The first impression I had of Phoenix, getting out of the plane and driving south to Tucson, is that it looked like Las
Vegas, bigger and without the casinos. Apart from that, the vegetation is similar, the desert is the same, and both towns are in a plain surrounded
by medium size mountains all around. That’s a weird characteristic of the south of Arizona. I thought the state was covered mostly by mountains. In
fact, the state is mostly flat. Here and there are some hills or mountains, not very high. Right in the middle of Phoenix, for example, are two small
hills covering maybe one square mile, and tall enough so that nothing could be built on them. Sometimes there is a tall mountain like Kitt Peak, but
it is surrounded by flat terrain.
Phoenix is very wide. Phoenix is also very hot, it’s the hottest city in the US. The heat was already suffocating at the
beginning of May.
Very close to town is a park, South Mountain, overlooking the city, just south of it. There is a nice overlook, Dobbin’s
lookout, from where the whole city can be seen, giving nice pictures during the day and at night. That spot is a good location for watching the sunset
on Phoenix.
There are a few trails in this park, most of them strenuous and steep. One of them, the National trail, leads to Fat Man’s
Pass where the trail passes between two huge rocks, a regular body can barely fit and go through.
Downtown Phoenix, a few places are worth a visit like the zoo and the botanical garden. I am wondering where the city gets
its water from as the rivers were all completely dry.
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