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Arizona, Sample of the World! by Lloyd Blackwell
A typical evergreen pine forest stands on a photo. An onlooker may assume that this could be in Colorado, Europe, Alaska, or at least if it was taken in the great Grand Canyon State then the foliage would be restricted to some very very far distant isolated mountain top. This is not the case, as there are conifer expanses in AZ that stretch for hundreds of miles, including some very fantasy like biotic communities.
The photograph recognition scenario photo could involve a location in Arizona. yet it may not. Most people, however, would not ever associate this type of plant life as such. This local expansive portion of the Earth's surface is well endowed with many vivid displays which mirror much of the climactic, geological, biological, and other ranges that exist all other places around our graceful planet's reaches.
Here there are desolate stretches of desert singing the song of the vast exotic Sahara, yet forests which scream the vision "Schwarzwald"! Lying around this state are hidden subtropical grasslands echoing the ambiance of their more equatorially positioned central African bigger brothers. As well, there exist many other realms of awe to tempt the footfall of humankind, the eyes of an adventurer, or the heart of the explorer!
If you don't have the cash to go to the Black forest in the southwest of Germany or happened to be planning a trip to the Grand Canyon or Sedona, then stop by one of Arizona's magical hinterlands, the lush foliage saturating the White and Blue Range Mountains, along with the mighty alpine summit of Escudilla.Tall straight pine trees, open vibrant fields looking as if they were massive front lawns, a predominant older culture, a plethora of flowing and resting waters, and the sounds of wildlife are just a few things that these two far distant lovely countrysides share.
The two beautiful landscapes make for an interesting contrast of latitude versus elevation, and the similarities wrought by the relative cancellation of these factors. What about the spectacular Triberg waterfall one may ask? One word comes to mind for me, Pacheta. Located deep within the heavily forested landscape lies this cascading gem, smaller than its distant cousin in Baden Württemberg, yet huge in its own right and just as inspiring.
Nowhere else on Earth is quite like the city near the vertically plummeting waters just described, however Greer, Arizona also shares that distinction. Similar to Triberg, this small town lies between thick stands of both conifer and broadleaf vegetation growing on the steep sides of the mountains which they are nestled in. The falls in the geographical region are not in this direct vicinity, but three sparkling lakes lie adjacent to this little hamlet.
The Titisee, yes it really is spelled like that, was names after General Titus of ancient Rome who passed through the region around 41 A.D, This deep blue body of water is a marvel of the natural world. To behold this would probably feel like living within an old fantasy story. The Grand Canyon State also offers an exceptional blend of green and blue in the form of many lakes. One of these locations holds records for both the state's highest recorded rainfall and coldest known temperature. This gorgeous gem goes by the name of Hawley Lake. The two fantastic bodies of water are roughly the same size, albeit different shapes.
Whether it be the Danube or the Little Colorado River, the respective wrinkled examples of the Earth's crust have produced impressive watersheds. Springerville, as Freiberg offers itself as a portal to the higher elevation, densely packed, woodlands beyond. Both peak top areas host a very lucrative ski resort as well. Baldy peak stands proudly atop its less prominent peers.
Arizona residents and visitors may frequent this pristine giant as fellows form the Schwarzwald do so the mighty Feldberg. they have the Schluchsee, we have Sunrise lake, they have the Mummelsee and the Feldsee, we have Christmas tree and Lee Valley lakes, the list could go on and on.
We Arizonans have our own "Black" Forest right here in our "White" Mountains sector of the land. This is truly an enchanting kingdom.Everything in the real world is however not black and white so let's look at a few more amazing potential travel destinations.
Have you ever wanted to gaze across the savagely wonderful plains of the Serengeti without all of the dangers involved in being in the presence presence of too many hungry large animals? Well somewhere else right here in my sector of the Earth, only a few hundred miles form our "Black Forest" lies The Plains of Sonoita and the San Raphael Valley, collectively making up the saguaro State's own sprawling savannas.
Although pronghorn, mountain lions, wild cattle and horses, prairie dogs, coyotes and a rare a jaguar roam the areas they do not account for even nearly the same population density as those grasslands of Africa, hence the greater chance of survival. The bird variety however often surpasses that of the rift valley continent's plains. Unfortunately the occasional poacher will turn here up as well.
Las Cienegas is reminiscent of many a portion of the Serengeti as is the nearly African duplicated valley of the south, named after Saint Raphael. In the San Raphael the grasses grow many feet tall, enough to hide a person sitting down or perhaps mask a predator's presence, although, unlike the beautiful African plains, wildlife incidents are almost unheard of.
The entire vicinity is marked by a mostly uniform flat yellow ground covering flanked by rolling hills dotted with trees. These often lone arbor sentinels change to a brilliant green, rich in color in the wake of summer rain. A trek to Kenya or Uganda would definitely be unbelievable but perhaps for someone on a tighter budget this piece of Arizona may be just right!
Arizona is well know for dryness spanning opposing horizons, however, typically the larger cities are associated with or located very close to what is known as the "Upper Sonoran" Zone, which is more humid and a little cooler often that the lower elevation, more arid lands to the south and west. The stretch of foliage sparsity and searing temperatures, includes the extent of the Mojave Desert within the boundaries of Arizona south to the Cactus and Laposa Plains, plunging farther south into the Sonora desert. The Sonoran desert portion of AZ is comprised of a gentle arc shaped stretch consisting of the Kofa, Castle Dome, and smaller associated satellite mountains in the North and West and the Yuma and Lechugulla deserts well as the Mohawk Valley to the South and East.
These scorching nearly moisture devoid regions make up the areas which would strike most people as visually being much closer to a typical desert environment that Hollywood had often portrayed as the American Southwest.
Many areas located within the arid zone are sandy, much like the enigmatic Northeast, Navajo land. There are native stands of palm trees in the Kofa Range, (which stands for King OF Arizona (Mines)). These palms cling to the rocky mountain recess within steep walled canyons absent of almost all vegetation. These conditions are much like those located in the largest hottest desert on the Earth.
I have always likened the range to the much larger Aggahar Mountains in southwestern Algeria, as they both are remote, dry, and craggy. The Atlas mountains of the Northern Sahara compare favorably with the Hualapai of the Mojave. Located on the Shores of Lake Havasu lies the place where the highest temperature in Arizona was reached, 128 degrees F, or 53 C. Climate here much resembles another hot, more populous coastal specimen of civilization, Kuwait City. The waters represent a haven, an escape from the pounding rays of Sol. For many people in the respective areas I am sure that that coastline recreation is a key component to both economies. Bring the boat, pole, and net!
The waters of the Colorado rival any of the Nile's course, winding its way down a land empty of almost anything but bushes and an occasional shade tree, if you are lucky enough to find one! Heat is something us Arizona natives too often take for granted, but it can also be cherished as well. This toasty climate produces some of the most talked about plant species on the planet.
AZ provides a tapestry, an intricately woven web of unfamiliar and often remote exotic destinations. Sometimes there is no destination at all. I believe that the Deutsch, (Germans), were spot on when they dubbed hiking "wandern", as often literally wandering around will allow us to uncover hidden wonders and intangible treasures! Of course only trek off of the trail when permitted,. Arizona, as anywhere else in the world boasting a great bounty of nature's delight, should be respected, preserved, and appreciated.
The desert make up some of the most "uncivilized" components of the Arizona panorama of biotic communities. Why spend thousands in the Sahara when we can spend perhaps under a hundred and go to the Sonora, or the Mojave?
The great Australian Outback and Northwestern Arizona draw too many parallels to describe in too much detail right here in this article, but I shall list a few..Among them the Katu Tjuta and Uluru, and Tse' Bii' Ndzisgaii, (The Olgas, Ayers Rock, and Monument Valley all in their native tongues). Red hued King's Canyon flaunts itself much as Canyon De Chelley parades it's own Rich Vibrant tones. These are the lands of the mystical reddish sands, and ancient native dwellers of the barren landscapes.
The Vast Simpson Desert, the exuberant bright wonder of tiny red grains of sand is truly one of a kind. For a long time I have wanted to go there. When first seeing photographs of the Little Capitan Valley here in Arizona, I was stunned. The dunes are quite extensive baring colors somewhat similar to many portions of the Simpson. The land "down under" and "upper" Arizona, are both subjective terms, relative to the other, something I laugh about when someone tries to speak of them as absolutes. Both demand attention, beauty is rosy cheeked!
This large partition of land in the American Southwest also holds great tales of both mystery and history. Rumors of buried treasure and lost frontiersmen abound. The most enigmatic of these spoken fantasies lie perhaps in the realm of rich Native American legacy of the state! Ghost stories permeate the air of Arizona's legendary medley of historical mythology. AZ is well known also for much more than its unmatched diverse landscape beauty, the cultural aspect is too a marker of the state, being very complexly intertwined.
The political establishment in this swath of the United States was already enormous as a result of the lands received by the United States after the Mexican American war. An appreciable tract of land was added to this later. The Gadsden Purchase was a sale of a significant portion of land south of the Gila River by the government of Mexico. The Land was promptly bought by the United states and assimilated into the political divisions of both Arizona and New Mexico, most of it going to the former.
This addition made an already massive province even more limitless. Living examples of this wide array of cultural influences are the many powerful Sovereign Nations which govern in some cases tens to hundreds of thousands of tribal members within Arizona boundaries. They all make their homes on her soft, or in many cases, in the more arid zones rock hard, soils.
Spanish influence here is as well strong, as is the omnipresent frequent reminder of living in a political division defining part of an international border. The essence of Mexico is everywhere here. This is truly an enlightening and beautiful location to live in or even occasionally visit.
To backpack the back country here is to have paradise at your feet. I have personally put many hours into hiking and camping in the Arizona wilderness, although not as much as I would have liked in the past recent years. I plan on changing though in the near future, as the gorgeous almost endless slice of the Earth's crust which I inhabit beacons me to explore every corner, to stand on the heads of giants undaunted, yet bow to the display of mere molecules. This is one example of a multiply diverse epitome of mother nature herself!
It is no wonder that a local Arizona magazine circulation is nearly successful as a very similar equivalent worldwide publication. Many world renown photographers share their work with either of these publications, sometimes both.
If a visitor from outside of the Terran sphere of influence elected to choose a location to get a feel for what much of the planet Earth was all about, noting that no one area could represent everywhere in its entirety, then the domain given the name of Arizona could well represent a viable avenue for achieving that goal!
About the Author
The outdoors, the areas of science and mathematics, as well as deep pondering are all lifelong passions of mine! I love to find out about a new area, be it a different location on our planet,or a completely recent solar system of galactic discovery. To sum things up, I am a lover of the natural world! I live in Arizona, perfect place for me.
Christmas Cactus as Houseplants
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