Blooming Century Plant (Agave) — Computer Painting by kenne
Sonoran Monsoon Season
The monsoon season is here. Triple digit temperatures, with cool mornings and daylight at 5:00 a.m. — perfect for a morning run, as the sun rises casting long shadows and silhouettes of white-winged doves atop the giant saguaro cactus.
Many years ago we took a risk on love, then seven years ago we took a risk on life and moved to the Sonora Desert. Many thought we were crazy, maybe we were at the time, after all, what is life without some risk.
Seven years of desert monsoons have brought us closer to nature, now more connected to life we appreciate each day and the opportunities to continue taking risks, increasing our capacity to live life in unsuspected and unpredictable ways.
Friday morning, July 1st, a little before 8:00am we stood in the McDonald’s parking lot looking up at the dark clouds over the Santa Catalina mountains. This is our regular meeting place before driving the 25 miles up to Mt. Lemmon for the SCVN (Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists) summer guided hikes.
Only, this Friday morning there were just the three guides, Maribeth, Maureen and myself.
Others who may have been planning to hike on Mt. Lemmon, probably
took one look out the window deciding it was not a good day for hiking.
This Friday’s scheduled hike was to be a six mile hike starting at the Ski Valley parking lot, hiking a loop of Aspen Drew, Lemmon and Meadow trails starting at 9:00am.
After a brief discussion, we decided to cancel the hike. However, since all the SCVN summer hikes are posted in the Arizona Daily Star, as the lead guide, I would need to drive to Ski Valley letting those who may still be planning on hiking know that the hike had been cancelled.
As somewhat expected, the weather conditions got worse as I drove up Catalina Highway.
The conditions kept changing rapidly from mist, thick fog, to rain.
When I arrived at the Ski Valley parking lot, there were five vehicles with about twelve people preparing to hike. At closer look,
I didn’t recognize anyone, so I ask if they were there to do the SCVN led hike — no, they were members of the Southern Arizona Hiking Club. The conversation ended quickly as we were beginning to experience a heavy downpour.
The rain lasted long enough for the hiking club members to call off their hike. It didn’t help that the temperature was 55 wet degrees.
Ironically, the Southern Arizona Hiking Club had been planning on doing the same combination of trails as SCVN had scheduled.
Now that my task was completed, I started my drive back, stopping at the Summerhaven public restrooms.
I was hoping to get a cup of coffee in Summerhaven, but that would have to wait till getting back down the mountain.
In the summertime, the monsoon weather can change quickly, bringing plenty of lightening, wind, hail and rain.
For the return drive, the fog had lifted and the thick clouds had begun to breakup. Since I had plenty of time, what better used of it than to stop now and then takeing photos.
In the distance beyond the last ridge is the Tucson basin. Arriving home after 10:30am, I could see very dark clouds moving into the Tucson area. By mid-day we had received 1.8 inches of rain. What a great way to begin July and the monsoon season in the desert.
View south over Tucson from the Box Camp trail (approximately 7,500′ in the low 80’s) in the Santa Catalina Mountains as triple digit temperatures show signs of pulling moisture from the south. Maybe the monsoon is on the way — let’s hope. — Panorama image by kenne
Yesterday, southern Arizona had heavy monsoon rains, some damaging with strong winds downing trees. For us, the winds were relatively calm with a rain fall of 1 3/4 inches of rain in less than an hour, causing street flooding throughout the area. Arizona has a stupid-driver law– wonder how many people stalled out in the flash flood areas and got tickets?
Why is this image beautiful? It contains the first clouds seen in months, which is the forerunner for the desert monsoon. Image by kenne
The monsoon is building in the mountains to the south Like a scout, moist air is exploring the desert to the north In preparation for the invasion of the wet boots from across the border
The monsoon is moving its cloud formations across the mountains With each passing day taking up position in the blue desert sky Pushing up the humidity and the relative heat of 110 degrees in the shade
The monsoon is bringing a shift in the desert wind (Mariah) Pulling moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico Producing a radical change in the form of monsoon thunderstorms
The monsoon is adjusting the desert’s aperture Creating a pattern of “burst” and “breaks” From hot and cold air blurring the boundary between these realities
The monsoon is the ying to the desert’s yang Each needing the extremes of the other To maintain life and romance in the desert
The monsoon is a name from the far east Now commonly used in the Sonoran desert Personally, I would prefer Mariah
Way out west, they got a name For rain and wind and fire The rain is Tess, the fire’s joe and They call the wind Mariah
Here we are near the end of desert monsoon season and we are starting to get rain — a lot of it! The amount of rain over the last few days has saturated the ground, causing these little guys to come out onto side-walks and pavements — they don’t want to drawn!
Wind, Dust & Rain Looking North From The Catalina Foothills — July 5, 2011 — Image by kenne
The desert monsoon season can include a dust storm before the rain. We had some dust, with 80 mph winds in parts of the Tucson area, but nothing like that in Phoenix to the north.
Blooming Century Plant (Agave) — Computer Painting by kenne
“The Last Of The Monsoon, 2014” Image by kenne
Santa Catalina Foothills, Monsoon Morning — Image by kenne
Super Moon Over Tucson, Shadowed By Summer Monsoon Clouds (July 12, 20014) — Image by kenne
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