Arizona pt 1
Approximately three hours into our drive from California into Arizona, I knew I'd made a mistake. The temperatures outside as we drove were starting to exceed 90 and the car AC was functioning at about 30%. I had foolishly worn shorts and a t-shirt that were sticking to me and the seat. I'm not sure what would have been the not foolish apparel choice, but it felt foolish nonetheless. The idea of climbing into the cooler with our food was starting to get increasingly appealing. Within ten minutes of being in Phoenix I knew I had never experienced hot weather before if this was only their spring time weather. What can I say? I'm a fair weather child.
Our first few days of the road trip were spent in Phoenix and the surrounding area. We woke up early and my friend Mina showed me around old town Scottsdale, Tempe and other fun spots. By the time it was noon we were both getting hot so we would retreat to the comfort of the air conditioned AirBnB until evening rolled around and we would go out to get food and drinks.
The real highlight of this first part of our trip, for me, was going to the Phoenix botanical garden our last day in town. During our visit they had an exhibit by Chihuly installed in the gardens that made it even more special. We walked around and saw beautiful flowers, intricate glasswork, wildlife, and cacti. So many cacti. It was one of those moments where I knew cacti were a thing, obviously, but to see the landscapes covered in so many different types of cacti and shrubs, and missing the pacific northwest's iconic forests and mosses was truly an experience.
It's not talked about much but no matter how long you've been a photographer, when you're in new places or seeing new things you still get that excitement where you take pictures of literally everything even if it's not well composed or even slightly compelling. So I definitely had a large number of photos to weed through when I got back, with the frequent question being 'why did I even take a photo of that?'.
There was a butterfly sanctuary in the gardens teeming with what I must imagine was upwards of 100 butterflies of all sorts of varieties. We also saw an adorable group of mother and baby quail resting in the shade of some nearby shrubbery. But the best part was the area further up in the garden where it was just big landscapes full of cacti. You could see the holes in cacti that were host to birds and other small animals and be towered over by giant saguaro.
By the time we left the garden around noon, it was getting crowded and hot. After a delicious lunch we went to hide inside again for the hottest part of the day and get ready for the rest of our adventures. The next stop; Sedona
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