You can put away the fake fangs and I (heart) Edward T-shirts — we’re talking astronomy, not the latest vampire fantasy installment. Tonight (and tomorrow morning, depending on your time zone) marks Winter Solstice and the year’s second lunar eclipse. It’s the year’s second lunar eclipse and the first total…
Looking out my window this morning, I see gray clouds and a wintery-looking Phoenix.One might think that on a day like today, a Phoenix hiker would be dying to hit the trails. It’s better to hike in the cool weather, right?Wrong!…
Who knows what the masterminds behind community-building Calle 16 will come up with if/when it snows, but for rain, they’re decorating 16th Street from Thomas to Roosevelt streets with flowers. So if you nabbed a few at Phoestivus last night or spy a few pretty ones in your (or your…
Jackalopes can ride bikes, right? (Given the temperature, they should be able to … ) Welcome to Cycle, a weekly feature where our own fanatic, Jason Franz, tells tales of rides and routes, and cycling dos and don’ts, as he spins pedals across what Bicycling Magazine calls the 15th best…
If you can find an excuse to be outside tonight/early tomorrow morning, look up. Tonight will be the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, an annual event that occurs in mid-December. Meteor shower experts predict it will be the best meteor shower of the year, and depending on visibility, viewers…
So hiking partner and I couldn’t help but notice that it’s December and we have yet to see the promised parking meters (that we blogged about in August) at our favorite parks, which were supposed to be installed in November.Turns out discussions surrounding the proposal called, “Friend of the Mountains/Daily…
Jackalopes can ride bikes, right? (Given the temperature, they should be able to … ) Welcome to Cycle, a weekly feature where our own fanatic, Jason Franz, tells tales of rides and routes, and cycling dos and don’ts, as he spins pedals across what Bicycling Magazine calls the 15th best…
Lilia MenconiThe Ridgeline trail offers some spectacular views to the north. Aw, so pretty.I’m feeling a little soft lately — and I’m sure I’m not the only one.It’s been over a month since my last hike and when it comes to getting back on the trail during these squishy body…
There’s only about a week left to see the Mariposa Monarca Monarch Butterfly Exhibit at Desert Botanical Garden. The exhibit, which closes November 14, appears at DBG every year, and remains the best way to get up close and personal with hundreds of beautiful butterflies. We attended this past weekend,…
Get out and do the funky chicken — or at least talk about a few this Saturday, November 6, at a lively discussion on Urban Poultry and kick-off event to the Tour de Coops 2010.The self-guided tour of the Valley’s coolest chicken set-ups, sponsored by the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, will…
Sean Sweat’s been running around downtown Phoenix for the past few weeks with a clipboard and a pen; he’s gathering signatures for a dog park petition that he’ll bring to the Phoenix Board of Adjustments and City Council on November 4. Sweat’s serious about the dog park, and he doesn’t…
It’s time to get all warm and glowy — Las Noches de las Luminarias at Desert Botanical Gardens is just around the corner. Tickets go on sale to the public this weekend and you won’t even have to worry about fighting your fellow nature nerd (in person); they’re available for…
Lilia MenconiThis turquoise plaque wants to teach you about hummingbirds and ocotillo.Since it’s been too dang hot outside to take a longer daytime trek, we’ve been stuck with hour-long jaunts in the evening.Our latest outing was a trail that my mother, an elementary school librarian, has wanted to hike for…
We hope those hiking boots are nice and broken in. On Friday, November 5 and Saturday November 6, the Phoenix Summit Challenge will offer outdoor enthusiasts/workout freaks the biggest beast of a workout, aside from the Ironman Triathlon, this town has to offer. Now in its sixth year, hikers can…
For the hiker who likes to wander around.Dreamy Draw is like the Choose Your Own Adventure book of Phoenix hiking.Every time I’ve hiked through this area (part of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, northwest of Piestawa Peak), I follow a different path. For this hiking review, I’d love to tell you…
Skaters in central Phoenix just found a new home. The south side of Margaret T. Hance Park, also known as Deck Park, has been selected as the recommended location for a new Urban Skate Plaza following a unanimous vote by Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board Subcommittee on Wednesday. The decision…
Hiking Partner and I learned a very valuable lesson this Labor Day weekend: Don’t hike a new trail when it’s 112 degrees outside.Excited by the promise of a measly 104 degree temperature high for the day, we figured hitting the trail at 10 a.m. would be a fine idea. Of…
Thanks to professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, a new, super-slick skate park is coming to Phoenix. Plans for the skate park were announced at Phoenix City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, during a press conference with Dyrdek, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Phoenix Vice Mayor Michael Nowakowski, and District 8 Councilman Michael Johnson…
It’s no surprise Roy Watkins shoots his Nikon D300 with a fisheye lens — he’s at fish eye-level, under the rippling waters of Fossil Creek. His interest in photography started at a young age, but he didn’t get his camera wet until he combined his interested in photos with his…
This is the easiest trail hiking partner and I have done so far. Which is perfect because the summer weather is extremely evil right now (except for last night’s showers, of course).The Mojave Trail sits to the east of Piestawa Peak’s Summit Trail and is barely one mile, up and…
Grab a blanket, but forget the telescope — without a lens you should be able to see the Perseid meteor shower when it peaks between 2 and 5 a.m., Friday morning.As with any meteor shower, the show is going to be better the further you get from city lights. Evan…
Phoenicians love the smell of wet dirt.Because I’m a Phoenix native and an avid hiker, I recently braved the raindrops for a stellar evening hike.Hiking Partner and I got drenched while hiking up Shaw Butte on a semi-stormy evening last week. During cooler months, we usually hike this entire loop…
