During my return trip, I was lucky enough to spot several small groups of pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana). I love these animals, as they are so habitat specific and really represent the prairie grasslands of the American southwest to me. They are truly native and are found nowhere else in the world.

Some of the exposed rock of southeastern Utah is bizarre. And some of it is a rock climbers dream. There are fantastic crack climbs to be found and the face climbs often offer really nice friction that's relatively easy on your skin. And nearly all of it is beautifully picturesque simply by virtue of the gorgeous shades of orange that contrast so nicely with the blues of the sky.

When it was time to leave the southwest and return to New England I had to decide to either take interstate 40 or 70. Because I had come out on 40 in November, I opted to return home via the more northerly route. I hadn't driven over the rocky mountains of Colorado since about 12 years ago, and that fact added to the allure of taking 70. But when I got up into Utah and started seeing snow, I realized I'd made a terrible mistake!

Following, is a series of photographs that I took while visiting the Canyon de Chelly National Monument, in northeastern Arizona. Canyon de Chelly is an unusual National Monument in that it resides within the Navajo Nation and there are many indian families and their horses and sheep living in and around the canyon, within park boundaries. This was the last place I visited in Arizona before leaving the state and I truly saved the best for last. I have never, ever been to any place in America that moved me in the way that this land did. I had been told that the Canyon de Chelly is considered by many to be more beautiful and picturesque than even the Grand Canyon itself. I not only found that to be true but decided that to my sense of aesthetics it is more beautiful than anything else in our country. If you are even remotely inclined toward the spiritual side of our natural world, a visit to this place is a must. If the Grand Canyon took your breath away, the Canyon de Chelly may very well bring you to your knees. I really feel incapable of appropriately describing this place, so I will refrain from captioning the following pictures. Just keep in mind that, as is always the case, these images don't even begin to capture the vast and impressive views and vibe of the place. This canyon has some serious verve! Please do yourself a favor and plan a visit.

The black-streaked cliff-faces in this photo are over 800 feet in height. Below and slightly left of the streaks is an Anasazi cliff-dwelling known as the "White House." Below that, are two lines of huge cottonwood trees on either side of the river. This river supported the crops and lives of many great Navajo chiefs and their people, and the Anasazi indians that lived here before them. It's waters have now been soiled by the activities of white men like myself. White men who descended from the very same Europeans responsible for the total destruction of scores of Native American tribes and the deaths of over 59 million indians in this country. The largest war on humanity in recorded history.

Dramatic skyscape moments before a brief snow flurry on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.

After living in the Sonoran desert for several months it's a joy to see running water.

Heading north from Globe, Arizona on Routes 60 and 191 means driving through Apache land and along the White mountains. The scenery is gorgeous for miles upon miles.

Thought I'd share with all of you, the view from the driver's seat of my car. I left Arizona feeling a bit like the pack-rats that my hawks had been killing among the prickly pears. It seems that whenever I found something lying on the desert floor that sparked my interest, I picked it up, carried it back to my car, and tossed it on the dashboard. I've got a veritable natural history museum going on here.

Just north of Tucson, on the way to Phoenix is Picacho peak. A great place for a little day hike, particularly in the spring time when the desert floor is covered in small wildflower blossoms.

My dream to spend a winter running dogs and flying hawks in southern Arizona would never have been realized were it not for the generosity of one very cool dude. Those who know him, have many names for him; Robert, Ben, Bubba, Santa, the list goes on. I'm lucky enough to be able to call him "friend." Thank you Santa! My winter adventure would never have become the success that it was without your hospitality, advice, assistance, and kindness. Possibly one of the greatest things about being a falconer is the community and camaraderie that it affords. I'm so grateful and thankful for the experiences that I had during the past several months.

On the day that I left Catalina, I'd spent several hours cleverly packing up my vehicle and was just about to set sail and head north when I heard Crawford (my roadrunner pal) call out from behind an agave. He came trotting out to say goodbye and I tossed him a few pieces of rabbit meat to share with his feathered bride who was incubating eggs in a nearby valley.

The quaint little town of Oracle, Arizona has a few buildings like the one pictured here that are simply fantastic. The stone church in town is particularly appealing, but I loved the look of this blacksmith's shop. It just looks.... tired.

Well, it's official... the hawking season is over and I've returned little Hamish to his rightful owners in Vermont. I never thought I'd find myself flying a Harris' hawk. I spent years railing against them and accusing them of being a sub-par falconry species, and although I still believe that you can have much better sport with redtails, goshawks, and cooper's hawks I will admit that over the winter, I developed a greater appreciation for them. I'm now officially "without bird" which is exactly how I like to spend my summers.

Adult male desert tortoise. The carapace length of this tortoise is about 13 inches, which suggests that he's at least 25 years old.

I think I'm suffering from ophiophilia. I keep having vivid dreams of rattlesnakes, whipsnakes, kingsnakes, racers, corals....

Watch your step! This adult Mojave Rattlesnake is in beautiful color and at a nice weight. They may be my new favorite North American reptile.

There are eleven species of rattlesnakes in Arizona. Two of them make an appearance in this photo.

This shot gives a decent idea of the kind of dens and hillsides that harbor Arizona rattlesnakes during the winter months. This particular den is on private property and I was told by the landowner that he has, at times, seen upwards of 130 snakes here at once.

On the way back through Arizona from California, I visited a Great-horned owl nest in hopes of photographing some young owlets. When I made my way up to the nest I found 4 unhatched eggs. One belonging to a redtailed hawk, and the other three to the pair of owls that had been incubating the failed eggs. Two of the owl eggs had visible cracks in them and the third had failed to hatch for reasons unknown.

Here's a shot of the sunrise, as viewed from my family's home in southern California. I was lucky enough to have the time to visit with them again before spinning my car around to head east. They live in a fantastic neighborhood where all of the residents know each other by name and keep an eye on homes, pets, and children for one another. I wish there were more communities in America like this one. As usual, I had a fantastic visit with the family. I enjoyed watching my cousin compete in a nation-wide organ player's festival and competition, I cheered at several soccer games, went on walks with my aunt, and sipped Scotch and reminisced with my uncle. There are few places I know of where I feel more comfortably "at home" than with the California McNeffs.

Okay, time for a little competition: I just drew this image (permanent ink on 90lb., 18"x24" cream colored paper) and as you may have noticed, it is unfinished. I'm looking for a clever "label" for the wine bottle. I'm leaning toward something French, Spanish, or Portuguese, along the lines of "Chateau Mistress" or "Domaine de Virgin." But I'm open to all suggestions. Let's collaborate. Enter your clever idea in the comment section below.

I'm planning to drive north through the Navajo Indian Reservation and visit the Canyon de Chelly National Monument, which Arizona residents insist is more picturesque than even the Grand Canyon. We shall see. I'll let you know.

I've been visiting family in southern California since I last wrote and have decided that it's time to spin the car around and head toward home. I'm hoping to be back in New England in a couple of weeks, so I'll be stopping along the way to visit a few falconers and friends. First stop; Joshua Tree National Park. I love it there and have been several times over the years for brief rock climbing trips. I'm eager to see it again.