Flash floods and wildlife and people,oh my (Mesa, Scottsdale: travel, work)

[arizona_chic]

I am thinking about moving to arizona (after college) into the northwestern area. I have read some books up on it and I have a few questions about arizona-

1) i have heard of something called a *flash flood* am i right? what is it exactly? how rarely do they come?
2)what is the wildlife like in arizona? what can you see and in what areas of arizona?
3) people- are there truly natives living in arizona on reservations? are they friendly? what about the culture of people in arizona-does anyone speak differently, is spanish a major language there??

all comments welcome.

[Steve-o]

1) NW AZ will have flash floods, probably not as bad as southern AZ Id imagine. Just watch for signs along the road, theyll have them posted (low lying areas with potential rushing water). DONT try and drive into the water, no matter how shallow it might look, lots of people have their cars/bodies swept away and alot die. The water is alot more powerful than it looks.

2) Wildlife is spectacular in AZ, the best in the nation IMO. I go down all the time to observe it. With that being said, its also the most dangerous wildlife in the states (minus bears and sharks of course). Im not 100% sure, but there might be bears up near Flagstaff, can anyone agree or disprove this? Anyways, LOTS of snakes, over 40 species of venomous snake, black widows, scorpions, birds galore, mountain lions, you name it.

3) AZ has a very large native population. Steer clear of the reserves, I hear the reserve police are very crooked. Dont forget that they govern themselves!!! I know someone who was pulled over on a reservation. He was out looking for snakes and got arrested and put in their jail for 2 days! His truck was impounded and he didnt get it back for another few days. Not a pretty sight. His tale can be read over on www.fieldherpforum.com somewhere. Natives can be very friendly, some can be harsh. Dont take pictures of them w/o asking permission. Make very sure to read up on etiquette before visiting a reservation, its very important.

As for Spanish, yes, its very prevalent in all areas of AZ, more so around PHX. They have a massive illegal immigration problem, and 99.9% of them ONLY speak Spanish.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

1) NW AZ will have flash floods, probably not as bad as southern AZ Id imagine. Just watch for signs along the road, theyll have them posted (low lying areas with potential rushing water). DONT try and drive into the water, no matter how shallow it might look, lots of people have their cars/bodies swept away and alot die. The water is alot more powerful than it looks.

2) Wildlife is spectacular in AZ, the best in the nation IMO. I go down all the time to observe it. With that being said, its also the most dangerous wildlife in the states (minus bears and sharks of course). Im not 100% sure, but there might be bears up near Flagstaff, can anyone agree or disprove this? Anyways, LOTS of snakes, over 40 species of venomous snake, black widows, scorpions, birds galore, mountain lions, you name it.

3) AZ has a very large native population. Steer clear of the reserves, I hear the reserve police are very crooked. Dont forget that they govern themselves!!! I know someone who was pulled over on a reservation. He was out looking for snakes and got arrested and put in their jail for 2 days! His truck was impounded and he didnt get it back for another few days. Not a pretty sight. His tale can be read over on www.fieldherpforum.com somewhere. Natives can be very friendly, some can be harsh. Dont take pictures of them w/o asking permission. Make very sure to read up on etiquette before visiting a reservation, its very important.

As for Spanish, yes, its very prevalent in all areas of AZ, more so around PHX. They have a massive illegal immigration problem, and 99.9% of them ONLY speak Spanish.

There's bears in the mountains (black) and even in the deserts under certain conditions. A couple years ago in the worst of the drought, they were taking bears back to the wild from peoples homes in Scottsdale. They came down from the Tonto NF for food and water. There's always bears around Reservation Lake on the Apache Rez when I go fishing there. They are not as bad as the Yellowstone ones, but can be a pest (or worse) if you are not careful with food etc.


I worked on the Navajo/Hopi Reservation in the oil industry for about a year after I graduated - long time ago. I never had problems with anyone. The people vary depending on tribe and traditions. I found the Navajo to be pretty much to themselves while the Hopi people were more engaging. But, yes, they hear a different drummer than we who were raised in the commercial world do. But if you respect that and their traditions (they don't like white guys trespassing looking for snakes or pottery or anything else), you will find learning about them and discovering how they live quite an interesting experience.

[lolligrump]

The reservations are often in the travel path of places of interest in Arizona, i.e., the White Mountains are spotted with sections of reservations, and often times you are entering and leaving them as you travel around. I can't recall ever having a problem with being on any reservation. I agree with Ponderosa, that you have to respect the Indian traditions, and they vary from reservation to reservation. Obey the signs and enjoy the view. You really would be missing out on some beautiful parts of the country, i.e., Northern Arizona comes to mind, if you don't once in awhile travel through them.

[Steve-o]

I had no idea bears were as far south as Scottsdale. That creeps me out. When Im out in the desert at night scorpion/snake hunting, I NEVER would have thought about bears as a threat. Of course the chances of running into one would be nil, but theres the possibility. More than once I freaked out when I thought I saw a mountain lion, just turned out to be a coyote, still creepy though. I did have a herd of javalina (sp?) go running by me once, kinda freaked me out. LOL

Back on topic of reservations/natives.... most natives I met were wonderful folks, Ive bought many things from them (particularly in Santa Fe) and theyre great folks to deal with. Id still be leary about their police force though, just from what Ive read, not experienced.

[arizona_chic]

after reading all your posts the northern part of the AZ does sound amazing. I really do want to meet the natives, learn more about them-also i am sort of scared of the mountain lions/bears thing. but i guess if you stay clear and let them be; they won't bother you.

also what is a javalina?

do the natives also speak spanish?

how bad is the wind in mohave county, i hear it is very windy there; im not much of a wind person, but i love what i've heard about that county.

[Steve-o]

A javalina is a bizarre creature. Its like a 1/4 scale pig, that kinda resembles a warthog/boar thingy. LOL Sorry for the vague description, but my encounters with them were at night and with a flashlight. I tried to grab some pics, but they were out of the range of my flash and I didnt want to get closer, because there was about 12 of them, and I hear they can get aggressive when confronted.

Northern AZ is amazing, I love Flagstaff area. Mt. Humphrey is a must to summit, GREAT views up there. Make sure to hike it in the late summer and bring plenty of water. It will be too cold and snowy to visit in the fall/winter.

Also try out Sedona if youre in the neighborhood. Its beautiful, the most picturesque city in the state. I recommend taking one of the Pink Jeep Tours, theyre a bit rough, but offer the best viewpoints while out on the trails.

[arizona_chic]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

A javalina is a bizarre creature. Its like a 1/4 scale pig, that kinda resembles a warthog/boar thingy. LOL Sorry for the vague description, but my encounters with them were at night and with a flashlight. I tried to grab some pics, but they were out of the range of my flash and I didnt want to get closer, because there was about 12 of them, and I hear they can get aggressive when confronted.

Northern AZ is amazing, I love Flagstaff area. Mt. Humphrey is a must to summit, GREAT views up there. Make sure to hike it in the late summer and bring plenty of water. It will be too cold and snowy to visit in the fall/winter.

Also try out Sedona if youre in the neighborhood. Its beautiful, the most picturesque city in the state. I recommend taking one of the Pink Jeep Tours, theyre a bit rough, but offer the best viewpoints while out on the trails.

everything in the area sounds amazing, i will check out the area in Flagstaff, i heard it gets a snow as well. I have a jeep myself, i guess it might be easier getting around some areas in arizona in a jeep.

sedona sounds nice-is it pricy there?

the javalina sounds odd, i'll make sure to steer clear of them

[arizona_chic]

i found this online; hope it helps wiht tha javalina; their sort of cute in a way

[aj661]

Mountain Lions. I haven't seen one in a while but I had to put one down in 1995 after it had been clipped by a car one night...inside the Apache Junction city limits.

There are still coyotes near my neighborhood on the Mesa-AJ border.

I grew up 1/2 mile from the Salt River-Pima rez in SE Scottsdale, and have worked with/dealt with Pimas, Hopis, Apaches and Navajo most of my life. They all have one thing in common: they are people, just like everyone else. Some are good, while others are evil.

Steve-O, the same goes for their police. Some are dedicated, some are lazy, and I'm sure some are corrupt. You'd be surprised how many caucasians work for Tribal PDs nowadays, especially SRPD.