In the background is a footpath to Tempe Centre for the Arts and the Rio Salado Project. Tempe Lakes is a reservoir that currently occupies a portion of the dry bed of the Salt River which passes through the town of Tempe.
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| Tree of Life |
Tempe Lake was completed in 1999 (after 20 yrs of planning) and is approx 2 miles long and 13 ft deep and 5 miles of pathways that circle the lake for jogging, in-line skating and cycling.
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| TREE AT THE NARROWS |
The metal tree is the first in a series of Adopt-A-Tree Art Projects. Names represent people supporting the Rio Salado Project (parks and paths) celebrating births, anniversaries and memorials.
Rode from gravel pathways, crossing streets, going under overpasses and in the south Phoenix area we were getting deeper and deeper into some sketchy neighbourhoods . . .
went a little further and gang graffiti was all over side walks, buildings, under the overpasses. . . went a little further . . .
not we are into . . . . garbage, more gang tags and some homeless people sleeping.
Not getting any better and figured it would not be a good time of day to be coming back through this area, so headed off to the Scottsdale bike pathway, through the golf courses and parks.
Mesa Canals
curious about the canals among residences, farms, and over 200 miles of canal networks - where did the water come from, were the houses built after the canals, what are they used for?
Original canals were dug by the Hohokam Natives in 300 BC along the Salt River Valley. Park of the Canals reveals portions of an original section of hand dug canals and a museum of history. The Hohokam mysteriously vanished and appxo 1878 Mormon pioneers came to settle in the valley and clean up canals, used for irrigation and basically the valley would have remained unihabitable if not for the irrigation systems. In the late 1880's the Old AZ canal was built and the Grand Canal. later, lateral canals ("ditches") were built to take water from the large canals to various delivery point in irrigated areas. Turnout gates route water to residential irritation customers to take water at regular scheduled intervals & specific time periods throughout the year. Today several dams supply water to the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa areas.
Schools of fish live in all the canals (including one gold fish of about 12" long). Fish sizes range from ounces to up to 30 lbs. The canals are stocked with carp, bass, catfish, tilapia and with a state license, fishing is allowed.
The "grass carp" - or White Amur is also a stock fish not to be harmed & released or your risk reporting and fines. These fish, native to China, are farm raised in Arkansas and are crucial to the sustainability of the canal water system by feeding on weeds. Prior to this system, the canals would be drained and mechanically cleaned. Now, the fish are 'herded' into filled canals if a mechanical cleansing is required.
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