Panoramas
I just love a good panorama, whether I'm using my trusty mirrorless cameras and stitching shots together or popping up the drone for a 180-degree photo where the machine does the heavy lifting. The beauty of it all is in being able to see a different perspective. A kind of overview where you can hopefully experience an even stronger connection to the world. Enjoy.
Superstition Mountains
I had a spot nestled right up against the Superstition Mountains. Honestly I was ill-prepared for the weekend. I brought a tiny little blue tent and terrible bedding, yet had a gorgeous view. But as I began exploring I noticed that nearly 99 percent of those camping around the mountains were in RVs and here I was roughing it. As the sun began to rise I realized my mistake. It was ungodly hot. It was around 110 degrees and no shade in sight, with the only respite coming at night, when I decided to sleep in my zero-gravity chair. The rangers there were trying to persuade hikers from going back into the mountains the days I was there because it was just too dangerous. Beautiful place though. I did go up there and spotted coyotes and varieties of wildlife.
Madera Canyon
Here is a shot I took of Madera Canyon in 2020. I began hiking at around 11 a.m. and treked until 5 p.m. I was getting worn out under a 95-degree sun. I had just decided to go to the Canyon on a whim, since I had ever seen the area before. Needless to say -- it was gorgeous. This photo is at the very opening of the canyon and there's just the one road forward into it. Madera is part of the Coronado National Forest service and it's tucked into the Santa Rita Mountains - about 30 miles south of Tucson heading toward Nogales. Really stunning place.
Mount Lemmon in the Clouds
This is one of my favorite places to be. There were times around the pandemic where I virtually lived up on Mount Lemmon -- spending my nights and early mornings taking photos of the Milky Way. That usually meant being up there from around 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Since I was already on the mountain, often that would turn into waiting for sunrise, with no one for miles to see the view except me. The day of this photo was one of my all-time favorites being on the mountain. This is about 8,000 feet up. Sometimes, if you're lucky, there are those days where the humidity settles and the cloud begin to cover a large part of the mountain tops and you find yourself literally walking through cloud. It's harder to tell when you're in it. It just feels wet and thick -- like being in a fog. But in truth you're touching the clouds.
The Catalinas
This is a view of the Catalinas. To the left (East) and heading north is going to Oro Valley and Catalina State Park. Obviously, the middle base is the Foothills area and farther to the West is Mount Lemmon and so forth. This view is just a couple of miles from where I live and frankly it's just such a beautiful and easy shot to capture with a drone. I can put it straight up in the air about 300 feet and grab a pano or two and bring it right back down. There's nothing like the mountains. It's one of the best aspects of living in Tucson.
Snow-Covered Mount Lemmon
Unfortunately, Mount Lemmon had to endure a massive lost of forestry because lightning had hit some of the vegetation and the conflagration roared for months. A team of firefighters fought to douse as much as they could, saving the town of Summerhaven. So, it's following that a year later that this photo was taken. I just thought it was worth explaining the resilience of nature and how even after the tragedy of fires that burned down habitats for a number of animals, this view emerges. I'd even seen the return of a bobcat I'd hoped made it out alive. Each time I went up I'd look for to see if it was in the area. One day, taking a ride on a ski lift, I looked down and saw it running in its familiar haunts.
Downtown Tucson
Beautiful views are not always about Mother Nature. When I'm not up in the mountains I'm downtown at least every other weekend, taking in concerts at the Rialto Theater, Club Congress, Club Congress Plaza, The Century Room and the Fox Theater. And as any Tucson native knows, we're a city of murals. Lots and lots of murals. It's such a cool thing that the city lets artists turn its building facades into personal canvases that largely say something about the city and it's population.
Mount Lemmon Skyview
Tucson has some of the best sunrises and sunsets in the country. This one is mild compared to some of the salmon-pink, orange-red paint bombs we get quite frequently, but I still wanted to post this for your enjoyment.
Sentinel Peak (aka 'A Mountain')
A-Mountain is an iconic place in Tucson. It's great for views too. Facing with your back to the 'A' you can see the entirety of downtown Tucson and more. As much as I love the place and the view, it's a real shame you can't go up there at night and enjoy the twinkling lights of the city and take photos. For some reason, people seem to trash the place with broken bottles, loud music and other things that ruin it for all. But I still wish the city could find a way to let the rest of us enjoy such a cool spot at night.
Cienega
Couldn't resist heading out early in the morning to Cienega at my train spot. And on cue, one rolled by just as I'd had the drone up in the air for a few minutes and running low on battery. Took a quick snap w/ some motion blur. Had to put the ND16 filter on this bad boy. It was so sunny here I just left it on in order to get shots like this without blowing out the sun to much. This is the kind of place you take a child who loves trains -- or for that matter an adult who has just never given up on a love of trains.
Rainbow over Tucson
Tucson has the best sunsets, sunrises and by extension rainbows. I particularly like when the sky turns into a mix of pink-ish hue and the golden hour. It's the pastel art of the gods.
Arizona Stadium
It's the home of the Arizona Wildcats. A love this view. It just goes to show you what Tucson is lucky enough to have and the view can't be better. A word of caution to all drone fliers though. (I so despise those drone users who break all the rules, because they make it tougher on the rest of us): You cannot fly your drone over people, moving cars and certainly not any stadiums that are full or even an hour before or after a game takes place at a stadium. Always fly your drone with safety and the law considered foremost. That being said, the U of Arizona should really be proud of this facility. The sunsets as the game gets under way is something to behold.
Santa Catalina Mts. under cloud and snow
I just can't get enough of this view of the Catalinas. I can't recall where I am in relation to this drone shot, but clearly somewhere in the foothills. Every once in awhile we're blessed to see something like this -- with both snow and clouds topping the mountain range. It seems when this happens all of Tucson can't wait to wake up and see -- on their way to work or play each day.
Willcox Playa
Around an hour and half east of Tucson is this barren landscape that may remind a few people of the Salt Flats. It's about 2,500 acres of land. The Willcox Playa is a 'dry lake' in Cochise County. It is part of the Sonoran Desert eco-region and at certain times during the year does contain a small amount of water where birds and other wildlife and gather.
University of Arizona campus
I love this place. And yet I've never spent a single minute as a student at U. of A. Both my uncles went to school here. My cousin and one nephew. But it's also a place I've grown to admire through my own experiences. I've gone to tennis matches, been in and out of so many different buildings, hung out in the mall area for the Book Fair and for the Black Lives Matter gathering in 2021. I also heard campus leaders debate aloud near the Main about police violence against Black folks and what the campus of students could do to make the world a better place. I've always been one of those people who dreamt of going to college forever, if I'd have been able to afford it. I've learned nearly everything of value that I know from professors.
