Pointleaf Manzanita, Heart of Rocks Trail, Chiricahua National Monument, AZ
Pointleaf Manzanita is a native shrub in Arizona, where it grows in chaparral, woodland and on desert ridges. The Heart of Rocks Trail is an eight-mile out-and-back hike from Echo Canyon that begins by heading south and downhill along the Ed Riggs Trail before a long and steady climb up to 7,100 ft. elevation on the Mushroom Rock Trail. This then intersects with the mostly level Big Balanced Rock Trail that ends at the trailhead to the mile-long Heart of Rocks Loop about a mile later.
The National Park Service has posted signs pointing to various named features along the Heart of Rocks trail, which is disappointing within a National Monument and distracts from the experience.
Places That I Love
For the vast majority of my career, my own photography was an afterthought. Very soon after I started working professionally as a photojournalist, I became a full-time academic and for more than 40 years, my students came first. We traveled the world together, but my role was that of an editor and mentor, not a photographer. Rarely would I have time for my own work. Of course, that was of my choosing and it was a gift, not a burden.
Toward the end of my career, my teaching and advising focus shifted from undergraduate to graduate students, who were allowed to travel without a faculty escort. This allowed me time for some personal projects and assignments, and time to travel with family and friends, something I still do today.
This gallery has no thematic or geographic parameters, it’s just a grouping of photographs from places that I love, places that evoke special memories or moments that I enjoyed experiencing.
