SW+1YR-TWELVE: Hot and Mogollon: Arizona

Mogollon (pronounced Muggy-en) Rim:

Much of the land below the Mogollon Rim lies 4000 to 5000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 m) above sea level, with the escarpment rising to approximately 7000 feet (2,100 m). Extensive Ponderosa Pine forests are found both on the slopes of the Rim and on the plateau above. It is a major floristic and faunal boundary, with species characteristic of the Rocky Mountains on the top of the plateau, and the species of the Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental on the slopes below and in the Madrean sky islands (high, isolated mountain ranges) further south.
(from Wikipedia)

I couldn’t of said it better myself. On the return trip to Phoenix, we descended from Payson, and Ponderosa pine turned to Saguaro cactus

in the blink of an eye. And that was that. Our time “On the Rez” was spiritually, temporally, and, now, geographically over. Well, never really temporally over, now is it?

We landed in Scottsdale.

Re-entry was a bit discomforting. But after a margarita or three, things almost looked normal. Although, they would never be the same.

Thank you, Arizona. (Last continental state of the union, entering the US on Valentine's Day 1912.)

Love, Son and Skye.