All about the flavor of a small mountain city and the surrounding outback: neighborhood surprises ... wildflowers and nature ... the forest ... people and events ... plus occasional comments on science fiction, music, and the Great Wide World Beyond
Thursday, September 14, 2006
How About a Jurassic NeverNeverLand?
It's only been a couple of months since I was last out Iron Springs Road. In that short period, a window to Faerie or perhaps a time warp to the Jurassic has opened up. However you view it, there's a growing zoological wonderland in full sight at one of the big estates to the south of the highway near Willow Creek. Gossip says that the huge life-size (or bigger) scupts are created by the son of the house, who needs a place to store his output. It's a super gallery, too!
When I last photographed the scene, Old Triceratops was the lone dinosaur present. Now he's been joined by T. Rex #1 (top shot) and Brontosaurus (above with the Triceratops), not to mention T.Rex #2 below.
The bucking bronc was there previously -- but the dragon is a welcome new resident.
Also combining the imaginary menagerie with the real -- a bucking unicorn plus a mountain sheep.
Two life-size ostriches -- only one is visible here -- plus H.M. Cobra (Highly Magnified) complete my day's collection.
Honest, everybody -- this is simply an amazing sight to come across! There are other smaller animals I couldn't reach from the road with my current lens. I expect that the collection will grow in the months ahead; I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you want a dinosaur or two, how about something a little less imposing -- say, origami.
Further Note: my dinosaurs made it onto the Friday Ark (just barely)...go take a look, if you're into any kind of animal! Another link that might interest you: Angie included Walking Prescott in a neat list of Arizona links; she's a Prescott writer.
You can't count, GrannyJ -- I saw not one but two brontosauri.
ReplyDeleteI love visiting your blog - sometimes I recognize places/views and other times I learn about cool new stuff. Awesome photos of the critter sculptures!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSarah -- you're right -- somehow the count just didn't fit into the space!
ReplyDeleteAngie -- welcome! I hope I can keep coming up with cool new stuff for you.
K -- I suspect there will be more critters!
This is a private property thing? What a fabulous...um, loss for word..."Thingy!" Or thingies. I have visions of the artist(s) and blow torches and paper models and stuff. Wow...where one's mind must hang out!?
ReplyDeleteCan't really complain -- the stauary is quite visible from Iron Springs Rd. -- and it could have been hidden in a barn or some such. I think the guy's got a great gallery going.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across the dinosaurs while driving out Iron Springs road last weekend and was quite surprised to see this! Very cool.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got back home I searched your blog to see if you had seen it or not -- your pictures are great, especially since they have people in them to show the scale. [and lets face it, what are reptiles without scale] cheers -- Warren
warren -- aren't the dinosaurs the greatest? Have you managed to locate the source -- that wonderland of rusted animal sculpts on the west side of I-17 at the main Anthem turn-off? All kinds of critters there.
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