I am going to Phoenix for a conference from September 23rd through the 25th. I plan to spend the day before the conference, and any other free time I can muster, taking pictures of the area. I really hope the weather is good since I will only be there a short time.

I am taking the wife with me and we will be staying at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa. I am not sure at this point if this is in the city or not.

I am starting to research the trip. If anyone has any suggestions or knows of some good research resources, I have posted to the forum. Please provide any information you might have there.

Some good sites I have found during my research:

http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Arizona.htm

While researching my trip I hooked up with CJ a photographer from Arizona. I encountered her on myspace and started conversing with her via her blog. She gave me some great advice concerning the area. Check out her myspace blog on her Arizona Trip.

Following CJ's advice it appears that "Sunset Crater" and the "Painted Desert" are going to be high on my list of possible sites to visit. Thanks for all the great input CJ!

I am really looking forward to this trip and hope to post some good shots to this blog when I return.

Traveler

Ok, I made it to Phoenix and am sitting in my hotel room. It rained on me all day but I was able to get a few shots in. I got into the Phoenix airport around 11:00PST from Atlanta. I went straight to my rental car and set out on a road trip. Knowing I only had the afternoon, I decided to follow the advice of my Readers Digest travel book that details "loops" to be driven while visiting different areas of the United States. Due to accidents along the wet roads, my plans changed quickly and often. I will try to detail my first day here.

Day 1 - short road trip.

 I headed out of Phoenix headed toward Wickenburg on Highway 60. Not far out of Phoenix I got side tracked due to an automobile accident that had the road closed. I turned on Highway 74 and headed east. I stopped near Fort McDowell and got this shot from the roadside.

During this trip I came across Lake Pleasant on Highway 74. It was odd for me to find a lake in the desert full of boaters. It was a great place for a bathroom break even if it cost me $5 to enter the park. I got this shot outside of the welcome center. It seemed appropriate to find a shot that included the Arizona state flag along side a cactus.

 Here are a few more shots taken along Highway 60 and Highway 74 between rain storms.

After crossing over Interstate 17, I made my way to Highway 87 and turned south toward Scottsdale. Between the rain showers I was able to get a few shots against varying cloud formations. Here are a few of these:

Toward the end of my day I came across Roosevelt Lake. Right next to the damn was a lookout point. Between rain storms I got a chance to shoot a rainbow set against the bridge from this vantage point. Here are a couple of those shots:

Before the rain set in for the rest of the day, I stopped near the Tonto National Monument and got these final roadside shots.

Day 2 - Downtown Phoenix

I was able to escape my work duties for a few hours and decided to head into the downtown area. I had read about Heritage Square during my research and thought I would ckeck it out. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, not only in Heritage Square, but the entire Phoenix downtown area. Not much interesting downtown. I am not sure what I was expecting, adobe buildings or the wild wild west.

This is a shot of the Rosson House in Heritage Square.

 The museum of History in Heritage Square.

The Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. There are several interesting sculptures along the street.

The Phoenix skykine reflected in the Hard Rock Cafe window. OK, so I got bored.

A shot of the Bank of America building.

Saint Mary's Basilica the oldest Catholic Church in Phoenix. Dated to 1881.

So at this point I have come to the realization that if you come to Phoenix, don't spend your time downtown taking pictures. Get out to the desert and mountains and take in the amazing sights. I hope I can squeeze in some more time to explore this region before I have to go home. It is also my hope that someone from this area will get involved with fototrekn and share this part of the United States with the rest of us. 

Traveler