View of Queen Isabella Causeway from Port Isabel, Texas

View of the Queen Isabella Causeway looking toward South Padre Island from the area near the Port Isabel Lighthouse on a cloudy morning in June. - photo by Joe Alexander
View of the Queen Isabella Causeway looking toward South Padre Island from the area near the Port Isabel Lighthouse on a cloudy morning in June. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Queen Isabella Causeway crosses the Laguna Madre from Port Isabel to South Padre Island along Texas’ lower coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Highway 100 East runs through Port Isabel to the Causeway and becomes Padre Boulevard on South Padre Island.

Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. This statue is entitled “Bear Tracks” by Dave McGary.
Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. This statue is entitled “Bear Tracks” by Dave McGary.
Just a block away from the main strip of restaurants, bars and shops in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, is Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. A few statues outside of the museum will give you just a taste of what awaits inside.

Official website: scottsdalemuseumwest.org

Story on the museum: thetravellingfool.com

Picacho Peak State Park in Arizona

Picacho Peak and saguaro cactus after the sun came out. - photo by Joe Alexander
Picacho Peak and saguaro cactus after the sun came out. – photo by Joe Alexander
Picacho Peak is about 45 miles north of Tucson, and you can see it from a long way off as you drive down Interstate 10.

I headed to Picacho Peak State Park on my first morning in Arizona.

At first, I didn’t think I would get any good photos of the peak because it was a rainy, cloudy morning.

After I spent a little time rolling down a backroad alongside the park, the sun broke through just in time.

Official site: azstateparks.com/picacho

Picacho Peak and saguaro cactus after the sun came out. - photo by Joe Alexander
Picacho Peak and saguaro cactus after the sun came out. – photo by Joe Alexander

Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona

An old saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona. - photo by Joe Alexander
An old saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona. – photo by Joe Alexander
The desert area south of Phoenix is best known for the saguaro cactus. The Sonoran Desert has lots more, with a variety of plant and animal life and large sandstone formations.

I was passing through on a day when the weather alternated between rain, clouds and sunshine.

Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona. - photo by Joe Alexander
Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona. – photo by Joe Alexander

Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona

Papago Ponds Community Lake in Papago Park. - photo by Joe Alexander
Papago Ponds Community Lake in Papago Park. – photo by Joe Alexander
Papago Park is a quiet place right in the middle of the Valley of the Sun.

Not far away are downtown Phoenix, Arizona State University in Tempe, Scottsdale and Sky Harbor Airport.

Hole In The Rock at Papago Park

Hole In The Rock at Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona. - photo by Joe Alexander
Hole In The Rock at Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona. – photo by Joe Alexander
Hole In The Rock passes through a reddish sandstone formation in Papago Park. The hike up to the hole from the parking lot is less than a half mile.

Papago Park is located in Phoenix, Arizona, near Tempe and not far from Sky Harbor Airport.

Love Fights Back murals at Pr1mitive Ink in Glendale, Arizona

One of the “Love Fights Back” murals at Pr1mitive Ink tattoo shop in Glendale, Arizona. This art is near the front door.
One of the “Love Fights Back” murals at Pr1mitive Ink tattoo shop in Glendale, Arizona. This art is near the front door.
Pr1mitive Ink tattoo shop on Glendale Avenue in the Phoenix area is covered by a series of murals with the theme “Love Fights Back.”

One of the “Love Fights Back” murals at Pr1mitive Ink tattoo shop in Glendale, Arizona.
One of the “Love Fights Back” murals at Pr1mitive Ink tattoo shop in Glendale, Arizona.

Public art in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona

Cowboy statue the "Jack Knife" by Ed Mell in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.
Cowboy statue the “Jack Knife” by Ed Mell in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.
Old Town Scottsdale in the Phoenix area is filled with colorful restaurants and shops.

There is also plenty of public art in the form of sculptures along Scottsdale Road.

Public art in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.
Public art in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.

Morning storm in the Arizona desert

Early morning rain storm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson. - photo by Joe Alexander
Early morning rain storm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson. – photo by Joe Alexander
After an early morning flight to Phoenix, I jumped on Interstate-10 east where it goes roughly south toward Tucson.

I was hoping to get some good photos and hadn’t counted on a rain storm in the desert. There were a few breaks in the clouds just after sunrise.

Early morning rain storm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson. - photo by Joe Alexander
Early morning rain storm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson.
Early morning rain storm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson. - photo by Joe Alexander
Early morning rain storm in the Arizona desert between Phoenix and Tucson.