Saguaro Pictures' photostream  

This is another shot from that morning I got in trouble, see www.flickr.com/photos/saguaropictures/6681084443/ for the whole story. That was one awesome morning. The sky was lit up beautifully and I got to one of my favorite spots up on the mountain just in time to see it all unfold.

After dropping my son off to school I noticed the sky beginning to take on a little color. I quickly headed up the mountain to one of my favorite spots. The sky was amazing, full of an array of colors and textures. It seemed to last quite a while as I was able to get a few different compositions in before it faded. I was on such a high I decided to head further up the mountain to some small waterfalls that I was sure would still be running. After a short while (2 hours or so) I decided I'd better get back. I had been just out of cell phone range so on the drive back I received several texts and a voicemail from my beautiful but rather angry wife. I was supposed to be watching my little son while she ran errands. She also needed my car to do so since her's was at the mechanic. Oops! I quickly called and apologized. I would have used the excuse of how beautiful the sunrise and waterfalls were but she's heard that a few too many times. I'm taking just a moment to post this between helping her with whatever she needs.....that seems to work better than apologizing again and again.

Every year the Mormon Temples get decorated with Christmas Lights. The architecture of these buildings is already amazing, but surrounded in Christmas lights, these settings are just spectacular.

Obviously, Tucson is not well know for waterfalls. It's a desert and as such does not have a whole lot of water. But Tucson is surrounded by large mountains and during certain times of the year those mountains receive a lot of rain and snow. With the rain and snowmelt many of the canyons turn into rivers and the canyon walls turn into waterfalls.

Bridal Wreath Falls is quite a sight during these times. The main and first fall drops about 25 feet and is surrounded by granite boulders and saguaros. To the north of this main waterfall is a steep climb (using the roots of a large tree) up to the next level and many smaller waterfalls. It also has a spectacular view of the Tucson valley and the Catalina Mountains. The color of the water is actually this brownish bronze due to some native plant that dyes the water with it's roots. Sabino Canyon and Redington Pass are the same way.

How to get there:

Bridal Wreath Falls is located just off the Douglas Spring Trail. The trail head begins at the eastern end of Speedway. The hike starts of level but quickly gets fairly steep as it winds up the foothills of the Rincon Mountains. This trail is heavily covered in large saguaros and has great views of the canyons and the city of Tucson the whole way. After 2.5 miles on the Douglas Spring Trail there is a trail marker stating 0.2 miles to the southeast for Bridal Wreath Falls.

After shooting some family pictures up in the snow in the Catalina Mountains I took the opportunity to shoot some landscape shots on the way down. This is Thimble Peak which can be seen from most of Tucson which is down on the other side.