120909 Tucson

I received a chance to deliver a day-long presentation at a conference in Tucson, AZ, to an international audience.  Because this presentation would start very early Monday morning, I had to go to Tucson the day before, not only to set-up workstations but also to avoid travel fatigue.  For this trip, I had the pleasure of the company of my wife.

Because of chores and other tasks, we could not depart as early as we had hope, and arrived in Tucson at midday.  After lunch, we went to Sabino Canyon for a hike.  It has a well-paved roadway, with tram for visitors with narration provided by the driver.  But we elected not to take the tram, hoping to be able to stop here and there whenever photographic opportunities arose.

Cactus blooms along at Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ.

Rattlesnake Creek along the road at Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ.

Unfortunately for us, the temperature was way too hot.  In spite of several stops long the stream zigzagging along the road, we could not complete the hike.  On the way back, we stopped and rest near large tree.  While there, an insect about 2 inches (5 cm) long fell out of this tree and landed near us.  It looked like a very large grasshopper, but its colors were unusual to me.  Upon seeing this insect, a hiker said "three of these and you got a meal".

Grasshopper (?) at the Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ.

Dragonfly at the Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ

After hiking back down, we spent the rest of the evening in the cool comfort of our hotel.  I spent time setting up workstations for my workshop, scheduled for the next day.  When my day-long presentation was finished, these workstations had to be disassembled for shipment back to my company.  The day ended late, and there was a thunderstorm coming.  Maybe another time can be better spent on a photo safari in Tucson.

Until then, I solicit and welcome you comments and critiques in my continuing effort to improve my photographic skills. Thank you.

Enjoy,
Paul