Arizona

Stage Station and Homestead

Gazing out at the modern world from the inside of a nineteenth century Stage Station and Homestead in rural Pinal County, Arizona. Established in 1879 by the Southern Pacific Mail and Stage Line Company, the one-room adobe station and adjoining mesquite corral functioned as a horse changing and water stop on the route from the railroad station at Picacho for passengers travling to Florence and beyond. In 1913, rancher Juan Verdugo recorded the property as a homestead and, in 1917, he added a second room and raised the roof. A ranch school was built to the north around the same time. In 1920, the property returned to the State of Arizona and is currently located on State Trust Land which requires a permit to visit. Area ranchers continued to use the buildings as bunkhouses and storage until the late 1980s. Although the buildings are currently vacant, cattle continue to graze the surrounding land under a grazing lease between local ranchers and the state. (N 32° 49.406', W 111° 26.184')

Southwest Golden Hour

A stunning golden hour display photographed in rural Pinal County, Arizona

Budding Cane Cholla

A budding cane cholla flower adorns the desert landscape near Tonto National Forest in Arizona

Prickly Pear Cactus Flower

A prickly pear cactus blooms along the banks of the Salt River near Tonto National Forest outside Phoenix, Arizona

Seeding Grass

A seeding grass stalk along Saguaro Lake, one of four reservoirs along the Salt River, midway between Phoenix and the ghost town of Sunflower, Arizona

Barrel Cactus Blossom

The colorful blossom of the Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus) is a stark and welcome contrast to the barren desert landscape. Captured at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.

Phoenix Light Rail

A light rail train, operated by Valley Metro Rail, passes through downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The light rail serves well over 15 million riders per year, covering 26.3 miles throughout Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa.

Melinda’s Alley

Created as a tribute more than 100 years after her passing, this colorful 70 feet high by 50 feet mural in downtown Phoenix, Arizona pays tribute to the rich life of Malinda "Malindy" Curtis, an well-known African-American woman whose spirit is said to inhabit the alley to this day. Beneath the mural, painted by local artists Hugo Medina and Darrin Armijo-Wardle, lies the unmarked entrance to Melinda's Alley, one of only a handful of speakeasy bars still in operation.