Rainy Morning in Sabino Canyon — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— Lucha Corpi
Yesterday (08/05/20), I drove up the Catalina Highway to Mt. Lemmon. The highway was opened to the general public last Saturday morning for the first time since the Bighorn Fire began in early June. The mountain town of Summerheaven, successfully protected from the fire, is now open for business, although still having to follow HOVID-19 business regulations in Arizona.
Oracle Ridge and Mt. Lemmon Fire Station
Before entering Summerheaven, there are two ridges going north; Red Ridge and Oracle Ridge. Both ridges were severely burned during the 2003 Aspen Fire that destroyed almost all the homes in Summerheaven. Over the years since the Aspen Fire, the forest canopy has still not returned on these ridges. However, a lot of ground cover containing some bushes and small trees had returned. On June 17th, the two ridges were again burned. On June 19th, I posted two time-delay videos of the fire coming through the area pictured in the above photo. The fire station and most of the pines behind it were spared — not true of the storage building and new growth since the 2003 fire. It has now been 50 days since the fire occurred. Note how green the scared area has become with the return of ferns on the mountain slopes.
Except for the highway and Summerheaven, the public is not allowed to go anywhere in the National Forest. From what I was able to observe from the highway, most of the hiking trails with trailheads near the highway are ok, at least partially. Parts of Lower Butterfly Trail and Green Mountain Trail don’t look good from a distance.
My guess is that the trails in the forest around Summerheaven were burned like the two ridges north of Summerheaven. From a review of burn scar maps, the Marshall Gulch area to the north and west, which would include Carter Canyon, has been badly burned. For those of you who hike this area, It’s possible a lot of the Marshall and Mint Springs trails were destroyed. We may not know until November.
Since Sabino Creek originates along the Marshall Gulch Trail, the monsoon rains can result in a lot of potential flash flooding coming down through Sabino Canyon. So far, the rain amounts are very below average, but we are still in the monsoon season.
— kenne
Slideshow
Images Taken From Catalina Highway by kenne
Sonoran Sky Island — Images by kenne
— Edward Abbey
— from “A Few Words in Favor of Ed Abbey” by Wendell Berry
Sonoran Desert Eye
— Wallace Stegner referring to Edward Abbey
Art Student In Sabino Canyon — Photo-Artistry by kenne
You may care not to admit it, but we all spend time thinking about our relationship to the universe, and all things that are connected. However, because of divergent forces inside each of us, we may spend time running from ourselves.
Some of the ways you are becoming focused on vicarious experiences, such as reading a mystery novel or playing computer games. We might also join a religion or political movement.
These acts involve little to no risk since there is little chance our connections with others becoming an objectification of who we really are. There is much evidence to show that running from self behavior is the result of an attitude managed by the dominant side of your brain.
You’re probably beginning to think, “. . . now we are going to get some of this right brain/left brain bull-shit!” Don’t worry, no brain theory this time.
However, call it what you may (left brain/right brain, head/heart, male/female sides, yin/yang, intellect/intuition), we all have exhibited behavior based on attitudes of self associated with the “head” — analytical, systematic, logical, objective, or intellectual. In our culture, organized groups (institutions) reinforce this behavior. We are told how “smart” we are; how “orderly” we are; how “logical” we are. We are considered well-grounded — what better for group identity!
On the other hand, if our behavior is considered coming from the “heart” — impulsive, artistic, romantic, creative, daring or intuitive — our behavior is looked upon as being unrealistic, unreliable, unstable, and unfocused. “She’s not a responsible child, but she’s happy and a lot of fun,” people would say.
The point is that an enormous number of forces exist inside of us between the head and the heart, which are struggling for control self. These forces can cause you to take the path of least resistance — allowing one side to win over the other. For instance, the dominant side will choose between opposites in a two-dimensional relationship. One can represent harmony, the other conflict, two basic forms of human interaction. Selecting between these two opposites results in zero communication and the desolation of self.
On the other hand, we can take the path least traveled — pushing the head and heart together, not allowing one side to win. The result of pushing harmony and conflict together is the creation of a third dimension, which represents autonomous and creative communication, among others, and the actual development of self. By allowing one side to win over the other, we draw a line between “what you think” and the “power to think.” The power to think only exists in this third dimension.
— kenne
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Left Brain, Right Brain Magic:
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number “6” in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Why? It’s a mystery!
Bighorn Fire (Sabino Canyon Smoke) — Images by Marty Horowitz
Girl Scouts In Sabino Canyon (11/12/14)
— kenne
Night Blooming Cereus — Images by Phil Bentley
One of the strangest plants of the desert, the night-blooming cereus, is a member 
of the cactus family that resembles nothing more than a dead bush most of the year.
It is rarely seen in the wild because of its inconspicuousness. But for one midsummer’s night each year,
its exquisitely scented flower opens as night falls, then closes forever with the first rays of the morning sun.
— Content Source: Desert USA
View West From Blackett’s Ridge Across Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
— from Cold Mountain Poems by Gary Snyder
“Bird In The Tree” (Phainopepla, Sabino Canyon) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
— Malcolm Gladwell
Art In The Canyon (Sabino Canyon) — Image by kenne
— kenne
Sabino Canyon: View From Blackett’s Ridge — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Sabino Canyon Panorama by kenne
One of the things I find myself doing during this pandemic is going through many thousands of photos. My hiking lately has not been in the Canyon, instead at much higher elevations. This image is one of my favorite views looking down through the Canyon.
— kenne
A Majestic Saguaro On Photoline Trail, Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
— kenne
Ed Rawl On Wilderness Rocks Trail (June 29, 2012) — Image by kenne
On the morning of May 9, 2020 (6:00 am), we gathered with Ed’s brother, Rick, in the overflow parking lot for entrance into Sabino Canyon to celebrate Ed’s life. Ed died from a stroke on April 18, 2020. The is the third of three postings on Ed’s death:
https://kenneturner.com/2020/04/26/for-his-love-of-nature-ed-rawl-r-i-p/
https://kenneturner.com/2020/05/05/naturalist-ed-rawl-kind-words-for-a-very-special-man/
He had requested that his ashes be spread at a location where one could see both the sunrise and sunset. Because of the pandemic, the main entrance and services in Sabino Canyon were closed, which is why the event was scheduled to begin in the Sabino Canyon overflow parking lot.
After a few words from Rick, a group of about 20 hiked a short distance to a perfect location on the Esperero Trail. Several in the group shared their experiences with and love for Ed.
This video is meant to capture the essence of the celebration without making the video too long. Like his friends, Ed loved nature. It is therefore fitting that the point his ashes were being spread, a rabbit came into the picture, sitting there watching the ceremony.
— kenne
Video by kenne (May 10, 2020)
Adult Cooper’s Hawk In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
A medium-sized hawk with the classic accipiter shape: broad, rounded wings and a very long tail.
In Cooper’s Hawks, the head often appears large, the shoulders broad, and the tail rounded.
