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søren k. harbel's avatar

Fabulous! The Saguaro are fabulous. They are so photogenic, and they don't move when you line up your shot! 😂

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

Ha! I agree! Thanks Søren - always appreciate the comments 🤗

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Paul F's avatar

Love those spring mornings in the desert. We lived in Tucson for a few years late 90s to 2002. The heat finally got the best of us. If you can take the heat, there are so many beautiful places to explore. Thanks, beautiful shots brought back good memories.

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

It was a gorgeous morning, though blazing hot in the afternoon 😂 I lived in Northern AZ for three years, and I wasn't built for the heat either. Always happy to bring back good memories.

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Lin Gregory's avatar

That looks like a hot hike! Those Saguaro's look amazing - great in mono too. Is that really a house on top of that hill?!

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

It was definitely hot at the end! Yep, totally a house on the hill. The highway went in front of it, so I was able to look a little closer. There was a road that wound around the hill, so it looked a little nicer than this picture 😂

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Jerrold Johnson's avatar

Ah, the saguaro. No science fiction writer could have imagined a more wonderful cactus. Or a more horrible city than Phoenix, the metropolitan sprawl that will die of thirst in the next 50 years.

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

BINGO. The clock is a ticking on that city for sure.

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Darin's avatar

I LOVE that second shot, of the Saguaro in the fore and the mountains in the back. Was that shot from inside a shadow? One of my favourite drives is to come down into the valley from Payson. You are coming down from ponderosa, and make a turn into, Saguaro! No transition, one turn pine trees, the nest turn cactus!

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

That's my favorite shot of the day too! Because we hiked early, we were in the shadow of the peak the whole way up, so yes, shot from inside a shadow. I've never driven down front Payson, but Adam knew exactly what you were talking about. He interviewed at a school there, so we almost lived in Payson when teaching in AZ.

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Ralph Turner's avatar

The guy from Ohio, what's the matter with him? Those saguaro are seriously impressive (my Mum would have loved to have seen them😃). Cacti were her passion, though of rather more modest proportions! Many years ago she had one of those 'bunny ears' types, planted in the ground inside her greenhouse. It was quite old, several feet high and quite vicious if you got too close. His name was Albert 😊.

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

What a great story! I'm quite fond of Saguaro, but really all cacti in general. Albert is the perfect name for a cactus 😂

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Mark Caicedo's avatar

Yep, that second image is stunning; the saguaro marching into the distance. Beautiful work! I haven't been to Arizona in ages but have photographed in Joshua Tree over the past couple years. Such a unique landscape and I'm sure your camera would love it (and so would you-the early morning hikes are fantastic)!

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

Thanks Mark. I'm embarrassed to admit that we “visited” Joshua Tree once but we went just in the park and left. I've been itching to get back there, likely if we ever get to Death Valley National Park. I love me a good looking plant 😂

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Mark Caicedo's avatar

A great spring or fall road trip for sure. The town nearby, Yucca Valley, is famous for the motel, the Joshua Tree Inn, where Gram Parsons overdosed. 😳

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Ken Barber's avatar

Great place for a 360!

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

I'm so bad about creating photospheres. I never remember to do them - guess Adam needs a job 😂

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KewtieBird’s Photo Journey's avatar

Those saguaro shots are magic. I see them and realize I miss my hometown (in some ways) more than I imagined. My (Norwegian) better half loves saguaros as well — for him they are the icons of the old western movies he saw as a kid.

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

Thank you! I would liken it to me missing the green grass and corn of Iowa - the nostalgia of home ❤️

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Jeff Filler's avatar

Fantastic! (I love local, backyard hikes.)

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

Thanks Jeff!

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Jeff Filler's avatar

I'm one of three `senior neighbors' living on our dead-end road on a hill. One neighbor gets in his car and drives to a gym. He's even offered buying me a membership. The other neighbor-senior gets in his car and drives to a park (level ground). I jump on my bike and `do' the hill. Great time of prayer, mediation, along with the EXERCISE. I'll take my routine any day. And I'll also be more ready to hit the wilderness trails (once the snow melts).

As near as I can tell, the rest of the neighbors don't hike/exercise AT ALL.

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Erik Hogan's avatar

Amazing images! I've been to Arizona many years ago and this makes me want to go back. Oh, and go Braves! 😁

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

Thanks but also 🤮

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