Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets

Newest first

Trip start
July 15, 2023
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Its finally arrived
July 15, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
The trip begins - Nottingham train station, heading to London Heathrow. This trip will be the soul reset that I need so much. Endless skies, cacti, reptiles, Mexican food and cool people. Bring it on! I will share my journey with you guys, you will see what I see and hopefully I can convey the feelings I feel. Nature is my vice and I intend to binge like it's my last trip. Ultimately I want to captivate you all to the point where you join me on my next trip, experience this at first hand and bring back memories to cherish forever. Hold on tight guys, it's going to be a fast paced trip. I'll see you over thereRead more
1 like
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Heathrow Terminal 3
July 15, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
Arrived without incident at Heathrow, now just waiting patiently for my flight. One of the side effects of getting out into nature is the need to be amongst SOOO many people at the airports. Grin and bear it and look towards the next 16 days. Who wants to hear the amazing Itinerary that myself and Paul cooked up? This is the recipe for success

Day 1 and 2 - Phoenix
This is the meeting point for everybody who's travelling from far and wide to join the fun. It gives me 2 days to do some City Herping. I know a good spot and I'll share it with you all.

Day 3, 4, 5 and 6 - Phoenix to Rio Rico
Pick up the fun bus, load up the troops and head towards the Mexican Border. We will have a couple of stops en route at Eloy and Missile Base Road. See if we can't turn up some gems on the first full day as a group. Quick stop for supplies as we head through Green Valley and on to our amazing home for the next 4 days. We have 30 acres of private land around the house to really get our teeth into. Lake Patagonia, Sonoita and the famous Ruby Road all to explore, I don't think 4 days is even close to enough lol.
Hoping for Blacktail Rattlesnakes, Tiger Rattlesnakes and the big ask .... Ridgenosed Rattlesnakes. Will we get them? Read on and see

Days 7, 8, 9 and 10 - Rio Rico to Green Valley
A stop at Tabac Creek en route to Canoa Ranch Golf Resort, green trees in the middle of the desert, should bring all the animals to us right? Here's hoping.
Canoa Ranch is an Oasis amongst the rocks and cacti. Beautiful, lush surroundings and some incredible trails to walk. We have Mount Wrightson, Madera Canyon, Keystone Peak and Helvetia all on our doorstep. Awe inspiring vistas and incredible wildlife to boot. Mount Wrightson gave me a Bear and Wild Turkeys last year, let's see what she gives us this year. Madera Canyon and Mt Wrightson are strongholds of the Banded Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi) and the Ridgenosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi) and the beautiful Arizona Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis pyromelena). A good search can also turn up Arizona Black Rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerberus) along with the more common Blacktail (Crotalus molossus) and Western Diamond Back (Crotalus atrox) Rattlesnakes.
Keystone Peak is Gila Monster territory, let's get out there and look for these most charismatic of Arizona's native reptiles.

Days 11, 12, 13 and 14
Green Valley to Tucson
This short drive will give us plenty of time to stop off at the Sonoran Desert Museum. This is a beautiful collection of native Flora and Fauna. They have one of the most complete collections of Arizona's Rattlesnakes and a mind boggling collection of Native Cacti and Succulents. A walk through Aviary of Arizona's humming birds and the icing on the cake... good cake at the Cafeteria 😊

After this we can explore the Saguaro National Park until it's time to check in to our next BEAUTIFUL house in the very trendy Catalina Foothills area of Tucson. This puts us in the perfect place to make the most of Sabino Canyon, Peppersauce Road and the Saguaro National Park. Almost endless trails to walk, roads to cruise and animals to find. Keep your eyes peeled for Javelina, Coyotes, Cougars and Bobcats. Reptile wise we have almost the whole scope of Arizona's offerings available for those with sharp eyes and determination

Day 15 - Tucson to Phoenix
It's almost the end of the trip guys, but we haven't had enough yet have we??
On the way to Phoenix we have a stop off at an area known to be a hotspot for Sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes), will the snake gods be smiling on us? Only one way to find out.
From here it's back to Phoenix for our last night before we head home. Where has the time gone? Did we really do all of that in just 2 weeks? Do we want to do it all again? Of course we do!
Say goodbye to the trusty fun bus, relax by the pool and get a burger at the Burger Theory Bar.Read more
1 like
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
JFK Airport - NYC
July 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
Final stop on my way to Arizona. Impatience is building. I just wanna be there now. Just 2 1/2 hours more to wait and then I will be Phoenix bound.
They say New York never sleeps, it would appear that JFK airport definitely does thoughRead more
1 like
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Phoenix
July 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 40 °C
Checked in at the Hotel and had the most amazing shower, I feel almost human again now. Just under 24 hours till the first guest arrives so time to make some plans.
Task 1 - Find a Supermarket. I need a U.S SIM card to make things easier, I need a water bottle and most importantly I need food, honestly my stomach thinks my throat has been cut. After that I will bring the goodies back here and wait for the temperature to drop a little (41°c at the moment).
Task 2 - I will head over to the spot near the Zoo (West Buttes Parking Lot) and try and get my World Snake Day celebration off the ground in the best way possible. Last year we didn't find snakes there but we did see Desert Iguanas, Chuckwallas and Zebra Tail Lizards. On the non Herp front we did see Prairie Dogs, Jack Rabbits and Night Hawks

Turns out that Phoenix is in the midst of a record breaking heatwave, it's going to be too hot even over night to make it worthwhile walking over, early night is on the cards.Read more
0 likes
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Papago Park, Phoenix
July 17, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C
Wow Phoenix, you take Hot to another level. 47°c and rising. Ryan arrived so we headed over in an attempt to beat the weather, unfortunately the sun gets up early here. We had a very nice walk but the finds were on the thin side due to the temperatures and the lack of rain. We did see a Zebra Tailed Lizard ( Callisaurus draconoides ) and briefly saw 2 whip tail lizards. Didn't get a good enough view to identify them properly although based on location they were likely Western Whiptails (Aspidoscelis tigris).
On the non-herp front we did see jack Rabbits, a vulture, night jars and a Dove on a nest.
The rains need to come, I feel a rain dance coming on, whatever is needed right?
After dinner we decided that we would give Papago park another shot after dark. The winds had risen and it felt like a fan heater was blowing in our faces constantly. Once again it was fairly fruitless. I managed to catch a Keeled Rock Gecko (Cyrtopodion scabrum) and we discovered an Arizona Bark Scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus).
We rounded the night off with a ride back to the hotel with the amazing Charles in his Big Black Cadillac, the car needed to be that big to fit his huge personality in, what a guyRead more
1 like
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Tenagra Observatory
July 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C
After Sweetwater Wetlands Park, we continued south towards the Mexican Border. Our destination was a house near to Rio Rico. After a 20 minute drive along a gravel road we finally arrived at Tenagra Observatory. This is no longer a functional observatory but the location is just INCREDIBLE. Nestled in over 30 acres of scrubland, with views South to Mexico, North towards Madera Canyon and East to Patagonia Lake, the feeling of tranquility immediately relaxes you.
A mesquite tree outside was laden with Mesquite bugs ( Thasus neocalifornicus ).
A short walk turned up an amorous Texas Brown Tarantula ( Aphonopelma hentzi )
Arizona Black Widow Spiders ( Latrodectus Hesperus ) were in abundance.
Also found were Western Banded Geckos ( Coleonyx variegatus ) and Sonoran Desert Toads ( Incilius alvarius )
As day turned into night, it became abundantly clear why this location has been chosen as an observatory, the night sky was beautiful.Read more
0 likes
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
July 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 43 °C
Collected the Fun Bus today, loaded everybody up and headed South. We met up with Pete and Wayne in Tucson. Pete has lived in Tucson for 27 years and knows the area well. Wayne is a childhood friend of his who visits him in Arizona twice a year with the aim of getting out into the wilds and spotting animals. Seems like I suddenly have a local expert. They suggested we head to Sweetwater Wetlands Park. This is effectively a water processing plant, but in Arizona water attracts wildlife. We had a tranquil walk around the ponds, admiring the Dragonflies, birds and most importantly, the reptiles.
The reptiles spotted here were:-
Ornate Tree Lizard - Urosaurus ornatus
Desert Piny Lizard - Sceloporus magister
Clarks Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus clarkiiRead more
0 likes
Arizona - Cacti and Sunsets Traveler
Lake Pena Blanca
July 19, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Waking up to a cloudless sky, with temperatures already approaching 38°c, it was agreed that Lake Peña Blanca was a good destination for today. Everybody aboard the fun bus and we approached along Ruby Road. After a few impromptu stops along the way for Whip Tails and Spiny Lizards, we arrived at the Lake, and it was stunning. Walking from the car park to the lake shore we were treated to a display by an Elegant Earless Lizard ( Holbrookia elegans ) and we were observed by many Whiptail Lizards. Avoiding the temptation of a swim we took the trail around the lake. Gaining some height we looked out across the lake and saw many Red Eared Sliders ( Trachemys scripta elegans ) basking at the surface. At this point a cry of "Snake" from ahead got my heart pumping almost as fast as my legs. I rounded a corner and was pointed towards a hollow beneath a rock. Sat inside was the most incredible Black Tail Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus ) I've ever seen. The sheer contrast and clarity of the pattern really did make this animal stand out. Nobody wanted to leave this snake and move on. We are glad we did though, as round a bend in the trail we came across a Vine Snake ( Oxybelis aeneus )Read more
0 likes

Trip end
August 1, 2023