Mesa, Arizona.
In 2008, Lynn and I made our first trip to the Phoenix area by flying into Williams Gateway Airport. These days, it’s known as the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and it is a reliever airport for Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. On this day in early April, I made one more trip into Phoenix-Gateway to retrieve my car after having moved our household goods from our former place in Buckeye.
As we approached the Phoenix metro, I captured quite a few cellphone images and when I got them off the camera, I decided to create this multi-part series of Cellpic Sunday images featuring the last few minutes of my flight from Fargo to the Phoenix metro.
While this text discusses a bit of the history of the airport, its main focus is on the city of Mesa, one of the largest suburbs in the metro. The airport was originally built in 1941, named Higley Field, and served to train pilots for WWII assignments. In 1948, it was renamed Williams Air Force Base but continued in its role in pilot training. In 1993, the base was closed, and after a one-year construction project, it became Williams-Gateway Airport.
Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona with a population of about 500,000 residents. The city is known for its beautiful mountain views, especially of the nearby Superstitions, and for hot summers and comfortable winters. It was founded in 1878 by a Mormon pioneer who left Utah and settled with colleagues in what is now the northern edge of the city.
Others in the Mormon sect that moved from Utah built a settlement on the mesa that the city is known for. The construction of irrigation canals made the area much more attractive and Mesa began to grow and prosper.
With Highley Field and Falcon Field, where British pilots were trained, Mesa continued to grow through the war years and beyond. In the 21st century, Mesa is a thriving and growing community.
About the photo: On the final approach to Phoenix-Gateway, I was afforded a view of the northern parts of Mesa. Red Mountain dominates the upper right (northeast) corner of the image captured with my Samsung S20U. The large north-south street on the right is Recker Road, a major route in North Mesa. On the lower left (southwest) corner, one of the irrigation channels is visible.
Luminar Neo and Adobe Lightroom were applied to the photo after I downloaded it from my phone. Click on the image above to view it in 2K HD on my Flickr site (and see the gallery of Cellpic Sunday images from this Flight to Phoenix series.)
I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge-response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment.
John Steiner
[…] Posted for John’s Cellpic Sunday […]
[…] JohnBo’s Sunday Cellpic challenge this week I’ve chosen a picture of some cows that came to say hey while I was out […]
That is a stunning landscape John, we don’t quite have anything like that here in Scotland! It always makes me want to visit the US when I see these kind of images, that landscape seems very iconic.
My Sunday Cellpic contribution for the week 🙂
Thanks, Kaylin. Between the desert and the city, the transition is quite stark.
[…] John’s Cellpic Sunday […]
That is so flat
Once you get out of the mountains that ring the valley of the sun, Phoenix is truly quite flat.
This cellpic of Mesa is stunning! I wonder what the Mormon pioneers would think if they saw it now. “This is the place”?
That would be interesting. The Mormons left many marks on Phoenix. There are lots of locations and trails that are named for those pioneers.
Nice shot. The low humidity of the desert makes for really clear images.
We were blessed by a smog-free day on our inbound flight. There are days when the air is heavy with pollution and we lose sight of the distant mountains.
[…] Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday […]
Great shot of the Mesa area, John. I learned two things: Mesa is a BIG city and it has an airport! Good to know as many family members and friends have moved to AZ. My contribution to cellpic Sunday this week is all about numbers: https://secondwindleisure.com/2022/06/05/sunday-stills-its-a-numbers-game/
The Mesa Gateway airport is a “reliever” airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor and does have some passenger service, but mostly it’s for those who have their own or access to corporate aircraft.
Of course, it is busiest in the winter months when lots of tourists come to visit or to spend the winter.
It must be nice to have that. Sky Harbor is immense!
Williams-Gateway is especially convenient for Mesa residents. When we lived in Buckeye, though, it was almost a 90-minute drive there. As a result, we opted for the 40-minute drive to Sky Harbor most often.
Love the shot, John. Recker is a main road the unfortunately doesn’t go all the way through. 😉.
Blocked by yet another housing development, no doubt. >grin<
[…] Here is my entry for John’s from Journeys From Johnbo blog, Cellpic Sunday. […]
I forgot how flat that area is. Wonderful photos.
Here is my entry for the week.
Thanks for joining in, Cee!
I didn’t realize there were red mountains in Mesa. I’ve only been there one time, and there is nothing like getting an overview from the air. Great picture, John. I enjoyed this series immensely. 🙂
Thanks, Marsha. It’s the first time I’ve tried a series like this. I’ll have to consider doing more.
Definitely. I have several series going, but I get distracted mid-series and forget where I was.
I know what you mean!
Best museum EVER! I took 170 pics on my cell phone. Wonder what you are going to get for Cell Pic Sunday?
I’ll be looking forward to seeing photos of the new museum!
We are on our way home, so probably later today.
[…] you, Cee for directing me to this challenge; that is, Cell Pic Sunday. Now that we are on the verge of another blisteringly hot summer, I thought it would be nice to […]
Great shot John! I never can quite capture my airplane shots, I mostly settle for a sky or ground shot that includes a piece of the airplane window for clarification.
Thanks! My Samsung S20 does well from an airplane.
[…] Sunday Stills Where we’re working “by the numbers.” Also linking up with Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday (yep every one was taken with my cell phone), and Marsha’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday; […]
This is a part of the US I’ve long wanted to drive through because of the sparseness and the wonderful sculptured landscape. Your series has really set my wanderlust on fire.
Unfotunately my entry is delayed by a day, but in compensation I have two photos:
Thanks for joining in the challenge… I’m often a day late for one thing or another. 🙂
[…] Hi all 😃 This is my latest post for John’s Cellpic Sunday. […]
We probably passed Mesa, driving from Southern California to Austin, TX two years ago? It was such a long trip, I only remember Phoenix, and the friendly people there:) Your image shows a large area! I keep my phone for business, and take my blog images with my camera, to keep myself sane:) A happy week to you!
My image only shows Mesa, about 10 percent of the 5 million residents of the metro area. I’m sure you had about a 90-minute drive on I-10 through the metro.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
[…] am joining with John for Cellpic Sunday […]
[…] These pictures were all taken with an Apple 12s Mini either and cropped and processed in Adobe Bridge. All qualify for Cell Pic Sunday #245. […]
I’d like to make it back again soon to see their new location. I’m sure it’s much bigger than their old one which couldn’t hold 100 cars.
Hi John, Here’s my first Martin Auto Museum post. We loved it. Thanks again for recommending it. 🙂 https://alwayswrite.blog/2022/06/07/number-1-cell-pics-for-sunday-stills/
[…] Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday […]
[…] post is part of John.S’s CELLPIC SUNDAY photo challenge. The above image is taken with oneplus 6 mobile […]
[…] John’s Cell Pic Sunday […]
Beautiful aerial click!
The building look so tiny and neatly packed.
My contribution
Thanks, Philo! They look packed when you are on the ground next to them as well. >grin<
Love the landscape and I can imagine the view from the ground level.
[…] John’s Cell Pic Sunday […]