The Boyce Thompson Arboretum is the oldest and largest arboretum in Arizona, covering almost 400 acres. A picture perfect, 75 degree Sunday in April was a great chance to check out the spring blooms.
A Texas Mountain Laurel (according to Google Images – which educate me each time I do a posting like this)
An unusual pairing, a barrel cactus and daisies.
The blooms of an aloe plant.
An Organ Pipe cactus
A Yucca in bloom.
The Clevenger House was built in the early 1900s, using the canyon as one of the walls for the house.
The Palm Grove
A mountain aloe
It is amazing what can grow on the rocks of a cliff, with as little rainfall as this area gets.
We ended our tour with this hummingbird doing it’s thing.
Peridot Mesa is part of a volcanic field in the San Carlos Apache Tribe Reservation. While it is noted for it’s unique geology as a result of the volcanic activity, each spring it becomes a wildflower oasis.
The weather community seems to have found new terms for old occurrences and then over use them, one being ‘superbloom’. I am not sure if this qualifies as a superbloom, but it was fantastic.
When you look closely you can see the poppies mixed in next to the volcanic rocks.
As you make your way up to the top of the mesa, there are spectacular views for 360 degrees.
Once you crest the top you get a view to the east showing the transition from poppies to desert chicory.
It should be noted that the entire mesa is on Apache land so you must pay a $10 per person permit fee before entering. Once you do you are welcome to roam throughout though.
Well worth the $10.
The roads, while dirt, are passable by cars.
It is also open range grazing for the animals.
Peridot Mesa is an amazing place to see wildflowers. It’s remoteness means it is far less crowded than Picacho Peak, and the others.
Nature’s reward for a cool, rainy winter in the desert.
With the abundant rain and snow that has occurred throughout the desert southwest in the 2022-2023 winter it is expected that the wildflower season will be spectacular.
The first show for the Tucson area is at Picacho Peak.
Picacho Peak is about 1/2 between Tucson and Phoenix. For more than 100 years the main forms of transportation have rolled past this uniquely shaped mountain.
The first road was a wagon trail, followed later by the railroad. On this day the railroad served as a backdrop for a great patch of poppies. In the far right center are the tops of the snow covered Catalina Mountains.
As the automobile came into existence Arizona Highway 84 was paved past Picacho Peak. In the 1960s it was replaced by the now 6 lane Interstate 10, yet the poppies continue to thrive.
Because it is directly along the major freeway between the two cities, and is the first in the area to bloom, the crowds were quite large. We opted not to sit in the huge line to get into the park, rather found a space outside the park and walked in.
It was well worth the short walk.
In addition to the poppies the ground cover has a verdant green look.
But it is the poppies that everyone comes for.
The beautiful colors, along with the impressive geological features of Picacho Peak, make the visit a must. Just plan ahead, be patient and enjoy.
The figurines were traditionally given to the young during ceremonies to teach them of the culture and history, as well as hope for the future. They were not designed to be played with, rather studied and celebrated. The wikipedia page for Katsina/Kachina’s provides a good overview of the history and meaning of the designs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi_Kachina_figure
I welcome any corrections to the identifications of the individual figurines.
The first two are actually Ezra Brooks Whiskey decanters. The company started producing these in the 1970s but had to stop as they were violating the copyrights that the Hopi had on them. This then caused the ones that did exist to become valuable.
The final stop on the Phoenix area car extravaganza is the Martin Auto Museum.
The Mel Martin Auto Museum recently moved to a much larger facility on Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. One great aspect of this museum is you are allowed to open the doors, and get in the cars if you like, on nearly all of the collection.
The facility is well lit, and nicely spaced out.
We start our tour with a couple of Crosley’s tucked back in a corner.
I can see Elvis cruising down the Strip in Las Vegas in this 1964 Ford Thunderbird.
The exquisite tail end of a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado.
A early 1950s Ford Woody Wagon. Ford dropped Woodies in 1951, although they made a faux comeback in the 1960s, but they weren’t real wood like this.
A front look at this 1949 Ford Custom.
I have always been more of a Ford fan than Chevrolet, but this Ranchero in my opinion is nowhere near as cool as an El Camino. Also fairly certain it is looking at envy at the Porsche parked in front of it.
A nice looking mid 1960s Studebaker Wagonaire.
Mel was a hard worker his entire life, and one of his early successes was a towing business, which is represented here by a 1928 Graham Tow Truck.
This long machine is a late 1930s Packard. The hood ornament on this car was one that was featured in the earlier posting of a collection of them.
While many of the vehicles are restored to their original condition, some, like this very cool 1951 Studebaker Pickup, have been heavily customized.
The last car on this visit is, according to Internet research, a 1905 Cadillac.
The Martin Auto Museum has a motto of ‘Please Touch the Cars’. That alone makes it a great visit, but coupled with the low admission cost, great collection and spacious setting makes it a must for any auto enthusiast who is in the area.
In days past most cars had hood ornaments used primarily to communicate the brand. Most of the very early ones also served as radiator caps.
Our look at this art form on the hood start with a 1930s Cadillac. It was known as the Flying Goddess, and was available on Cadillacs up until the late 1950s.
Having failed to note what car this is on, this ‘coiled cobra’ hood ornament only shows up on a 1931 Isotta Fraschini using a Google Images search.
Another Goddess, this one is the Packard Goddess of Speed.
Another great Packard hood ornament. Supposedly patterned on the family crest, it has been called a pelican or sometimes a cormorant.
The 1930 Cadillac LaSalle ornament is leading the way.
The emblem below the ornament indicates this is a 1932 Cadillac LaSalle.
The Cadillac LaSalle series continues with this 1938.
A similar look to the Cadillac, this art deco style ornament is from a 1930s Packard.
The Quail from a 1930s Ford.
This Chevrolet of he same time period has this ornament known as the Confederate
As we move into the 1950s Oldsmobile the ornaments are much more streamlined.
Our final ornament is a swan from an unidentified car. Feel free to identify.
Roger Penske is a long time auto racing team owner, with his cars racing, primarily in Indy Car and Nascar. He is also the owner of numerous business, including many car dealerships.
In the middle of an auto mall of luxury cars such as Lamborghini and Ferrari there is a Penske Racing Museum, with a few of his more famous race cars.
In 1969 Penske had his first entry in the Indy 500 – this Lola. It was driven by Mark Donohue, who qualified 4th but finished 7th.
Penske Racing and Donohue won Indy in 1927 with this McLaren M16B Offenhauser.
The 1984 Indy 500 winner, with a March chassis and a Cosworth engine (as nearly every entry that year were). It was driven by Rick Mears.
This 2018 car was another Indy 500 winner, driven by Will Power. It was Penske’s 17th win at Indy as an owner. The car was powered by a Chevrolet V6 engine.
More Indy cars from over the years.
2018 Indy 500 Corvette Pace Car
Tom Sneva Penske PC-5 1977 Indy 500 car. He is famous for being the first driver to qualify with a lap over 200 MPH. While he did well in the race he ended up finishing second to A.J. Foyt.
Danny Sullivan’s 1985 Indy 500 winner, another March chassis with a Cosworth engine. This race is famous for Danny doing a 360 degree spin while fighting for first place, and not crashing, later to retake 1st place for the win.
The final car is the 1972 Pontiac 442 that was the pace car for the Indy 500. The Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix is worth the visit if you are in the area. While it isn’t very large, the cars are unique, and the cost is great – it is free.
The Barrett Jackson Auction is so large that many automotive vendors have exhibits, with entire massive tents set up for them.
A company called Radical Racing of Canada build reasonably priced (for race cars) ready to race cars.
A prototype Lincoln Star.
A group known as the Future Car Collectors had a show on the grounds as well, with some very cool cars in a great setting.
Let’s take a closer look at the purple Lamborghini Diablo. Not really sure why they call it a future car collector, as this has clearly been collectable for decades.
A BMW M4
Volvo wagons aren’t normally the type of car to be tricked out, but it works.
There were some great paint jobs.
Another in the category of ‘not normally tricked out’ – a Tesla.
After checking out the Future Car Collectors show I made my way to a row of very long tents, with even more cars headed to the auction.
A customized 1935 Chrysler Airflow.
A 1930 Chevrolet Paddy Wagon.
1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Custom Sedan.
Another customized classic – a 1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II. Note the size of the tent, 5 rows of cars that was about 300′ long, and there were 6 of these tents in addition to the huge completely indoor tents seen in Part 1 of the auction.
This is the first in a series of automotive postings from a fantastic day in the Phoenix area, starting with the legendary Barrett Jackson Auto Auction.
I went to preview day for the auction, so the facility was stuff with almost 2000 cars to be auctioned. In addition there was a complementary custom car show outside, as well as a collection of prototypes and other vehicles from the major manufacturers, and a collection of petroliana. Car junkie paradise.
We start with a 2021 Ferrari SF90.
2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
The famous wing of a 1970 Plymouth Superbird along with a great roadrunner neon sign.
RDZ Photography 