#south american chuckwalla

[herpsandbirds]

Volcán Peteroa Chuckwalla (Phymaturus verdugo), male, family Liolaemidae, Argentina

photograph by Gdebandi

[pigeontakeover]

If you love desert hiking, please consider signing the petition to create the Chuckwalla National Monument!

The proposed plan would designate over 600,000 acres south of Joshua Tree National Park as the Chuckwalla National Monument to protect biodiversity and historical Native American cultural sites. It will also add about 17,000 acres to JTNP.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

December 26, 2023

AND THE PERSON OF THE YEAR IS... AN AIRPORT?

We've been waiting with baited breath for 364 days and finally it's here. The Salt Lake Tribune's Person of the Year is, wait for it, The Salt Lake City International Airport. We are not making this up. So, you may be asking, how does an airport become a person? Probably the same way corporations became persons and money became speech. It's complicated so try not to think about it too much. The other thing is that The Trib folks may have found themselves in a bind because there weren't a lot of real people standouts in 2023. Gov. Spencer Cox made national news for imploring everyone to disagree more nicely. That didn't cut it. Salt Lake City got tapped to host the 2034 Winter Olympics so The Trib could have made the Kimball Jct. Olympic Park ski jump the person of the year. But no. Here are some other potential would-be Utah Persons of the Year: Attorney General Sean Reyes for helping Tim Ballard find trafficked children with the aid of a psychic. Rep. Chris Stewart for quitting Congress (thank God). Ogden brothers Raland and Loy Brunson who sued to get Joe Biden thrown out of the White House. And finally, The King James Bible that made the news for containing pornography that could get it banned from Utah schools — in which case, more kids would read it.

5 WAYS TO BETTER ENJOY THE NEW YEAR

Well Wilson, we're half way through the 2023 Holiday Season, which is kinda like mile 13 in a marathon — you're thinking, I'll be glad when this is over. Gird your loins and cowboy up. We probably wouldn't have made it this far were it not for a wonderful feature in the Deseret News headlined, “5 ways early Utah pioneers enjoyed Christmas (Holidays) more than Americans today.” This, of course, was before Christmas became a celebration of capitalism and stuff. In the holiday spirit the D News spells out how they embraced the joyous season with 1. Dancing 2. Singing 3. Speaking & Performing 4. Splendid Dinners and 5. Sitting & Visiting. It got the staff here at Smart Bomb to thinking about ways to live out the remainder of the holidays in our times with an emphasis on “live,” as in to survive. 1. Don't drink a lot of eggnog, sweet stuff can give you a bad hangover. 2. To avoid hangovers after too much eggnog, drink a quart of water and take three aspirin before bed. 3. If the bedroom is spinning stick your fingers down your throat and throw up. 4. If you do have a hangover in the morning, avoid visiting your spouse's family. Use any excuse to get out of it — but don't say you're hungover. 5. Before visiting the in-laws it's advisable to have a strong drink or two. Repeat from No. 1.

ESCAPE WINTER — CHEAP JANUARY GETAWAYS

OK, Christmas is over and you're practically broke. It's dark and it's cold, the air tastes like Mag Corp and January has 62 days. What to do — blow out this puke hole! It's really a no-brainer except that you're short on Benjamins and your credit card is about to explode. When things get scary this time of year, Wilson and the Smart Bomb Band jump in the van and take a bead on Death Valley. It's in the mid-60s there and all you need is a tent, a warm bag, a Coleman stove and lots of Ramen, beer and weed (optional). Under sunny skies you can strip down to your skivvies, race desert tortoises and work on a winter tan. But you might have to fight the chuckwalla lizards and horned toads for space on the toasty rocks. If you've got a little more stamina and know someone with a Hobie Cat you can venture to Puerto Peñasco at the tip of the Sea of Cortez, 60 miles from the U.S. border. The town has a shrimp fleet and you can buy it by the kilo for a song along with a case of Mexican Beer. You'll be in heaven. If you're even more adventurous drive another 150 miles south to Guaymas where you can camp at Mish Mash Beach where the original “Catch 22” was filmed. Go easy on the tequila and don't be afraid of the hippies, they're only looking for a good time and they like to share.

Post script — Holy tamale, some dudes in California have succeeded in producing nuclear fusion, when two or more atoms smash together releasing huge amounts of energy. It's the reaction that powers the sun and fusion doesn't create waste that requires long-term storage like present-day fission nuclear reactors do. It's a breakthrough of immense import. But for some Utahns the word “fusion” is like a kick in the gut. That's because in 1989 electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announced what they called “cold fusion” that reportedly they created in a Hellmann's Mayonnaise jar. Before you could say, we'll all be rich and famous, then-University of Utah President Chase Peterson announced the mind-blowing details to the world. But alas, no other scientists could replicate their work and it was discovered that Fleischmann and Pons didn't actually detect nuclear reaction byproducts. Oops. The pair along with the University of Utah became late-night TV joke punchlines. Now, however, the scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have produced energy from nuclear fusion on three separate occasions. The future is here — again. Chase Peterson, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons could not be found for comment. They could be racing desert tortoises in Death Valley.

Well Wilson, talk of Guaymas must bring back some found memories for you and the guys. OK, maybe there were some that weren't all that fun but you can't have adventure unless you go on an adventure. So how about you dust off the wanderlust and give us a theme song for January:

Nibblin' on sponge cake, watchin' the sun bake All of those tourists covered with oil Strummin' my six-string on my front-porch swing Smell those shrimp, they're beginnin' to boil Wasting away again in Margaritaville Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt Some people claim there's a woman to blame But I know it's nobody's fault Don't know the reason, stayed here all season With nothing to show but this brand-new tattoo But it's a real beauty, aMexican cutie How it got here I haven't a clue Wasting away again in Margaritaville Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt Some people claim there's a woman to blame Now I think, "Hell! It could be my fault." I blew out my flip-flop, stepped on a pop top Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home But there's booze in the blender And soon it will render That frozen concoction that helps me hang on Wasting away again in Margaritaville Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt Some people claim there's a woman to blame But I know, it's my own damn fault

("Margaritaville" — Jimmy Buffett)

[joejoe-the-capybara]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Crazy Cody (@crazy_codys_creatures)

These guys are Chuckwallas! They are a large mostly herbivorous (meaning they eat plants) lizard species found in the rocky out crops of the American south west. They are kind of like the American version of the Australian bearded dragon. It is over 111 degrees Fahrenheit today 6/11/2019 so there are many chuckwallas out having these territorial disputes over highly prized shaded areas where they can keep an eye out for tasty plants and available lady chuckwallas! Full video https://youtu.be/jnc7Cm-ZTFg #lizard #chuckwalla #nature #urbansafari (at Bloch Cancer Survivors Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BylSZn5gv-T/?igshid=6klxsi9adhx1

[lellewynn]

since this is my first post about adventure, i should probably explain what i consider an adventure.

whenever i move to a new place, i like to take my time there, checking out the surroundings in mostly short bursts – what i call “micro-adventures” or “staycations”… basically anything that takes me out of the house and gets me immersed in the local culture and wilderness.

i like to focus my micro-adventures in the great outdoors because that’s where i feel most alive, awake and it’s where i seem to solve all of my life-problems (i have a feeling i’m not alone in that, which is why conservation efforts are so worth it!). i also love to learn! so i look for national parks, state parks, botanical gardens, cultural centers, etc… any place that combines awe and learning!

so now you know! on to the adventures!

adventure #1

so far this month, i’ve been out and about checking out Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park with my adventure buddy from work. BTA is a gorgeous Sonoran preserve that showcases desert-y plants from around the globe and all sorts of different types of cacti!

adventure #2

i did a couple of hikes at both at Perl Charles trail at Piestewa – because there’s an old ruin of a building there that i didn’t get to check out the last time i was over there –

and South Mountain Preserve (the largest municipal park in the country!), where i had lunch with a chuckwalla and checked out some ancient native american petroglyphs!

adventure #3

this last weekend, i grabbed my guy and headed out on a secret, sneaky road trip to check out the famed Arcosanti – a project borne from what looks like a 1970’s acid trip! the building is pretty neat and the surrounding desert is scrubby, sparse and beautiful! they have an olive tree grove and i thought it would be pretty neat if they had specialty, small batch olive oil pressed right there on the property! they do make beautiful wind-bells… but it seems like a squandered opportunity to demonstrate a completely self-sufficient and eco-friendly community. still pretty cool though. the have tours available, which i skipped in favor of doing the visitor hike out to a pergola to look back at the architectural feat sitting atop the mesa. it really is a cool structure!

after that we looped over to Prescott to have lunch at El Gato Azul (the beef and blue tacos are damn delicious!) and wandered for a ways along Granite Creek, dilly-dallied around down-town and hit up the Firehouse Coffee Co. for some Wild Tonic jun-kombucha before heading out to Watson Lake to check it out and do a little hike – we didn’t get far, it was too pretty, so we stopped atop some boulders to listen to the visitors giggle and the ducks quack. next time i go, i’m definitely bringing Herman the paddleboard so i can paddle out and watch the sunset from one of the lonely granite islands in the middle of the lake. so dreamy!

on our way home, we were almost too exhausted to talk, so we listened to my love, Tim Ferriss do an older interview with Mike Rowe (also my love) and laughed until my guy randomly pulled in to the Sunset Point rest stop along Interstate 17 on our way back to Phoenix so we could watch the sunset (apparently he’d been planning on surprising me with that the whole day! what a good man :)).

how i’m going to structure the blog moving forward

i think, going forward, my weekly essay will review that week’s adventure, along with my favorite photo and an outline of what’s been on my mind or what i’ve been working on lately. look at me tying it all together like a boss, haha!

coming up

it’s about to get super hot here in the valley of the sun (like 120 degrees, y’all!), so hopefully i’ll get a chance to head into the high country and do some exploring there! i’m hoping to hit Grand Falls, Fossil Creek, and maybe a few hikes in Sedona as well! who knows, maybe i can use my connections to talk my way on to a Pink Jeep Tour on Broken Arrow!

your turn!

do you have a place in arizona you’d like to see me check out? or any topics you’d like me to touch on? or just wanna say hi? i’d love it if you’d gab with me in the comments!

now go have an adventure peeps!

p.s. you can find some of these photos in my portfolio 1 & portfolio 2

  anything that takes me out of the house and immerses me in the local culture and wilderness. since this is my first post about adventure, i should probably explain what i consider an adventure.

[herpsandbirds]

Volcán Peteroa Chuckwalla (Phymaturus verdugo), male, family Liolaemidae, Malargüe, Mendoza, Argentina

photograph by a_f_r

[joejoe-the-capybara]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Crazy Cody (@crazy_codys_creatures)

This is a Chuckwalla! A large lizard that is found in the American South West. I have never seen one this color before they are usually black. #wildlife #reptile #chuckwalla https://youtu.be/zB1rvtRmZYY (at Bermuda Dunes, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bya4W1jAkFn/?igshid=10k4yhbqhjyyx

[lellewynn]

since this is my first post about adventure, i should probably explain what i consider an adventure.

whenever i move to a new place, i like to take my time there, checking out the surroundings in mostly short bursts – what i call “micro-adventures” or “staycations”… basically anything that takes me out of the house and gets me immersed in the local culture and wilderness.

i like to focus my micro-adventures in the great outdoors because that’s where i feel most alive, awake and it’s where i seem to solve all of my life-problems (i have a feeling i’m not alone in that, which is why conservation efforts are so worth it!). i also love to learn! so i look for national parks, state parks, botanical gardens, cultural centers, etc… any place that combines awe and learning!

so now you know! on to the adventures!

adventure #1

so far this month, i’ve been out and about checking out Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park with my adventure buddy from work. BTA is a gorgeous Sonoran preserve that showcases desert-y plants from around the globe and all sorts of different types of cacti!

adventure #2

i did a couple of hikes at both at Perl Charles trail at Piestewa – because there’s an old ruin of a building there that i didn’t get to check out the last time i was over there –

and South Mountain Preserve (the largest municipal park in the country!), where i had lunch with a chuckwalla and checked out some ancient native american petroglyphs!

adventure #3

this last weekend, i grabbed my guy and headed out on a secret, sneaky road trip to check out the famed Arcosanti – a project borne from what looks like a 1970’s acid trip! the building is pretty neat and the surrounding desert is scrubby, sparse and beautiful! they have an olive tree grove and i thought it would be pretty neat if they had specialty, small batch olive oil pressed right there on the property! they do make beautiful wind-bells… but it seems like a squandered opportunity to demonstrate a completely self-sufficient and eco-friendly community. still pretty cool though. the have tours available, which i skipped in favor of doing the visitor hike out to a pergola to look back at the architectural feat sitting atop the mesa. it really is a cool structure!

after that we looped over to Prescott to have lunch at El Gato Azul (the beef and blue tacos are damn delicious!) and wandered for a ways along Granite Creek, dilly-dallied around down-town and hit up the Firehouse Coffee Co. for some Wild Tonic jun-kombucha before heading out to Watson Lake to check it out and do a little hike – we didn’t get far, it was too pretty, so we stopped atop some boulders to listen to the visitors giggle and the ducks quack. next time i go, i’m definitely bringing Herman the paddleboard so i can paddle out and watch the sunset from one of the lonely granite islands in the middle of the lake. so dreamy!

on our way home, we were almost too exhausted to talk, so we listened to my love, Tim Ferriss do an older interview with Mike Rowe (also my love) and laughed until my guy randomly pulled in to the Sunset Point rest stop along Interstate 17 on our way back to Phoenix so we could watch the sunset (apparently he’d been planning on surprising me with that the whole day! what a good man :)).

how i’m going to structure the blog moving forward

i think, going forward, my weekly essay will review that week’s adventure, along with my favorite photo and an outline of what’s been on my mind or what i’ve been working on lately. look at me tying it all together like a boss, haha!

coming up

it’s about to get super hot here in the valley of the sun (like 120 degrees, y’all!), so hopefully i’ll get a chance to head into the high country and do some exploring there! i’m hoping to hit Grand Falls, Fossil Creek, and maybe a few hikes in Sedona as well! who knows, maybe i can use my connections to talk my way on to a Pink Jeep Tour on Broken Arrow!

your turn!

do you have a place in arizona you’d like to see me check out? or any topics you’d like me to touch on? or just wanna say hi? i’d love it if you’d gab with me in the comments!

now go have an adventure peeps!

p.s. you can find some of these photos in my portfolio 1 & portfolio 2

  anything that takes me out of the house and immerses me in the local culture and wilderness. since this is my first post about adventure, i should probably explain what i consider an adventure.

[nature4life]

Hold dat lizard!

Volcán Peteroa Chuckwalla (Phymaturus verdugo), male, family Liolaemidae, Argentina

photograph by Gdebandi