Phoenix

The bird that rises from the ashes. Who ever named this city was thinking about the heat.

The first time I was in Phoenix was for a layover. As we all got up to deplane, the captain made an announcement. He asked us all to close the windows because the sun would warm up the cabin of the plane while we deplaned and the new people boarded the plane. Now that’s hot.

The first time I got to explore the city was in the winter. One thing is for sure though, Phoenix is also cold. It’s one of those desert states that don’t really have a happy medium.

It’s also one of those states that a greatly lacking in greenery. That means that the best views and places to photograph nature are around the city. In the mountain side.

I happen to be at in town during a full moon. I planned where I’d be facing and the exact time. I got to Dobbins lookout with a few hours to kill. I was going to be sure not to miss it and that I’d have a great view.

As I sat and waited I had a few people approach me and ask about my camera. They were all wondering if I was going to be taking photos of the full moon. I hadn’t realized it but there was already a large amount of people who had also came to watch the sunset and the rise of the full moon. There were people everywhere and I had a great spot because I came early.

The sun went down with an array of amazing colors. It’s exactly what I always expect from sunsets here.

30 minutes into blue hour is when the magic happened. Armed with a 300mm lens, I pointed it at where I predicted the moon would rise up from and ever so slowly the moon began to peak above the mountains.

I took a few photos and a small video of the moon rising. The colors were amazing since we were still into blue hour. You could see the all the particles atmosphere dancing through the video as the lens cut through everything and zoomed into the moon.

It was so beautiful. I had never been in an elevation this high during a full moon.

I went back to my hotel so satisfied but eager to take more photos.

The next day I drove to superstition mountain. It’s a well-known place with a lot of history. There’s a small town by it that has a lot of historical value. They have plays on the weekend to teach about the history.

My goal was to get close to the mountain and take some photos while the sun sets opposite to it.  So I skipped the town.

The sunset here felt like it took way too long to finally come, but when it did, it bathed the mountain in orange, reds and violets. It’s definitely a majestic sight.

Still hungry for more photos, I kept along the road and eventually made it to the mountain pass. With no cell service, thin curvy roads and no exterior lights, I decided to take a journey through these mountains.

I must have driven for an hour before I finally found a spot to take photos. There was a lake between all of the mountains. I decide to go down and explore it. As soon as I got close to the water, I could hear the mosquitos crashing into the windows of the car.

As the lights finally illuminated the water, I saw a thick layer of dots moving in a chaotic motion. I knew there were probably tens of thousand of bugs and decided it wasn’t worth taking photos here. So I drove back up the mountain and took photos here.

Once I was satisfied I decided it was enough for the day and head back to the hotel.

Exploring Phoenix has been one of my most favorite little adventures in a long time. I’m so happy I managed to schedule coming here during the full moon.