This was one of my first real trips, specifically for my travel blog, Southwest Compass. (Now defunct due to brain cancer striking, and my laptop crashing.) I remember bits and pieces of the post, but I had taken photos during that long weekend.

Fountain Hills was on my way from Santa Fe, where I was living, to Phoenix. Its big attraction is a large fountain. Hmmm. I why they named the city Fountain Hills? The fountain is in the middle of a lake, which shoots water up 560 feet in height, making it the world's fourth-tallest fountain.

The next stop was Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix the following morning. Even at that early hour, the sun was blazing, not the best conditions for a photographer, blowing out most of my whites.

I tried to find any shade to prevent the blowouts. But the substantial collection of over 50,000 desert plants and beautiful mountain backdrops made it worth the visit.

Public Art

The city boasts a good sized assortment of public art, featuring a diverse range of sculptures, from whimsical to gut wrenching.

“Her Secret Is Patience” (a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson) by Janet Echelman. It stands up to 100 feet tall, and the netting represents the enormous clouds over Arizona.

“Release the Fear” by local artist Robert John Miley.

It's composed of 8 1/2 tons of metal, of which 8,000 lbs. is from "weapons used in violent acts collected throughout Arizona," according to the inscription.

Cancer Survivor Park

I had forgotten about this park. Or I blocked it out. There are 24 of these parks located across the US and Canada. They were funded by the Bloch Family Foundation.

Wickenburg provided some much needed levity. The town is located 60 miles northwest of Phoenix and is named after the founder, a Prussian immigrant, Henry Wickenburg, who literally struck gold. The Vulture Mine produced 340,000 ounces of gold and 260,000 ounces of silver from 1863 to 1942.

The town has kept the Old West spirit alive with scenes of life sized statues.

Nestled near the Superstition Mountains is Apacheland Movie Ranch. It was a 1,800-acre filming location and then became a tourist stop. From 1960, TV series were shot here, including Rawhide, Death Valley Days, and Have Gun — Will Travel, and films such as Charro! and The Ballad of Cable Hogue.