Photo: McDowell Mountain Preserve

It will soon be hiking season in the Valley of the Sun, as temperatures cool.  This photo from the McDowell  Mountain Preserve in North Scottsdale shows how houses are creeping into the high desert.

Most of the McDowell Mountain Preserve is park land, so it will remain in its natural state.

This week we have photos of the wildlife and people of Tanzania posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Deep Arizona Forest

Where are the cactus and sage?  I am sure it will surprise many to hear that Arizona has the world's largest Ponderosa pine forest.

This is part of the view of the dense forest that stretches across northern Arizona in the area around Flagstaff.

Although Arizona is best known for its hot deserts and the Grand Canyon, there is a lot of forest land  in Arizona as well.  Approximately 80% of Arizona is public land owned by the federal government.  Much of it is national forest land.

This week we have photos of a night at the opera in Paris posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Forest trail near Flagstaff

The trail leading to the top of the San Francisco peaks starts out through a forest.  This is very different the than the hiking trails near Scottsdale that I showed recently, which of course have high desert vegetation.

This week we have photos of a night at the opera in Paris posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Meadow near San Francisco Peaks

I showed some photos of the San Francisco Peaks outside Flagstaff recently, so I thought I would show a closer view of this area with some photos that my step son, Stuart, took on his hike to the top of Mt. Humphries, the highest peak in Arizona.

This is a photo of a meadow on the approach to the San Francisco Peaks.  Stuart hiked up to the top from a trailhead close to here.  The photos of this hike that I will show during the next few days will illustrate the diversity of vegetation and climates in Arizona.

This week we have photos of a night at the opera in Paris posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Climbers on the top of Tom's Thumb

This is a closer view of the climbers at the top of Tom's Thumb.  It looks like the person at the top is tending to the rope lines to help other climbers, with one of the other climbers just below the top.

There are several rock climbing gyms  in the area for people to practice their skills, but certainly climbing rocks and mountains such as Tom's Thumb requires a lot of skill and conditioning.

Every once in a while the news will carry reports of people rescued by the mountain rescue teams.

This week we have photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland, this week posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Tom's Thumb

Stuart made it all the way to the top of his hike to Tom's Thumb. There were some rock climbers who had scaled the rock formation.  You can see one of them in the center bottom of this photo, and a colleague is peaking out from the top left.

I will show a closer view tomorrow.

This week we have photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland, this week posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: High Desert Scottsdale Homes

Here is another photo from Stuart's hike to Tom's Thumb.  There are some large homes scattered in the high desert at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains.  It is about 3-4 degrees cooler for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

This week we have photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland, this week posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Tom's Thumb Trail

This is the opposite view from yesterday's photo, looking up into the McDowell Mountains rather than back across the Valley.

This photo illustrates that the Sonoran Desert can be green, not all sand and rock.

There is a controversy occurring in Scottsdale right now.  Some State Trust Land has been added to the City's McDowell Mountain Preserve.  The State allowed jeep tour operators to drive tourists on the land, but the City does not allow vehicles in the mountain preserve.  The City has to decide whether to allow the jeep tours to continue.

This week we have photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland, this week posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Tom's Thumb Trail in Scottsdale

I have shown a few photos during the last few days of hiking in northern Arizona, so I thoguth I would show some photos from hikes here in Scottsdale. This is near the beginning of Tom's Thumb trail in the McDowell Mountain Preserve in Scottsdale.

You can see the suburban sprawl of north Scottsdale in the distance.  The large white object in the center is the exhibition tent at Westworld, where the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, the Barrett-Jacklson Automobile Auction, and other events are held.

I will show some additional photos from this hike in the days ahead, courtesy again of Stuart, who took these photos during a hike in the Spring.  The City of Scottsdale opened a new trailhead for the Tom's Thumb Trail last October to make it more convenient for hikers to access this trail

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Blarney Castle, Ireland.

Hiking Feet Covered by Red Sedona Dirt

Here is a photo of my feet covered with the red fine dirt of Sedona.

Hiking in Sedona means everything on you becomes red.

I really like the red coloring of the dirt in Sedona but you have to wash your feet before going into your lovely casita at the Enchantment Resort.

Check out unique photos of the Maasi and Ngorongoro Crater at Viva la Voyage!

Devil's Arch in Sedona

Here is a photo of Dave standing on Devil's Arch in Sedona.

We hiked all the way from the paved road and left the car since it was Dave's car and it did not have enough clearance to drive down the dirt road to start the trail.

We hiked and hiked on several trails before getting to the right one that was to Devil's Arch.

I would highly recommend for people to hike to Devil's Arch, as long as you are not afraid of heights. As you can see it is quite breathtaking.

Check out the architecture of Spain at Viva la Voyage!

Hiking Path to Indian Ruins

Here is a photo of the hiking path to the Indian ruins I have been showing from the previous few days.

You can see the steps of red rocks that are part of the path. The greenery along the path with all of the trees and plants makes the steep hike quite enjoyable.

Over the next few days I will share with you photos and our favorite experiences at the Enchantment Resort and Spa in Boynton Canyon in Sedona, Arizona.

Check out our new travel photos from Lake Como and the picturesque village of Varenna, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Hiking and Contemplating Life

This photo shows me sitting next to the Indian ruins from yesterday's photo and I am looking out into part of Boynton Canyon.

We hiked up to these ancient Indian ruins from Enchantment Resort. For the next few weeks I will share with you this great area in Sedona, Arizona.

Check out our new travel photos from Lake Como and the picturesque village of Varenna, Italy at Viva la Voyage!

Rock Cairn in Sedona

Since we have been sharing photos of signs based on theme days, I thought I would post this rock cairn as I think it is a pretty cool sign.

I like it when I am hiking and I see such interesting mini-works of art.

The rocks are almost ready to teeter off. Whoever built this rock cairn would also be good at building a house of cards.

Life is temporal and so are these rock cairns.

Check our our travel photos of the fabulous pyramids of Chichen Itza at VivalaVoyage!

Tall Saguaro at the Boulders

What a great day for a hike among the Boulders in northeast Scottsdale.

Look how tall the Saguaro Cactus is. It is over 100 years old.

I love the mix of boulders, blue sky, cloud and cactus. A perfect Arizona day.

Check out travel photos of the Grandeur of Venice at Viva la Voyage!

Composition of Desert Mountain Formations

This photo shows the red rock and desert plants on the west side of Camelback Mountain.

We went hiking last weekend and I thought this was a nice image of the rocks and shapes on the mountain.

Growing up in Arizona, I really like the looks of the desert and various geological formations.

I am always looking at rocks when I hike. Often I carry some of the interesting rocks home and put them in my yard.

Check out the stunning travel photos of the unique Uxmal Pyramids in Mexico at Viva la Voyage!

Arizona Sky and Boulders

I like this photos of the big Arizona sky filled with clouds overlooking the Boulders Resort golf course and the natural boulders in the desert.

This is a great time of the year to go out hiking in Arizona.

Nice weather, great outdoor activities, but we do have to start watching out for snakes when hiking as it is starting to warm up, which means snakes are coming out of hibernation.

Check out travel photos of Dubrovnik on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Mystical Boulders

Here is a photo of those mystical boulders in the area I like to hike at in north Scottsdale.

These boulders are so special and spiritual to many.

Anyone who has the opportunity to visit Arizona, should make time to hike at the Boulders. It is a great lunch spot and has a beautiful golf course also.

Check out travel photos of Dubrovnik on the Dalmation Coast at Viva la Voyage!

Hole in the Rock

A beautiful day for hiking up to Hole In the Rock.

This popular hiking spot is at Papago Park.

The weather is very nice right now so people are getting outdoors and enjoying all types of activities.

Check out new travel photos from Tulum, Xelha, and Cancun at Viva la Voyage!

Man and Butte at Dusk

When I was hiking on Papago Buttes recently I saw this hiker standing on top of the buttes contemplating the world at dusk.

The opportunity to photograph him with this beautiful color in the sky was too interesting to pass up.

I tried to photograph him while he was standing and walking on top of the butte, but his movements at dusk kept causing a blurry photo. I had to take long exposures because of the lack of light.

I took a chance and shouted out to him to go back to the peak of the butte and hold still so I could photograph him. He politely obliged.

After he hiked to my level on Papago Butte, we introduced ourselves and I met Andrew Gallo, a journalism student at Arizona State University. A shout out to Andrew for allowing me to capture this photo of him and the butte. I hope you enjoy another Arizona classic photo.

You can now enjoy our travel photos on Viva la Voyage. We now have India photos posted and plan to post new travel photos each Sunday.