Skip to main content

Payson Arizona | Escape into Nature

Tonto National Forest Payson AZ

I am someone who has a need to travel.  I need to escape my everyday life and recharge in different surroundings.  I have a drive to explore the world and gain a new appreciation for other landscapes, lifestyles, and people.  
 I know that I am not alone in saying that 2020 has knocked me around a little.  Plenty of great things have happened this year but by and large, it is a year that I am ready to put behind me.  I have had a few painful losses recently and as luck would have it, my family and I had plans to take a weekend escape to Payson, Arizona just when I needed it most.  For anyone unfamiliar with this area, Payson is a small town immersed in high desert wilderness of Arizona.  We rented a house that backed Tonto National Forest and I was able to spend the weekend seeing virtually no one and enjoy the solitude of nature.  Coming from the desert region around Phoenix, the sights, smells, and sounds of the forest transported me away from my everyday life and gave me just the break I needed.  


Photo of White-crowned Sparrow

I spend plenty of time in my backyard and exploring the local riparian preserves.  I am familiar with many of the bird calls and sounds that I hear each day but in the high desert, the sights and sounds very unique.  So many birds that I have never seen before, like this adorable white-crowned sparrow.  I have plenty of sparrows around my home but none that look like these do.  I sat on the patio and watched them flutter around each other or sit puffed in the trees protecting themselves from the morning chill.  Their small sounds broken by the cawing of large crows or the mew sound of spotted towhees.    I could close my eyes and listen to the wind blow through the branches, rustling the leaves and feeling myself relax as the moments passed.  


National Forest Floor

As we ventured to the back of the property we found ourselves a few steps from the National Forest boundary and able to walk a long path that ambled its way along the forest floor.  Looking toward the mountains I could see nothing but soaring trees and distant mountains.  I tried in vain to spot deer or elk though plenty of prints could be seen crisscrossing the path.  Just as the case when I hike a rather empty trail around Phoenix, the deserted path allowed my mind to wander and concentrate on the sound of my shoes on the path, the birds, and the rustling of small animals.  The fresh smell of the cool morning air and the silence of human activity was shocking at first.  Have you ever been to a place that just felt too quiet until you became accustomed to the silence?  That is how I feel each time I spend time more or less isolated in nature.  The suburbs where I live are not loud by city standards but are deafening when compared to the solitude of nature.  

Time and time again nature gives me exactly what I need to recharge and return to reality with newfound perspective and energy.  It is difficult to concentrate on my troubles when birds are hopping along the ground looking for a snack or soaring above.  I find it difficult to dwell on loss when I close my eyes and concentrate on the sound of the wind or flow of water.  That slower pace and rhythm of nature has a way of soothing the soul and relaxing the body.  Since returning home, I have taken just a few moments each day to sit in my yard and really try listening to the sounds of nature in my own backyard.  Tuning out the traffic and sounds of daily life, I can catch a brief moment of that peace that only nature seems to be able to provide.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates

Uses For Jujubes - Red Dates  Last week, I talked about the hungry sparrows feasting among my jujube trees.  Apparently many have not heard of a jujube or red date before and are curious what to do with them besides just eating them from the tree.  Just to recap in case you have not read my previous post, when mostly yellowish in color they taste a little like a dry apple.  They get sweeter as they turn a reddish color and as they turn completely red and start to wrinkle slightly, they are closer to a raisin or a date.   No matter how you eat them, don't forget that there is a pit in the center.  I find that cutting them close to the pit around each side is the easiest way to rid the fruit of the pit. The Varied Uses of Jujubes The light green to yellow jujubes are easily shredded and used any time apples are called for.  I have used them in breads, muffins, and mixed with pear or apples for a fruit crisp when shredded right from the tree.  ...

Thorns, Needles, and Spikes Thrive in Arizona

  When most people think of Arizona they tend to think of desert and cactus.  Southwestern cactus bring to mind long needles and plants that can be admired but steered clear of.  While we do have a huge variety of cacti in our state, cacti are not the only plants to use needles, thorns, or spikes to protect themselves.   Barrel Cactus Pillow Available in Our Store by southwestcreations So why does a cactus plant have needles?  The obvious answer is to protect themselves but why do they need so much protection.  Cacti are made up of a huge amount of water.  The mighty saguaro for example can be caused to topple from too much water.  A cactus will soak up water and store it allowing it to get through our long periods of drought.  Animals seek out water and so a quick meal on a cactus pad can provide needed water for animals.  While the needles keep away some animals, there are others that are very adapted to life in the deser...

Monterey California Sea Glass Adventure

I was recently "organizing" my collection of sea glass which basically means that I was taking time to explore and admire my collection.  I began collecting sea glass many years ago when on South Padre Island in Texas and I found a piece of beach glass and pottery at the waterline.  I didn't even realize that pottery or glass became so weathered and smoothed by the ocean until that point and I was hooked.  On my many trips to a beach point since my first find, I am on the lookout for the gleaming piece of glass lying in the sand. After I began looking for glass, I would find one or two pieces on most trips to Southern California but on my last trip to the Monterey Bay area of California, I brought home almost four pounds of glass.   Most of my finds were common glass colors of green, white, and brown but there were several rarer finds of blue, milk glass, or pieces that have clearly been tumbling for close to 100 years.   If you are interested in findi...