the wandeirng chick
...The Sonoran Preserve, Phoenix
biking the Apache Wash bike trail

For anyone interested in an easy paved biking path through the Sonoran Desert, the Apache Wash Trail system should be considered.

On a beautiful spring morning, a friend and I took to the path as it meandered past desert flowers, saguaros and fields of cholla. Dotted in every direction with patches of yellow, we were stopping every few feet for pictures, drawing out an eight-mile ride for more than three hours. We couldn't help it. Spring was in the air.

The Apache Wash Trail, one of three trailheads under the umbrella of the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, is more than just the bike path. It's a system of trails for hikers, bikers (including mountain bikers) and equestrians.

Located north of Phoenix, off Highway 17, exit Dove Valley Road east.

the desert floor
For as far as the eye can see, various yellow shrubs and flowers decorate the desert floor.
cholla limb closeup
the bike path
There's something very appealing about dead cholla limbs. Unique and pretty in their own right, against a blue sky, they're quite picturesque...
At the time of this writing, the Apache Wash bike trail was relatively new...therefore clean and crack-free.
dead cholla limb
dead cholla limb
...and unless you've taken a picture of one from every angle, well, you've done it an injustice!
live jumping cholla, closeup
The live chollas are pretty interesting, too, but one may not want to get as close to it.
the desert floor
yellow blossoms closeup
saguaro cactus
We all know every saguaro is different, but this particular one was one of the most unique either of us had ever seen. We stood for quite a while marveling as its shape. I see a man carrying his child on his head, a look of alarm on his face.
unique saguaro
dead saguaro arm
hedgehog in bloom
desert as night approaches
saguaro closeup
saguaro in sunset
Even though the mighty saguaro may look old and wrinkled, new life still abounds. As seen in the photo below, however, many succumb to disease or too many years of harsh weather.
saguaro in sunset
The colorful display of hedgehog is always a sure sign of spring.

To see more locations in Arizona, please return to the Arizona home page.

 

Please visit some of my other travel locations. Feel free to email me if you have questions or comments.

BY CITY:Boston | Carson City | Coeur d'Alene, ID | Colorado Springs | Duluth, MN | Durango, CO | Fort Benton, MT | Galveston, TX | Independence, MO | Juliette, GA | Leadville, CO | Morro Bay, CA | New York City | Sacramento | San Diego | Savannah | Seattle | Sedona, AZ | St. Louis | Stillwater, MN | Tombstone | Tucson | Washington, D.C.

BY STATE:Alaska| Arizona | California | Colorado | Georgia | Idaho | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Montana | Nevada | New Mexico | North Carolina | Oregon | South Dakota | Texas | Utah | Washington | Wisconsin | Wyoming

BY REGIONS, LANDMARKS AND NATL PARKS, FORESTS AND MONUMENTS: the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest | Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake | Arches NP | the Badlands | Big Sur | Bighorn Canyon | the Biltmore Estate | the Black Hills | Blue Ridge Parkway | Bodega Bay | Bridges of Madison County | Bryce Canyon | Canyon de Chelly | Canyonlands NP | Death Valley | Devils Tower| Garden of the Gods | Glacier NP | the Grand Canyon | the Grand Tetons | the Great Sand Dunes NP | Gulf Shores, AL | the Hearst Castle | Highway 287 | Hoover Dam | Hovenweep NM | In search of Barns and Bridges | Kure Beach | Lake Powell | Lake Tahoe | Little Bighorn Battlefield | Mackinac Island | Martha's Vineyard | Medicine Bow NF | Mesa Verde NP | Monterey Bay | Monument Valley | Mount Rainier | Mount Rushmore | Mount St. Helens | Napa Valley | Natural Bridges NM | Niagara Falls | OK City (bombing) NM | the Olympic Peninsula | Organ Pipe Cactus NM | the Outer Banks | the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert | Pictured Rocks NL | Point Reyes Natl Seashore | Rocky Mtn NP | the Royal Gorge | Saguaro NP | Shenandoah Valley | Sleeping Bear Dunes NL | the Sonoma Coast | Sunset Crater NM | Texas Hill Country | Tonto NM | Tonto Natural Bridge | Tybee Island | Valley of Fire | the Vermillion Cliffs | White Mountains NF | Yellowstone NP | Yosemite NP | Zion NP

OUTSIDE THE U.S.: Austria | Budapest, Hungary | Canada | Costa Rica | East Africa | Europe, here and there | France | Germany | Greece | Italy | Morocco | the Netherlands | Portugal | Puerto Peñasco, Mexico | Russia | Scotland | Spain | Switzerland | Tunisia | Turkey

OTHER: HOME | My Favorites | the Andreas family, Moab | Vilseck DoDDS teachers' reunions | Madi's Page

 

 

 

All images within 'The Wandering Chick' Web site are copyright protected. They may not be downloaded or otherwise copied.