Stagecoach

John Ford's 1939 film, Stagecoach, made John Wayne a star and got Ford an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.  It's also the first of Ford's many films set in Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation along the Arizona-Utah border.  This shot from the movie captures the spectacular setting, which I have visited twice and plan on returning to again.

 

A heart-stoppingly sweet shot from 1939's Stagecoach directed by John Ford: pic.twitter.com/6GyrHzOdEl

— Darrell Epp (@DarrellEpp) May 2, 2025

(2019)

Visiting Wickenburg

Wickenburg, about 60 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, is the oldest town in Arizona north of Tucson, being founded in the early 1860s, beating Phoenix by about five years.  It owed its founding and initial growth to the discovery of gold and the presence of the Hassayampa River.

It had continued prosperity in the first part of the 20th century due to its location on the road from Phoenix to both Prescott and Los Angeles, losing that advantage in the 1970s, when I-10 from Phoenix to LA was located to the south and I-17 provided a faster route to Prescott, while avoiding Wickenburg.

Today we visited the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in the town, which proved to be a little gem of a museum.  The Caballeros museum is in the small downtown area and there are several restaurants within a block.  On its ground level floor the museum features interesting western art and exhibits on the history of Wickenburg, but it is when you descend into the basement that you find the real treasure - recreated stores and houses of 1912 Wickenburg along with well-done and fascinating dioramas of different aspects of the town and region's history.  A great way to spend an hour and a half, and kids would love that downstairs area, just as we did.

November

Yes, that's about right when it comes to my New England days.

John Atkinson Grimshaw: 'November,' 1879. #Leeds pic.twitter.com/O3En7nYTNU

— Darrell Epp (@DarrellEpp) November 1, 2024

This is last night in Phoenix metro.

A River Runs Through It

The Colorado River, to be precise.

Rights of American states and Mexico to the waters of the Colorado has been a contentious issue for decades.  With the U.S., the upstream states (Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah) have different interests than the downstream states (California, Arizona, and Nevada) and the downstream states are quarreling among themselves.  It's become particularly contentious because of the prolonged drought over the past two decades.

Currently, water rights for each state are determined by the 1922 Colorado River Compact.  Unfortunately, the water levels used as the basis for the allocation occurred during an unusual period of heavy rainfall from 1905 through 1917.  How unusual is described in a recent research paper by NASA scientists on the "Causes and Dynamics of the Early 20th Century North American Pluvial".

From the opening of the paper:

The 'Early 20th Century North American Pluvial' refers to a period of enhanced moisture availability across Western North America that occurred in the first two decades of the century and often delimited by 1905 to 1917. It has a peculiar and interesting history as it directly preceded the 1922 Colorado River Compact that began the legal division of Colorado River flow between states. The division was based on several years of measured flow that, because they occurred during the Pluvial, were much higher than anything that has occurred since. 

They conclude that the Pluvial was not part of the "normal" boom and drought cycle in the Southwest, rather it was an extraordinary event as they report:

To conclude, the early 20th Century pluvial was a unique event in the last 500 years of North America hydroclimate history and it is a great irony that it just so happened to precede the 1922 Colorado River Compact. Unlike the great North America droughts, which can almost entirely be understood in terms of reductions of precipitation, the Pluvial arose from a combination of wet conditions in the Southwest and cool temperatures across the continent. Also unlike the droughts it is not well simulated by a model forced by historical SSTs indicating less oceanic control over it than is typical for droughts. An important topic of research needs to be to explain the cold temperatures during 1905-17. Nonetheless western North America has steadily warmed since the Pluvial which, together with the fact that models predict much of the Southwest and Plains to dry as a consequence of how rising greenhouse gases impact the hydrological cycle, makes it exceedingly unlikely that similar moist conditions will ever return.

Different Perspectives

We recently took a five night trip to northern Arizona and southern Utah to see some sights we've not yet been to.  After staying at La Posada in Winslow, we drove to the Hopi Mesas.  From there we went through Tuba City on Navajo land, to catch U.S. 89, taking the highway through Page (where we stayed overnight) and into Utah, through the town of Kaneb, up to its junction with Utah 12 near Bryce Canyon.  This is a beautifully scenic drive but Utah 12 is even better.

Initially you go through the Red Canyon (which is REALLY red), then past Bryce Canyon National Park, which we visited, and on to the small town of Escalante, in the middle of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, where we stayed for the night at the Entrada Escalante Lodge which we highly recommend.

The next morning we drove to the even smaller town of Boulder.  On the way Utah 12 goes through some striking canyon lands where you drive with no guardrails and there's even a short stretch when the canyon is on both sides of the road.  From Boulder we drove over the 9600 foot Boulder Mountain Pass with its stunning views to the east and south.

After getting to the end of Utah 12 we went to Capitol Reef National Park, another worthwhile place to visit.  From there we headed onto Utah 95, encountering at its start a sign reading "No services next 125 miles".  They were telling the truth.  Making it through 95 we stayed in Bluff.  The next morning it was back onto the Navajo lands to the Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  We drove the north and south rim roads, and plan to return to take the guided tour into the canyon.  Here are some photos:

 About 200 Navajo still live in the canyon, without electricity or running water.  It's been the heart of the Navajo homeland since the tribe migrated from the Great Plains in the 15th and 16th centuries.  It is also the reason for a stark difference in tribal narratives that we encountered in our journey.

The Hopi reservation is completely surrounded by the Navajo lands and there is an historical tension between the tribes.  The Hopi are a Pueblo people, liked descended from the ancient peoples that long inhabited the Colorado Plateau.  The Navajo are late comers to the region, a pastoral and raiding people, whose targets included the Hopi.  You can still see this today in little things.  The Hopi follow Arizona time, while the Navajo use Mountain Time.  The day we left Winslow, we started in AZ time, while traversing the Navajo land there was an hour time difference, but then entering the Hopi lands the time switched back.  After leaving the mesas, we reentered Navajo land with an hour time change and then, upon reaching Page we went back to AZ time.

For the Navajo, Kit Carson, of whom I've written before, is considered a villain.  Carson commanded the military force which, in 1864, put an end to Navajo raiding by entering the canyon and destroying the peach orchards and corn fields so painstakingly planted and maintained by the tribe, forcing their surrender, and then escorting thousands of Navajo to a miserable reservation in eastern New Mexico.  Five years later the Navajo were allowed to return.

However, earlier on our trip we visited the Hopi Cultural Center on Second Mesa (photos not permitted on Hopi land).  The Center displayed a very long historical timeline of the Hopi people from about 500AD to today.  The entry for the 1860s reads (I'm paraphrasing here), "Kit Carson finally stopped the Navajo from raiding us!".

Spring Is Here

Well, it is, though it's an odd one - cooler and more rainy than any here in our experience since 2014.  We could use the rain and it's been above normal since last June.  On average the first 85 degree day in Phoenix is March 6.  We haven't had one yet and the 10 day forecast shows nothing about 72.

Anyway, where was I?  Oh, went to my first spring training game of the year last week.  First time experienced the new pitch clock.  I am now a big supporter.  The game had a nice rhythm and moved along well.  It was a well played 2-0 game at Salt River Fields with the Diamondbacks winning that only took 2:10.

Contrast

 

 

 

Two photos I've taken in recent years.  The top one is in Monument Valley, on Navajo land along the Utah-Arizona line, about a five hour drive from our house.  It was along the 17 mile drive you can take on an unpaved, very bumpy road through the valley.  Definitely worth a visit.  We'll be returning.

The photo on the bottom is taken on Great Cranberry Island in Maine, which is only a few hundred yards off of Mount Desert Island.  It looks across the channel connecting the Atlantic with Southwest Harbor.  On the far side is Seal Harbor.  The mountains, all in Acadia National Park are, starting on the far left, Norumbega, Park, Sargeant, Penobscot, the Bubbles, Pemetic, and Cadillac.

Idiocracy

 The GOP organization of my home county, Maricopa, has passed (by a 13-11 vote) a resolution censuring Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, for "specific actions" during the August 2022 Primary Election; "disregard for the irregularities reported in the Arizona Senate audit of the 2020 Election"; and "inaction on election integrity".

Richer is a Republican, who unseated the incumbent Democrat recorder in the 2020 election; the same election supposedly rigged to ensure Trump lost Maricopa County.  In addition, 4 of the 5 county supervisors are Republicans and they are directly responsible for poll management on election days.

You can read Richer's detailed response here and I've done this post as a easily located note to myself  so I, or any reader, can find this compendium of relevant information, as the response contains extensive footnotes and links on the topic.

I closely followed the cyber ninjas "audit", reading their report, the County response, and learning a bit about Arizona election law along the way.  The "audit" was an embarrasing fiasco, which should have been evident to anyone looking at the relevant information without an agenda.  Sadly, that was not the case for many in the Arizona GOP.  And, for that matter, does anyone think Donald Trump spent even five minutes actually objectively evaluating the evidence claiming the election was stolen?

My summary from my post last September (see Grouchy), which contains many relevant links and remains accurate today:

I'm grouchy because after yesterday's report on the Arizona "forensic audit" by the cyber ninjas, there are still those who claim the Arizona election results were not legitimate and still believe the "ninja dust" thrown out by the audit team despite their own results - their hand count matched that of Maricopa County (actually Biden's margin got a bit bigger) and they presented no evidence to support the Dominion software conspiracy theory.

Living in Maricopa County, I have followed this much more closely than any of the other election disputes.  The bottom line is pretty simple if you look at precinct results.  The votes Donald Trump picked up in Hispanic precincts were more than offset by Biden gains in the wealthier white precincts; a pattern consistent across metro areas nationwide.  End of story. 

Of course, if there really had been a conspiracy by Democrats to steal the election, the institutional media would not report it.  Between the Democrats, GOP, and the institutional media that explains why we are in such dire straits now.

Full Moon

It's full moon time.  From our back patio.  The original reminded me of an Impressionist painting, so I added a little Brushstroke artistry to it.  That's our neighbor's big saguaro cactus on the left and the McDowell Mountains in the distance.

Spring Is Here

Spring training, that is.  Attended my first game yesterday - the Dodgers v the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields.  Though baseball has done its best to discourage me, it was still fun to see a game.

Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers (that's him throwing in the photo).  Didn't throw over 90 but that glorious curveball was working.  Went four innings, gave up one hit, no walks, and made it look easy.  At this point in his career he's an incredibly efficient pitcher.  The Diamondbacks scored five runs in the bottom of the 7th and won 5-3.

Good Morning

Phoenix Mountains and Camelback from our home this morning.  Estrella Mountains in the distance.  Downtown Phoenix is in between.

 

Fall League Baseball

Early October through mid-November is time for Arizona Fall League baseball.  Six teams, each roster filled by top minor league prospects from five major league organizations.  Tickets are $7 and it's open seating with usually at most a few hundred attendees.

Good, fast paced play.  Yesterday we watched the Peoria Javelinas defeat the Salt River Rafters by a score of 6-5 in ten innings.  The Rafters went ahead in the 6th on a monstrous 3-run homer to right field by Rockies prospect Michael Toglia.  Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Rafters had a 4-2 lead but with two outs and a runner on first, back to back doubles tied the game.  The Rafters scored in the top of the 10th to take the lead again, but the Javelinas came back to tie the game and then, again with two outs, and the bases loaded, a line drive over the center fielder's head won the game for Peoria.

And the whole game took only 2:40. 

Trick Or Treat

Evenings in late October here are beautiful.  Last night we had our neighborhood block party and tonight is Halloween.  Had about 45 kids show up along with one Amazon delivery driver who I let pick a couple of his favorite candies.  The photo was as I was waiting for the first arrivals.  All seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Hope you are too.

Desertscape

We returned to Phoenix metro a week ago after a summer in Maine.  After relatively dry Arizona monsoons the past couple of years, this summer saw a "deluge" with much of the metro area seeing between 5 and 10 inches of rain over a three month period (if you live on the East Coast or in South Asia you can stop laughing now).

What we saw upon our return was a lesson in ecology and the adaptation of plants to their climate.  Trees, bushes and plants grew by leaps and bounds.  We've never seen this much green.  The mesquite tree in our backyard now has sprouts and leaves extending over a third of our pool, which has never happened before.  Another plant in our front patio has doubled in size and everything green looks healthier and fuller.  In the desert plants learn how to make maximum use of any small amount of moisture or they do not survive.

Given our drought conditions it is a blessing to have a good monsoon.  Let's hope for a lot of snow and rain this winter, particularly up on the Mogollon Rim, to recharge the reservoirs.

Of course with nature there is always a balance.  The robust monsoon led to a significant increase in the mosquito population, which is usually low compared to the Midwest and East, and to an outbreak of West Nile virus.

 

Grouchy

Following the Battle of Ligny on June 16, 1815, at which Napoleon defeated the Prussian army, the Emperor assigned Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy along with a substantial part of the French army to follow the retreat of the Prussians while Napoleon took the direct road to Brussels and a confrontation with Wellington's army.  Grouchy's task was to ensure the Prussians did not unite with Wellington.

Grouchy failed in his assignment.  Late on the afternoon of June 18, General Blucher led his Prussians on to the battlefield at Waterloo, ensuring Napoleon's defeat.  Grouchy never made it to Waterloo.

But I didn't mean to talk about that Grouchy.  I'm the one who is grouchy.

I'm grouchy because after yesterday's report on the Arizona "forensic audit" by the cyber ninjas, there are still those who claim the Arizona election results were not legitimate and still believe the "ninja dust" thrown out by the audit team despite their own results - their hand count matched that of Maricopa County (actually Biden's margin got a bit bigger) and they presented no evidence to support the Dominion software conspiracy theory.

Living in Maricopa County, I have followed this much more closely than any of the other election disputes.  The bottom line is pretty simple if you look at precinct results.  The votes Donald Trump picked up in Hispanic precincts were more than offset by Biden gains in the wealthier white precincts; a pattern consistent across metro areas nationwide.  End of story.  Nothing nefarious in a County where four of the five Supervisors are Republican and the Recorder, who oversees elections, is a Republican who beat the incumbent Democrat in the same election alleged to be fixed for Biden and the Democrats.

I could go on to write another multi-thousand word post explaining why the allegations made by the cyber ninjas are nonsense, but the whole thing is so stupid I refuse to spend the time.  Instead here are some references to better understand what is going on:

Open Letter to Arizona Republicans from Stephen Richer (R), Maricopa County Recorder 

Stephen Richer on Twitter

Maricopa County on Twitter 

Maricopa County: Just the Facts - Myth Busters 

Garrett Archer on Twitter 

Rob Graham Twitter thread on audit press conference

- extra added bonus - here's Rob explaining why the Trump Org and Alfa Bank servers weren't connected (relevant to my recent post on this topic), and which contains this observation:

The entire presentation today in Maricopa by Trumpists was the same conspiracy-theory argument: their inability to rationally explain anomalies. But the defect was in themselves not being smart enough to explain, not a conspiracy.

UPDATE: This graphically explains why Trump lost in Maricopa.

 

In 2020, ~100,000 voters voted for Joe Biden and then supported GOP candidates in down ballot races (state legislature / county). Ticket splitting was at its highest in precincts with high levels of 4-year college degree attainment and high median household incomes. pic.twitter.com/XuvJyIvDFe

— Landon Wall (@LandonWall_) December 1, 2021

Standin' On A Corner

 . . . in Winslow, Arizona with the THC Son last Saturday.

Don't worry, I still stand with the Dude on the subject of The Eagles.

Distancing

Like many other folks, we are not getting out much.  Our daughter is an ER doc at two area hospitals so we are unable to see her, our new grandson, and son in law for a while because of the risk.  I've had a couple of days when, other than my daily 3 or 4 mile walk up and down our local hills, I haven't left our property.

Yesterday, we decided to take a drive out to Bartlett Lake.  There are only two natural lakes in the state, and Bartlett is not one of them, being formed by a dam on the Verde River.  Though it is only a 35 minute drive it feels like another world.  Fifteen minutes north of us the Phoenix metro area ends and beyond it's just mountains, hills and washes along the edge of the Sonoran Desert.

Not a lot of traffic and few people at the lake, so it was easy to keep our distance from people.  And we made sure not to pick up hitchhikers!  We've had a lot of rain this winter, so in a week or two the wild flowers along the road on the way to the lake will be spectacular.

The first photo below is on the road to the lake, about 8 miles away, the second from an overlook close to the lake.

Stormy Weather

Looks like this week we're returning to normal late May weather in the Sonoran Desert, dry and in the 90s or even low 100s.  It's been abnormally cool and wet since December.  Here are some pictures from the last storm to come through a few days ago.

Koji At Sunset

Cacti

Since moving to Arizona, THC has learned a bit about cactus, including that cacti is its plural.

We have seven varieties of cactus on our property and this time of year is when it blooms.

Saguaro

The Saguaro is the largest cactus in the Americas and is only found in Sonora and Arizona, where it is the official state wildflower. Its arms only start appearing when it is 75 to 100 years old and the plant can live for several hundred years.  Ours may be about 300 years old.

Organ Pipe

The Organ Pipe is a relatively rare cactus and protected by law.  Southern Arizona is home to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  The plant takes 150 years to mature.

Barrel



The origin of the name should be obvious from its shape.

Cholla

Don't get too close to this one or the next on the list as their needles are hard to see and extend out further than you think.

Pencil Cholla


Totem Pole
 

Prickly Pear