Sunday August 8th, 2010

Phoenix is in monsoon season now. I got rained-out last weekend as both Saturday & Sunday it was either raining or dark & cloudy all day. We had rain yesterday in the morning and in the evening today, but it was a mostly sunny weekend. Yesterday was actually pretty nice in mid-afternoon as I put in about a 45-minute run/walk, humidity was high for Phoenix but the temps were in the upper 80's so it didn't feel so hot. Today, however, was in the upper 90's when I went for another 45-minute run/walk and it was very humid, so noticeably more uncomfortable today compared to yesterday.

I noticed that there was a burn area just off of the concrete path, heading northeast on the concrete path just before the path parallels with Hwy 51. I'm not sure if the fire was man-made or from a lightning strike as we've gotten quite a few storms over the past few weeks, or it could have been a controlled burn by the fire department. I took a photo of it with my cell phone camera, as I didn't have my digital camera with me, unfortunately the photo file is too large to send to my online album.

**This photo is of one of the odd items you find at Dreamy Draw which seems oddly out of place. I assume it is related to the water control at the dam, but I don't know. There never is any water in the dam, and the park rangers always make sure to keep the weeds around this box cut back, so it most be important for something! It probably dates back to when the Army Corps of Engineers built the dam.

Sunday July11th, 2010

I was not able to run today @ Dreamy Draw for what has to be the most unusual of circumstances. I arrived to Dreamy Draw today about 3pm to find that police had the parking lot area blocked-off with crime scene tape, and news crews were just starting to arrive. I just learned a few minutes ago on the evening news that a body of a 50-year old man was found shot to death inside the park. ABC News 15 has reported that it was a single gunshot wound, and suicide has not been ruled out. I'll post an update as I learn more on the topic.

Saturday July 10th:

I was able to get a 45-minute run/walk in yesterday - I stayed on the main concrete path and it was a very hot day with temps about 107 and noticeable humidity. Didn't see any bodies on the concrete path yesterday!

*Congrats to Spain on their World Cup win today!

**This short video clip just shows part of the northeast corner of the park along the Hwy 51. There are some nice blooming trees & shrubs along this part of the concrete path in spring.

Saturday June 26th, 2010

Very hot in Phoenix now - 110 was the high yesterday, and about 105 today. I put in a 50-minute run/walk today in the early afternoon & didn't even encounter anyone on the concrete running path! LOL. I like when I have the place all to myself! There were a few cars in the parking lot, but I guess those people were out on the hiking trails perhaps; and I did see one mountain biker.

I also saw about half a dozen baby Quail running behind their mother as they crossed the concrete path in front of me. That's one of the nice sightings during the middle of summer at Dreamy Draw - always lots of baby Quail around.

**this short video clip I took a couple of weekends ago shows the area around the "ranger station" which is basically just a supply shed I think, LOL.

Sunday June 13th, 2010

Yesterday was quite cool for this time of year - about 85 and we even had a touch of rain in the morning in Phoenix. After the brief rain let up and the sky cleared it was surprisingly cool, and not really very humid.

Today also was about 10 degrees cooler than usual this time of year, 92 today. And today we had a very nice blue sky with puffy white clouds. It was a good day to take some video of Dreamy Draw, which is exactly what I did. You can find one of them attached to this blog entry. I'll add others on future entries.

I put in a 45-minute run/walk on Saturday & about an hour of walking today.

Saturday June 5th, 2010

Very warm today - 107 was the high. I went for about a 50-minute run starting at about mid-day and the temp at that time was about 100. Good workout though! Only a handful of cars in the parking lot, and even fewer people found on the main concrete running path, which I like!

**This photo shows the view to the North, across Hwy 51 - that's Paradise Valley.

Saturday May 29th, 2010

Quite a nice day @ Dreamy Draw today. About 95 today, sunny with only a little gusty wind. A nice day for a run! I did about 50 minutes today. Pretty much nothing is in bloom now! To be expected though in late May. The bougainvillea of course is still in bloom, it likes the summer heat! But all the wildflowers, the sunflower shrubs and the blooming cacti are no longer in bloom, including the bottle brush tree I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. When I ran by it today I noticed the red blooms were all gone. What a difference a couple of weeks makes around here! Just 2 weeks ago it was in full bloom with bees and hummingbirds buzzing all around it. Now, done!

**The photo is of some grasses that were very pretty back in April when I took this photo. They are turning yellow now.

Saturday May 15th, 2010

A hot weekend in Phoenix - summer has definitely arrived. Sunday reached 98 degrees, but we still haven't had our first 100 degree day yet, though they are forecasting it will happen next week. Usually happens mid to late May. I put in about an hour run/walk today staying on the main concrete path.


Pretty much all the wildflowers and even the sunflowers shrubs have died now from all the summer heat, though some trees like the red bottle brush are in full bloom. There aren't any bottle brush on the preserve, but on the main concrete path there is a nice one that is near the pedestrian overpass that connects to the high school on the other side of Hwy 51. Actually there's a lot of bouganavilla in that area that is in full boom as well. Very pretty over there right now, and a good place to see hummingbirds not only because of the bottle brush tree but there are hummingbird feeders there as well.

**The photo is of a map of the Dreamy Draw hiking area. You can find this map at the trail head that is just about 50 feet to the right of the toilets on the main concrete path.

Saturday May 8th, 2010

Summer has arrived! In the mid 90's all this week, including today. It was a beautiful day with a deep blue sky (not often seen in Phoenix w/all the air pollution!) and white clouds. May & June are my favorite months in Phoenix because the temps are in the 90's - low 100's so it's hot but not too hot yet. At this time of year @ Dreamy Draw, if you hit the trails in the mid-afternoon there is scarcely anyone around, only a handful of mountain bikers, cyclists, and runners/hikers. That was the case today, too. Nice!

I saw my first Roadrunner of the year this afternoon, in one of the residential neighborhoods bordering part of the park - on the main concrete path just east of the walking bridge that runs across the 51 north. A few Cottontails were out & about as well. Nice day!

**I took this photo a few weeks ago in April. This cactus species blooms each April for only a few weeks, but it's a beautiful flower.

Sunday May 9th: I went for another hour run today. Today was basically a repeat of yesterday weather-wise with more beautiful blue skies and some white clouds. Yesterday's sky was a little bluer and the white clouds a little puffier, but still very nice today! Haha....

Saw a warbler or vireo species (lime green colored w/yellow flanks) on the main concrete path, just east of the ramadas, before you get to the trailhead on the right. Didn't get a close enough look to ID it definitively .

Sunday April 25th, 2010

I put in about a 65-minute run/walk both yesterday & today @ Dreamy Draw. Early summer is definitely approaching. Most of the spring wildflowers are now gone, and the landscape isn't quite lush and green anymore, but it doesn't quite have that brown summer barren look either, kind of a transitional stage between the two. In the mid to upper 80's this weekend.

I saw an Ash-throated Flycatcher today on the main concrete path, about 5 minutes walk from the toilets. And yesterday in the same area a VERY large jackrabbit - not so uncommon to see them far out on the outer trails, but this close to the toilet area is a bit more unusual. I haven't seen any Roadrunners recently, none since last year.

**I took this photo last month when it was still pretty green. A view of downtown Phoenix from Dreamy Draw.

Saturday April 17th, 2010

A very warm day today, about 88 this afternoon when I went hiking for about 80 minutes today at Dreamy Draw. Not too many people there today, parking lot was only about half full and most of them were there for what appeared to be a party of some sort at the ramadas. That meant that the trails were very lightly populated this afternoon, which was nice!

This gave me an opportunity to snap a few photos of some birds. The first two photos are of perhaps the most abundant bird species at Dreamy Draw, the Mourning Dove. A favorite of mine, despite their popularity. The third photo is of a Verdin's nest. I watched her building on the nest for a few minutes and followed the bird around the brush but was unable to get a good photo of her. And the last photo is one of my favorites at Dreamy Draw, the Brown-crested Flycatcher.

*Remember that you can enlarge the photos to zoom in and get a better look!

Sunday April 18th: The high temp today was 95! That is well above the average temp for this time of year. But the forecast for the rest of the week is in the 80's.

Saturday April 10, 2010

About 88 today in Phoenix, and the parking lot and the hiking and running trails @ Dreamy Draw were surprisingly sparse today. The last few weekends the parking lot was full and only overflow parking was available, but today the parking lot was only about half full. But temps are about 10 degrees warmer as we now transition from spring to early summer (my favorite time of year!) and the pollen counts have been really, really high all week. Plus the spring wildflowers are beginning to diminish, so all of that accounts for less peoples I think.

As I was driving out of Dreamy Draw today, I saw a VERY large rattlesnake, about the longest I've ever seen I think - had to be 6+ feet, and it was moving across the road and being attacked by a Mockingbird! Gotta luv those Mockingbirds - they are fearless, and will attack anything!

*I took this photo a couple of weeks ago. Its the view west of Dreamy Draw looking back on north Phoenix. The large Spanish-style structure you see in the foreground there is an office complex that houses some law and medical offices mostly.

Saturday April 3rd, 2010

I went running & walking today at Dreamy Draw for about 45 minutes. Stayed on the concrete paths today as I was planning to run and walk, not hike. Therefore, I didn't bring my camera because I didn't want to have to manage it while I was running. However, I missed an opportunity to take a photo of a juvenile rattlesnake that crossed my path! Luckily I was walking, not running, at the time so I was able to approach him slowly. Not sure what species of rattlesnake, he was rather a non-descript sand color with a distinctive black/white tail in place of the rattles that an adult would have. Pretty small and slim, about 3 feet I'd estimate. Not very aggressive either. I was able to get up close to him and he just kept an even pace until he reached the other side of the concrete walking path and slid into some shrubbery. I've seen other rattlesnakes out here before, but the others I have seen were more of a darker color, green or brown I think, not as light-colored as this one.

Sunday March 29th, 2010

I was out at Dreamy Draw both yesterday & today hiking. About 45 minutes each afternoon. Took a few more photos which I will add here and to some future blog entries. It was very windy yesterday, with gusts of wind in the 20-35mph range, less windy today but still pretty breezy at times. Temps were about 80 degrees today, with fair skies. Yesterday was sunnier, but cooler, about 75.

The spring wildflower show is in full bloom at Dreamy Draw and there are quite a number of shutter bugs out there snapping photos of the wildflowers. This is the nicest spring I recall at Dreamy Draw in the years I've been going out there.

The first photo shows how thick some of the flora is out there; 2nd photo is another blooming cactus (for such rugged plants they sure produce some vibrant flowers!); the 3rd photo is of a blooming Ocotillo on a hilltop; and the 4th photo you gotta look kind of close, but in the Palo Verde tree is a Flycatcher species, he's in flight about middle of the photo (he jumped off of his perch right about the time I was snapping the photo) - if you click on the photo it will zoom in and you can spot it much easier. I see these birds out here quite regularly - I'm not sure if they are here year round or not, but I'm pretty sure they winter & nest here.

Sunday March 22nd, 2010

It was a very beautiful spring day @ Dreamy Draw today with temps in the upper 70's, a lot of sunshine and blue skies. During my 45-minute hike today I took a lot of photos. I've been going out to Dreamy Draw regularly for about 3 years, but I first discovered the place back in fall of 2002. This is the greenest I ever recall seeing it, and probably the most wildflowers I've seen out there as well.

The 1st photo gives you a good overview of the surrounding area, and how green everything looks! The 2nd photo shows a little desert Black-throated Sparrow in the shrub, singing. And of course some wild flowers, including sunflower shrub, poppy, a cactus flower, and I'm not sure what the purple one is.

Sunday March 14th, 2010

Today was my first day at Dreamy Draw in 2010! I usually don't visit there often during Phoenix's "winter months" December - February although I usually get out there by late February, since the weather is usually turning to spring at that time. But we had a late spring here in Phoenix this year and rain on the weekend for the past month! So this was my first opportunity to get back out there, and it did not disappoint today. The hills around there are the greenest I've ever seen them in the last 3 years I've been going out there. Some nice wildflowers out today too. Some purple Indian Paintbrush, wild sunflowers, and some others I don't know by name. Quite a few birds out and about today too, spring time means nesting!

I think I'll take my camera out there next weekend and take some new photos to show off the greenery. It's a big difference from how it will look in summer, but I like that brown look too.