Our Trip to Mesa and Sunset Loop, Arizona

Okay, some of these pictures are not in order, Emily. I forgot about going backwards through part of this but hopefully you'll enjoy them just the same.

Cactus in Arizona

I tried to find some big ones for the kids.

The one is a "prickly pear cactus". It's the one with the rounded appendages.

There are so many different kinds. I don't know very many names.

This is in Mesa. These are bougainvillea flowers. There are so many of them.

Aren't they beautiful?

I wanted to show you how green it is in some areas.

I love clouds and I thought these ones were spectacular!!

I saw the moon up in the sky before it was dark at all.

A full moon will make for a lighted sky tonight as we travel.

Those are cactus on the ground with flower stalk that have died on them.

The same moon moments later.

Same moon - note the three tall pieces of grasses all blurred.

I loved this scene with the sun shining on the mountain.

This is just as the sun is going down.

There are so many places where the rocks are all broken up and sometimes just balancing on each other.

It is amazing to see.

This rock is broken up but we loved the red rock that seems out of place.

Another shot of the red rock.

Isn't it pretty?

High hills of broken rocks.

This is another sunset on a different evening.

Did I mention I love the clouds?

Another set of clouds in the same sky.

I was trying to get a picture of the cedar trees.

They are so high here.

Sometimes they're as high as at least a three story building.

Dad doesn't slow down for any picture taking so I have to keep trying to get a shot and steady the camera.

Just want you to know that I am sacrificing my hair with my head hanging out the window taking these pictures. haha

I look really good at the end of the day!!!

The rock formations here are amazing.

Isn't that a beautiful hill? I love it!!

To me it looks like a piece of cloth having been thrown down on the countryside.

This is a common sight.

They have to cut the rocks away to make room for the traffic to go through the hills.

Kind of cool.

In lots of places they paint the concrete and I really like it.

Another moon on a different night.

Isn't the moon amazing? It was such a pretty color.

I couldn't believe how clear it looked. Beautiful!!!

Some of our first sights of palm trees.

This is the only group of trees like this that I saw. There are so many of them all grouped together here. It was quite spectacular!!

Another interesting rock formation.

A big prickly pear cactus.

These are 'Joshua trees'. Interesting, but I don't know why they call them that.

More Joshua trees.

More Cacti (I can't remember the name of this type of cactus.)

Isn't it neat? Such a different look.

Just another shot of cacti.

Some places they seem to grow right out of the rock.

Here are some balancing rocks. I wonder how they got like this?

It gives you an idea of their size with the car in the picture.

These balancing rocks are only in a very small area by the road.

Do you see the interesting rocks in the middle of the picture?

Rock formation like this is everywhere. It was so fun to see.

More Cacti

This is a big fat one. How would you like to sit on that one?

There are so many vista where the layers of rock go on for four and five or six layers.

There are quite a few hills with this shape on top.

It looks like a little bop on top.

These are retaining walls. I think these are near Tucson.

I thought they were pretty neat. You can't see any mortar between them.

I wonder?

This is in Mesa. Painted concrete again. This goes on for miles there.

Here we are visiting Lisa in Mesa. She has a beautiful new home.

It is in a gated neighborhood which is very nice for safety for the family.

Here I am at Sunset Loop with Ken & Gale Hundley. Gale is my cousin.

Ken is one of the funnest guys around.

He sure loves to tease, as you can tell by my laughter.

As we drove away from Ken & Gale's place,

we turned around and took a picture of where their land is.

That mountain there is their place. It is beautiful!!! Look at that sky!!!

This is a pumpkin patch.

Can you see the orange strip? All of those are pumpkins!!!!

This picture is of the sun rising and just barely touching the top of this mountain.

We sure have had fun on our trip so far. I have really enjoyed the scenery. There are so many beauties in life. Heavenly Father has surely created a beautiful world for us to enjoy.

I am grateful for it!!!