July 4, 2023 – Having visited several of the canals north of the Salt River, I felt the need to see at least one to the south. The maps showed a long bike path on the Consolidated Canal, so I picked that one to explore. The day promised to be hot with temperatures forecasted to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit, so I got an early morning start and drove to the intersection of North Gilbert Road and the Consolidated Canal in Mesa, Arizona.
I parked the truck and walked southeast along the canal bank, looking for anything to make an interesting composition out of the featureless concrete canal and asphalt bike path. Nothing presented itself except an enormous Stars and Stripes flag flying at Camping World, and since it was the Fourth of July, I incorporated it into a few pictures.
At the same time, I kept an eye open for the white amurs (grass carp) that I had seen in the northern canals. The canal water wasn’t clear, though, so it made fish spotting difficult. I did see a couple of common carp rooting along the bank, though, but they disappeared quickly in the turbid water. Other than the specters of a few carp, the only other living creatures I saw were a few mallards.
I walked about one-third of a mile and crossed East Main Street. On the other side of Main sat a young man fishing. I asked him how it was going. He replied he caught three fish the day before but nothing yet today. I noticed a loaf of bread on his tote box and asked if that was his bait. It was, he said. Bread is excellent bait for carp. Just then he got a bite and picked up the rod and waited. I took the opportunity to compose a few photos, but nothing more happened.
I wished the young angler good luck, and since the day was starting to get hot, I retraced my steps back to the truck. After exploring the Consolidated, I returned to my hotel in Scottsdale, which wasn’t far from the Paolo Soleri Bridge that spans the Arizona Canal. I decided to make a quick stop at the bridge and see this artistic yet functional creation from the mind of Paolo Soleri, one of the 20th Century’s most celebrated architects.
The bridge was interesting, running in a true solar north-south direction. Standing at the south end were two sets of enormous pylons, one set 22 feet tall and the other 64 feet tall. Each pylon is separated from its twin by about six inches. The arrangement of the pylons is such that they cast a shadow each solar noon, and the length of the shadow depends on the time of year. On the summer solstice, no shadow is cast, while on the winter solstice the shadow reaches from the pylons to the bridge itself.
While Soleri may have been a celebrated architect, he was also a flawed man. His daughter, Daniela Soleri, resigned from the board of her father’s foundation, the Cosanti Foundation, in October of 2010, just months before the dedication of the bridge. She cited abuse by her father as the reason for her resignation.
It was until November 2017, however, that Ms. Soleri detailed the full extent of the sexual abuses perpetrated by her father in an article on the Medium website. In response to Ms. Soleri’s allegations, the Cosanti Foundation board issued a statement in support of Ms. Soleri stating in part “we are saddened by Daniela Soleri’s trauma” and “we support and stand firmly with Daniela.”