I always get the wanderlust when it's cloudy. I assume it's because I've always lived in warm climates, where the sun is the norm, and probably something to stay out of for most of the year.
On Thursday night, it rained, and Friday had brooding skies, threatening more. On impulse, I decided to head to South Mountain. I just grabbed the camera, some water, and the dog, and started walking. No need for sunscreen today.
There's a few old stone buildings scattered throughout the park. They were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, but most of them have since fallen into disrepair.
This was a bathroom, I think. The intervening decades have rotted away the roof and the wooden bench, but they haven't yet cleared the smell. Skippy's wondering what the heck I'm doing down in the toilet.
I took some different trails this time, so I saw these carvings for the first time. There was a civilization called the Hohokam who inhabited the valley for two thousand years, but they were long gone when gold miners arrived in the 19th century.
South Mountain is the biggest municipal park in the country, covering 25.5 square miles. By comparison, Central Park in NYC only covers 1.3 miles. It would be an understatement to say you could get lost in here. You
will get lost in here. Just don't do that in the summer months.
A few sprinkles came down during my hike, but not much. Days like this happen every few weeks in winter.
I wonder how old this dead tree is. Things last a long, long time in the desert.
The whole time I was hiking, I was hoping for that magic moment when the sun breaks through the clouds. There is no better light I know of for photography. That moment didn't come until I was almost home, walking by a derelict house in Guadalupe.
It's too bad I wasn't still in the park when it happened, but this light makes everything look amazing. Even the canal behind Wal-Mart.