Arizona Tree-filter.

April 17, 2006 12:08 PM

Tree-filter: on I-10, between Phoenix and Tuscon (near Eloy), the interstate cuts right through some sort of tree farm / grove. What kind of trees are they?

We flew to Phoenix and then drove to Tuscon this weekend for a wedding. Near Eloy we passed through a grove of very evenly spaced, identically-sized trees.

They were much bigger than any other trees in the area. I have no idea how high they stood, but they had dark green leaves and the branches sort up jutted upwards from the trunk rather than hanging horizontally and downwards.

Does anyone know what the trees are?

posted by bshort to home & garden (10 comments total)

pecans - I always liked that part of the drive. :)
posted by bhance at 1:05 PM on April 17, 2006

Now that that's been answered, can anybody shed light on what that creepy abandoned amusement park-looking thing is on the west side of I-10 between PHX and Tucson?
posted by pdb at 1:27 PM on April 17, 2006

I didn't know there was a part of that drive to like, except the part when I was back home in Phoenix...

Yeah, pecans it is.

*bitter towards Tucson...
posted by disillusioned at 1:28 PM on April 17, 2006

That's not the Ostrich Festival stuff you're talking about, is it? Or maybe... former Ostrich Fest stuff, since it's moved to Germann & McDowell?
posted by disillusioned at 1:30 PM on April 17, 2006

Nope, not the Ostrich farm, although I passed that as well.
posted by bshort at 1:39 PM on April 17, 2006

Thanks, bhance!
posted by bshort at 1:39 PM on April 17, 2006

The amusement park thingy was a failed venture to start an in-car safari/amusement park type attraction along I-10. (Totally different from Rooster Cogburn's ostrich ranch near Picacho.)

He never got the money to get it going (surprise) and instead started dragging farm equipment out to the side of the road and painting it into a cheesy fake attraction in the hopes of generating interest.

Eventually he went flat broke and started renting the land out for raves, which also didn't pay well, and he had to sell the land at auction. (I read a story about it long ago, cannot find link)

sweet christ, how I miss Arizona.
posted by bhance at 1:52 PM on April 17, 2006

bhance -

I've made the drive from PHX to Tucson dozens of times in the last two years, and none of my friends and family in Tucson could shed any light on that thing - thanks!
posted by pdb at 2:09 PM on April 17, 2006

Glad to help. My former employer ran an article about it a long time ago - a reporter went to the land auction and spoke at length to the owner/farmer/entrepreneur. (They've since made a mess of their archvies and the article is lost)

He came across as kind of a kook, but in an "I actually thought I was going to create a safari on the side of I-10 with lush jungle and tigers" kind of way. But he lost a lot of money on the whole deal and it's all been sitting there ever since.
posted by bhance at 2:19 PM on April 17, 2006

This is brilliant! I've been wondering about that abandoned amusement park thing for years! Thanks, bhance!!!
posted by .kobayashi. at 7:11 PM on April 17, 2006