Travel Tips & Adventures

Even though I live in the desert in Southern Arizona, not many of us actually get to be “one with nature.”  A guide, who often leads groups on off-road excursions, offered to take me on a four-wheel drive adventure so I could see more of the desert. 

Before heading out in the early morning, we filled his Jeep with gas – “there are no gas stations in the desert, no sense taking chances” – and had brought along a CB radio, GPS tracking, cell phone and other technology to back us up.  A sign on one of the early tracks offered many cautions, but my guide was experienced, so I trusted his many preparations.

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Until the end of May, 2009, an exceptional exhibit combining nature and the masterful glass works of Dale Chihuly is on display at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  This eye-popping series of displays encompasses the entire garden, with installations of colorful glassworks mimicking the real flora of the desert nearby.

The glass radiates light, warmth and sunlight (at night some of the works are lit) and allows the viewer a spectacular visual treat.  Just inside the entrance, “The Sun” greets visitors with orange, yellow and red tendrils exploding from a core.

Another display consists of floating geometric-like figures that give an otherworldly feel as the glass shifts with the water’s flow.

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