Water is a precious commodity in the desert southwest. There’s an old saying around here that is rumored to have been said by Mark Twain.
“Whiskey’s for drinking and water is for fighting over.”
During one of my recent adventures, I took the hour plus drive out to Horseshoe Lake.
Spring, particularly March and April, is when snow melt feeds our rivers and reservoirs. It’s a unique system of water management.
I timed my visit to Horseshoe Dam perfectly as millions of gallons of water were being released to flow downstream in an effort to fill up Bartlett Reservoir.
There are seven managed reservoirs that provide water to greater Phoenix, Arizona.
Much of the water supply is surface water that originates as snow in the mountains north and east of Phoenix. As the snow melts, it flows into reservoirs via the Verde, Salt, and Colorado Rivers.
The first dam was built in 1906 creating Roosevelt Lake (reservoir). Over time, a system of lakes, rivers, dams, and canals were built to deliver water to the millions of residents throughout the Phoenix Valley.
Not only do these reservoirs serve an important role in providing a water supply, they also offer a source of recreation.
This was definitely an interesting excursion that was worth the ten mile plus dirt/gravel road to get out to the dam.
I’m not only grateful for the water, but also grateful for the recreation and scenery not far from home.
Hmm, where to next?
For this week’s Lens-Artists photo challenge #293, Sofia asks us to share images of Water in Motion. Living in the desert, I thought this prompt might find me digging through my photo archives, but fortunately, on my quest to photograph wildflowers, I ventured out to Horseshoe and Bartlett Lakes. What great timing!
Live Laugh RV 
63 responses to “Lens-Artists Challenge – Water in Motion”
Brilliant!
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Beautiful photographs ❤️❤️❤️ And I loved reading about them. 💞
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Gorgeous
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Beautiful
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Now if we could just add sound to these images!!!!
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I guess I could’ve video taped it. Hmm, didn’t think of that 🤪
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Ingrid, I love your tour of the Arizona reservoirs. I’ve seen a few of them, mostly the lakes in the Apache Junction area. I need to check out the Horseshoe Reservoir and Verde River.
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There are so many fun and interesting places to explore around the Phoenix valley. The abundance of wildflowers at Bartlett Lake are some of the prettiest I’ve found.
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Fascinating, Ingrid. And great photos!
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Thanks! I appreciate the comment 🌵
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The power and movement of water in these photos is great, but the serenity of Verde River is my favorite
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I agree. I loved the Verde River and how still it was.
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Every paragraph shows your writing pattern, I loved it.
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Thank you. I appreciate the comment.
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I love your photos of the dam, excellent timing indeed. It makes the stillness of the lake even more peaceful.
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Thank you. Usually it’s windy in that area, thus I was glad to be there on a calm day and capture it.
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Hi Ingrid, Enjoyed reading your post. I have yet to spend any time in that part of AZ and hope to do so soon. I especially liked the lead photo of the Verde River. It is framed so nicely and really draws the viewer into the scene. Makes me want to be there 😀
Debra
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I so wished I had some type of nimble RV for that day trip. I would’ve loved boondocking in the area for a night or two. 🌵
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We love 10 miles of backcountry roads. Here in AZ if you want to see the beauty of the state we all have to go off-roading.
Great info about our water.
Great pictures too!
Love the whiskey quote too!
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That’s exactly what our little trucks were designed to do – explore the backcountry. The history of the SRP water system is fascinating. The more time I explore our ‘backyard’, the more I learn.
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Wow, great capture on the water in motion!
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Thank you ML. I’ve been having fun getting out and shooting.
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I like the contrast between the rushing waters at the dam and the still water of the reservoir 🙂
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Thank you Sarah. It was a fun day capturing those images.
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Great timing indeed Ingrid! There have been years when water was not so abundant but I expect with all of the snow this year in Colorado it will be plentiful. Your images are terrific!
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With all the snow, fingers crossed we won’t be in severe drought conditions this summer. Fortunately, we’ve had an unusually wet winter and spring making my citrus trees very happy. 😁
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Love that walkway behind the falls! It looks like the perfect spot for contemplation.
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I especially like your photos of the Verde River. The walkway beneath the Dam is also very intriguing!❤️
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The Verde River was so calm that day that I loved capturing the reflections in the water. The walkway at the Dam was fun but loud. 😊
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This guy does a lot of waterfall and water shots and you might enjoy looking at them. Just go to his site and click on these topics .
https://seniorhiker.com/
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I’ll check out his site. 😊
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It’s good to have local adventures! The truck “argument” in these comments is cracking me up.
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Yes it is! And what’s a truck for but to take us on adventures, right? Ah, the places our trucks have taken us to!
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Ingrid,
Your water in motion pictures are fabulous, but my favorite is the still water pic at the top. You still got it girl. Was the snowfall sufficient enough this winter to supply the reservoirs? California is doing better, but still has a long way to go. Enjoy the desert!
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As far as I know, AZ is doing well with water right now. Our hot summers can easily change that though. Thanks for your thoughts on my photos. I’m feeling more like myself than I have in awhile and maybe that’s reflected in my photography.
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Water is especially precious in the desert, isn’t it? I haven’t been to that area yet, but it looks lovely. I get there one f these days. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy it via your lens. .
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It’s a pretty far trek out there to Horseshoe Dam. Thus, not sure I’d return. I’ll definitely go back to Bartlett Lake next poppy season. And yes, water is a precious commodity around here.
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Congratulations Gran
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Thank you Scott 😊
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Love the Whisky quote
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That quote always makes me laugh!
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Indeed, it was worth the trip on a dirt road. Your photos are fantastic, Ingrid. I loved the photos and text.
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Thank you, Egidio. I’ve been having fun exploring more of my ‘backyard’.
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Ingrid, I’m so glad you decided to venture out to capture these wonderful images. I enjoyed reading about the dams and reservoirs that serve Phoenix.
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The water system around here is fascinating, not only for providing water, but controlling flooding. Monsoon season can get crazy, and it’s wise to control and preserve the precipitation because we never know when the next rain might be.
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I love heading out that way for flowers. Beautiful views Fromm your lens, Ingrid. Perfect timing and great info about our water.
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The water system around here is fascinating. And it was all started around the turn of the century. 🙂Thank goodness folks were already planning for the future.
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An amazing dam! Ten miles of dirt road? Nope!
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10 miles of dirt road? Sounds like a typical day here in Vermont. 🙂
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I have always avoided dirt roads since they do so much damage to your car’s paint and gets the engine compartment so filthy.
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My wife and I used to have that problem. Our solution was to upgrade to a Ford F-150 with side steps and mud flaps. Still it’s totally worth it to live here in Vermont; it’s absolutely beautiful.
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I’m sure it is a beautiful state but I just won’t do dirt roads. 😂😊
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We have friends from Vermont, and yes indeed, you live in a beautiful state. My husband drives a F-250 and I drive a Tacoma so we’re good exploring Arizona’s backcountry and actually love it. 😁
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I’m glad that you two can explore so easily with your trucks! When I had the GMC truck, I never took it down any dirt roads.
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We love our trucks and give them a good working out from time to time.
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I am a former fire department lieutenant, and of course I take fantastic care of my F-150. 🙂
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We’ve loved our backcountry explorations and have never shied away from a little dirt. I’ll take dirt over a Midwestern salted road any day.
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You got me there, Ingrid! Salt is your vehicle’s worst enemy.
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Here in AZ we have 30 million acres of public land that Arizonians love to explore. In order to see the back country we must go off roading. We have an older high-clearance Toyota Tacoma that we specifically bought for the desert dirt roads.
Ingrid, I would love to join you one day! We can be Thelma and Louis of the southwest.
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You’re on!!! Next spring just you and I will go poppy hunting 🤪 After all, we need blog material, right!
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🤣 When we lived in Colorado, we lived off a gravel/dirt road and never minded. We loved our views, acreage, and house. Thus, just part of everyday life.
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Ah, a little dirt road is just normal life for me, especially if I have camera in hand.😁
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I much prefer a car in as good of condition as possible. I am a neat freak and also grew up in the new car dealership world. 😊
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