desert
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Painted Desert: A Permanent Rainbow in the Desert
Painted Desert is located in Arizona in an area of the Badlands that makes up the Four Corners region (Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexican borders). Also part of Petrified Forest National Park, this area has some amazing geology that has settled into a striped pattern, creating a beautiful rainbow-like landscape. Geology This area has…
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Petrified Forest National Park: Trees Made of Stone
Petrified Forest National Park in the Arizona badlands is an awe-inspiringly beautiful landscape. Not only does it feature beautiful rock formations and stripey geography but also petrified wood. Lying on the ground all over the park, you can get up close and personal with trees of stone, many of which resemble rainbows. This article will…
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Gates Pass: Where Desert Drama Unfolds in Tucson
Arizona’s sun-scorched landscapes hold a rugged beauty, and few places capture it better than Gates Pass. This dramatic cleft slices through the Tucson Mountains, offering a thrilling drive, jaw-dropping panoramas, and a gateway to the Sonoran Desert’s secrets. Prepare for Gates Pass where cactus sentinels stand guard, sunsets ignite the sky, and ancient stories whisper…
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White Sands National Park: A Journey to a Gypsum Wonderland
When you think of a desert, what comes to mind? Very little rain? Dunes stretching as far as the eye can see? Have you ever seen a place like this? I recently had (and took) the opportunity to go to White Sands National Park. Located in southern New Mexico, USA, this is exactly what you…
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Biosphere 2, Arizona – Climate change and space research
North of Tucson, Arizona and the Santa Catalina mountains about an hour from Saguaro National Park sits an interesting looking complex. If you didn’t know it was there, it is easy to overlook because it sits far back into the foothills. It looks like a giant greenhouse and moon base. But what is it? That…
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Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona – Natural history and botanical garden
Central and southwestern Arizona is covered by the Sonoran Desert, part of which also lies in California and the Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur. West of Tucson, just south of Saguaro National Park, lies the Sonora Desert Museum – a botanical garden, natural history museum, zoo, aquarium and art gallery.…
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Agua Caliente, Tucson, Arizona – An Oasis in the Desert
Tucson sits in a desert and has the climate to match. Everywhere you look, there is sand, dust, Saguaro cacti (cactuses) and other spikey plants. You can see a perfect example of the typical, unspoilt landscape at Saguaro National Park, Arizona. However there is also some water here as well – Agua Caliente. Agua Caliente…
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Saguaro National Park, Arizona – Home of giant Saguaros
Just outside Tucson on both sides, Saguaro National Park is the home of the giant Saguaro cacti. These majestic giants, able to stand tall up to 12 metres (40 feet) tall, dominate the landscape of central and south Arizona as well as Sonora state in Mexico. While you can see them across central and southern…
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Gorafe, Spain – Exploring the desert
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. This famous line, from the musical My Fair Lady about a lower-class cockney girl given speech lessons as part of a, is actually not true. However, you would wish that you had even a drop of rain for today’s upcoming adventure. History Gorafe is both the…
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Los Cahorros (Monachil), Spain – Cooling off in the desert
Near the town of Monachil runs a river called Río Monachil. It has cut a gorge and V-shaped valley over millennia. Erosion has left a wonderful area for hiking, climbing, and getting away from Granada’s summer heat (over 40°C, 100°F). The temperature in the valley is often 10°C lower than most of the surrounding areas.…
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Granada, Spain – The City
As I mentioned in my last post, Granada Capital (the city as opposed to the province) is a place where I absolutely loved living and I would return to in a heartbeat if I could. The city, especially in the centre and older neighbourhoods, has a wonderful charm that harks back to Moorish control of…
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Granada, Spain – Alhambra and the Generalife
For my first travel post, I would like to introduce you to the Alhambra and the Generalife in the southern Spanish (Andalucian) city of Granada. I have had the great fortune to be able to both visit and live in this wonderful city and I would highly recommend it to anyone if they have the…
