8/8--Now the monsoon rains are really falling. We got rained out of a hike to look for montane rattlesnakes in the mountains and the 4 wheel drive road we were on started to have water running over it. All was not lost though. On the flats we saw a Sonoran Whipsnake (lifelister). That evening the rains continued but we did see a Desert Box Turtle drinking water from the road and an adult Mojave Rattlesnake. Also saw a DOR Checkered Garter Snake. 8/9--Back in the Tucson area, Rachel and I got to see a nice 4 foot Sonoran Gopher Snake. The snake hissed at me when I approached. Nearby we also hiked and saw a dead Western Diamondback near the trail. It wasn't clear what had killed it. Downtown Tucson received 3.37 inches of rain that day and we got rained out of our nighttime road cruise as virtually every road we attempted was closed because of flooding. We turned around at a raging river across theroad on one road. 8/10--Sigh..Time to leave. Too beautiful of country and too much great herps and other animals to see and I wish I could have stayed for a month... My trip total for live snakes: 6 Mojave Rattlesnakes (lifer) 3 Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes 2 Northern Blacktail Rattlesnakes 1 Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake 1 Sonoran Whipsnake (lifer) 1 Sonoran Gopher Snake (lifer) My DOR total: 4 Mojave Rattlesnakes 2 Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes 1 Checkered Garter Snake Our family live snake total: 11 Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes 10 Mojave Rattlesnakes 2 Blacktail Rattlesnakes 1 Arizona Black Rattlesnake 1 Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake 1 Green Rat Snake 1 Sonoran Whipsnake 1 Checkered Garter Snake 1 Sonoran Gopher Snake 1 Great Basin Gopher Snake (my parents saw this en route to AZ) add a Reticulated Gila Monster to that group of snakes and we fared very well as a group even if we did strike out on the three montane rattlesnake species (Ridgenose, Rock and Twin-Spotted Rattlesnakes eluded our entire party).

The rains were strong the last couple days of the trip. Our last day and night in the SE corner of AZ was characterized by heavy rains. We got rained out of a day hike in the mountains and had to settle for a Sonoran Whipsnake sighting on the flats. It was a great looking snake but alas it was too fast for pictures. The evening produced a Desert Box Turtle drinking from the road in a heavy t-storm and this Mojave Rattlesnake: Our last day in Arizona was spent in the Tucson area since we had to fly out the next morning. Rachel and I sat out a massive t-storm eating lunch under a canopy while downtown Tucson got dumped with 3.37 inches of rain in less than 2 hours. Once the rain let up we did a brief afternoon road cruise and hike (hike cut way short by a flooded wash 2/10th of a mile up the trail). That night our attempts at road cruising turned into an attempt to keep our rent a car from becoming a boat and we abandoned the road cruise for a short walk on high ground. Our farewell gift was this goregous 4 foot Sonoran Gopher Snake (a lifer)! We were stopped watching a Harris Antelope Squirrel on the road when this snake appeared onto the road right behind it! As you can see it was on the move and didn't pose for pictures, but I love the transition in color from front to back.. Off road I got some closer pictures as it moved on: Eventually the snake tired of being pursued for photos and it HISSSED very loudly and turned to face me.. I managed to catch a picture of it while its mouth was still open in a defensive hiss. What a great going away present! Here is the habitat it was found in, complete with a freshly flooded wash. It was hard to leave this rain drenched desert with the monsoon rains starting to hit bigtime and getting the snakes moving. I have no doubt we'll be back..

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to post your advice and suggestions, we read and digested every one of them. We had 10 fabulous days in Arizona and have vowed to return as soon as possible. We flew into Tucson with no fixed plans apart from 2 nights I had booked in a highly rated bed and breakfast in Sedona a few days in to our vacation. On impulse we decided to drive immediately from Tucson to Scottsdale. En route I reserved a room at the Gainey Suites Hotel. What a lucky find! It was lovely. Peaceful, comfortable and relaxing with complimentary hors d'oeuvres (and beer and wine) nightly, complimentary breakfast daily. We hadn't realized how deeply exhausted and in need of this vacation we were but after a night at the Gainey we knew we had to stay another! We drove from Scottsdale to Sedona via Prescott (we had lunch at the historic Hassayampa Hotel) and Jerome. Jerome was fascinating and the drive was stunning. We arrived in Sedona a day too early for our reservations at the bed and breakfast but another room was available so we spent 3 idyllic days there. The photo above is from our private 2nd floor terrace at the Casa Sedona B & B. Wonderful place, best linens ever, and amazing food. We hiked the Doe Mesa and did the Ancient Ruins Pink Jeep Tour at sunset. We discovered the ChocolaTree organic restaurant, dining out in the peaceful gardens under the honeysuckle and stars! We also had lunch at the airport restaurant on the top of the mesa where the planes and small jets seemingly fling themselves off the top of the mountain! From Sedona we drove to the Grand Canyon. It was our second visit but was just as breathtaking and awe inspiring as the first. We stayed in a nondescript hotel but drove back to the canyon for a delicious breakfast at the El Tovar before heading out to Monument Valley. What a place! It has to be seen to be believed! Monolithic rock formations rising 1000 feet from the desert floor! We drove on to Canyon de Chelly. We took a jeep tour into the canyon with a Navajo guide. The history was fascinating as were the many ancient ruins and petroglyphs. Our guide was well informed, some of her family still live in the canyon. Only the women can own property. From Canon de Chelly we returned to Scottsdale. We stayed again 2 nights at the Gainey, lured by the rest and relaxation it offered and the friendly, quietly sociable atmosphere. Our plan had been to spend 3 or 4 days exploring the Tucson area but we were now left with only one night before returning home! We found a pleasant little B & B there for our last night. We explored as much as we could, including many wonderful hours at the Desert Museum, but the rest will have to wait for our next trip! Again, thank you all, our trip would not have been so easy or so successful without you.

Ray, When people are deciding what type and efficiency HVAC system to choose for their home they're typically comparing at least a couple of alternatives. That's what we do with our clients in the design phase. When evaluating alternatives, the recurring question is what incremental benefit is provided by each level of higher efficiency and what incremental cost is associated with it? The data you've provided don't enable houzzers to make an objective comparison because 1.) you're comparing a new, 18 SEER variable speed system with an 11-year old 14 SEER system (which would perform as either an 12.5 SEER or 11.2 SEER system based on age and maintenance level,) 2.) You've never provided a cooling load (manual J) calculation to confirm the 4-ton 14 SEER system was not oversized (which would result in short cycling and more frequent, elevated starting current and skew the results.) 3.) You haven't indicated what changes you made to your zoning system when going from the old system to the new. A decrease in static pressure which I expect was the case when switching to a variable speed air handler would reduce the required blower hp and skew the results. If you want to continue to tout the system you installed, just include a caveat so houzzers know you have no credible explanation for why the system performs better other than "it's more efficient."