White Tank Mountain Arizona . . .

The Arizona Desert

SunriseWe had a couple of friends we wanted to visit and in searching for a place to stay, we happened upon a wonderful desert park in the foothills west of Phoenix, White Tank Mountain Regional Park. The park was maintained immaculately, the graveled sites were ‘Zen-raked’ and roomy, and the desert scenery magnificent. We stayed here for almost two weeks, catching up with our friends and enjoying some R&R, a vacation from our vacation. The park extends over 30,000 acres and has many trails for hikers, horses and mountain bikers. Gila WoodpeckerThere’s even a ‘racetrack’ used by bikers and / or horses. We took advantage of the trails, Colin hiked the Ford Canyon trail up into the mountains where a ‘tour guide’ adopted him, and Cheryl and Colin hiked the Waterfall Canyon trail after a day of rain but found only a dry waterfall by the time we arrived. There was a pool, however, used by the Native Americans for many years as a water source, and many petroglyphs to see. Colin enjoyed searching out birdlife in the early morning, surprised to see that woodpeckers are at home on Cactus (doesn’t it hurt their feet?)  There’s a McNaught family story from the Joshua Tree NP, a Cholla Cactus attacking son Jon, who was 6 at the time; Jon remembers it too. Now in 2016, Colin was so concerned about getting a good photo that he let one of the baby cactus attack his foot; we’re sure this was his reward for being amused at Jon’s predicament, years ago. During our two week stay, we were entertained by the many unusual shapes of the cacti and took way too many photos. The inspirational desert surroundings brought back Colin’s childhood when, like many, he read comics and books about ‘Cowboys and Indians’.

Click on any thumbnail below to see larger image gallery.
Visiting BillyBoy

From CherylDee: It had been years and years since I had last seen Bill McMullen. We used to catch up with each other from time to time, while traveling to different cities for medical conventions. In 1975, ‘BillyBoy’ was head of cardiac ultrasound when I was a nuclear medicine tech at West Hills Hospital, CA (San Fernando Valley). BillyBoy and I were friends and even played Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus for the children’s wards. BillyBoy will be remembered forever by me and my family when in 1979 he moved into my parents home to help with my dying father. And then, without being in touch for years, in December 1991 he appeared at the Chicago Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), to tell me of my mother’s passing. He is a special kind of friend, and at my brother Michael and Maggie’s wedding, Bill again proved his good heart when, without prompting, he picked up Maggie’s father, who had trouble walking, to carry him to the ceremony – a sandy beach 250 steps away from the Chart House party location. Selfless, and filled with humor, it was finally great to go to Bill’s home, meet Kris, after so many years of their marriage, and to see what a remarkable pair these two are. Bill has some heavy duty medical issues, but his smiling face and twinkling eyes continue to sparkle. I love you BillyBoy and Kris. You are forever in my heart.

Arizona Beautification Projects

From Cheryl: I was impressed with freeway artwork in and around Phoenix. I was told by a friend that 1% of the revenue goes to the beautification of the city. I just wanted to show you what can happen in a town when art becomes part of structure.

  • White Tank Mountain

    Click on map below to see larger version

    Click to open a larger map

    White Tank Mountain Regional Park, Arizona

  • 6 Comments on “White Tank Mountain Arizona . . .”

    1. Beautiful pictures as always. What a special friend you have his heart must be as big as the moon.
      From Cheryl: Glad you enjoyed the pictures. Bill has a very big heart, and just as you stated, as big as the moon! There are angels on earth and Bill is one of them.

    2. Those tufa outcroppings are so interesting. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Thanks again for the great photos and the educational commentary.
      From Cheryl: Colin was so enthralled with the tufa, we had a hard time slimming them down, he was reluctant to not show everything! They were so different than anything we had seen before!

    3. I wondered where you all had been staying. Which amazing place you had decided to explore for a while. So, I love that desert scenery, and those birds on the cactus shots are amazing! I’ m sorry that your cholla cactus karma came back to stick it to you. Oy!
      From Cheryl: Your karma comment was hilarious! You should have seen Colin’s face when he realized he’d been attacked! 30+ spines sticking into the side of his sandal. He had to hold onto my shoulder to remove them, and a few wouldn’t come out. He ha to use a pliers to remove the remaining spines. Jesh, what a plant! Love that you love Colin’s desert shots!

    4. Ahhhh! Love the Bill stories. Yes, he is a special kind of friend.
      From Cheryl: You are right that Bill is a special kind of friend. I love that you recognized it too. Perfect visit. Lots of love and hugs.

    5. Wow! Bill looks just the same! I only have vague memories of him, but this jogged my memory. Desert pics – stunning!
      From Cheryl: So glad it brought back memories of Bill and our time as a family together with him. He was such a kind soul to us during that time. Bill has such strong memories of our family, but especially Sammy. We took her to a hospital event picnic. I was so worried about losing her, that I created a T-shirt for Sammy: My Aunt is Cheryl Tauber. I knew she would have been returned to me.

    6. Cheryl & Colin, these pictures are Fabulous! Even though we didn’t get to go with you, the commentary takes you to each new adventure! What a special treat! Stay safe! Love & Hugs, Bonnie
      From Cheryl: So glad you love the pictures. We love that you think both the pictures and the stories are worth reading! We know everyone is busy in their lives, more so you, so we thank you very much for being with us on our travels. Lots of love, C&C

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published.