RWA Graphics --- Arizona Page --- Photo Gallery -- Tempe Lake May/June 2000

Photo Gallery --- Tempe Lake text and photos by RWA
Tempe Lake is not a real lake---since the Salt River is pretty much dry from all the dams in the southwest, local engineers came up with a plan to seal the river at two ends with rubber dams and fill the area between with water to make a small lake near the ASU campus. It was filled last fall, and already it's very popular. Above the ASU Sun Devil stadium can be seen; below is the west dam.
Visitors can choose paddleboats, rowboats, canoes, kayaks, or even small canopied motorboats that hold a dozen people.	Between the auto and rail bridges is a park area with grass and a sand pit for kids to play in. Vendors rent bikes, scooters, pedal-cars, inline skates and toys for the sand pit. In the evenings on weekends a stage is set up for live music or movies.
What I thought was a dried old tree from a distance...	...turned out to be a sculpture made of brass for the 'Adopt a Tree' program, which encourages people to make donations to fund the planting of trees along the side of the Rio Salado Project.
There are two bridges across the Salt River at Hayden's Point, where the ferry used to run 100 years ago. The Old Mill bridge on the right was built in 1930, the new one on the left in 1992-3.	This rail bridge was built in 1912 after previous ones had collapsed, damaged by flooding. The water? Don't worry about it.
I paddle around the lake--about 2 miles in a circle from the rail bridge to the Rural Road bridge (shown) by ASU and back.	There are bird nests hidden under the trestles. This is coming back to the main dock area. The America West Airlines HQ can be seen the background.
You can find out more about the Rio Salado Project at www.tempe.gov