group) Host. I stayed at his place near Buckeye AZ on my way south to Tucson.

That long finger of mountain below as we decend.

Moonrise over a rock formation along the trail.

Looking back towards Quartz Peak, its in the left hand side area along the ridge.

After I left Rood's house I traveled south towards Casa Grande thru the desert and found this first streambed with water. I have been in the deserts since cycling in Utah this is the first I saw with water and not just another dry wash.

Looking back at the Sierra Estrella Range. Quartz Peak is the third peak left of the telephone pole.

The North maricopa Mountains along the dirt road I took south from Buckeye.

The long stretch of sandy road before me going down towards Casa Grande

My camp once back on the pavement behind a Salt Cedar tree.

Welcome to Casa Grande AZ

Another camp with sunset colors near La Palma AZ

Picacho Peak from the southeast 30 miles NW of Tucson.

You know it's dry when you see a wilted cactus!

Great Pics Gary!

Gary, you went through the area I grew up in. Mostly, we lived on the Gila River Reservation. The family owned property on the north side of Casa Grande (originally 120 acres that my father homesteaded), but had to sell it off piecemeal. There is a shopping center, trade school, and a residential area on it now. Picacho Peak was one of my early climbs. Near Picacho was the westernmost battle of the Civil War. Every year in March, there is a re-enactment of the Battle of Picacho Peak. The grave of the lieutenant who commanded the Union forces is near the mountain, close to the railroad tracks, but is unmarked (one of the few casualties in the battle).

There is also another western front at Bloody Basin along the Auga Fria up north near Sdona. A friend and I hiked the Agua Fria in the mid 90s from Bloddy basin to near Phoenix.

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