On Monday we took the bus several miles north to the Dreamy Draw Recreation Area which is part of Phoenix Mountain Preserve where we picnicked and hiked. Today we took the light rail to Tempe and walked around the campus of Arizona State University. Tomorrow we may do a little more sightseeing before doing the laundry and packing in preparation for our Saturday flight to Denver. Yay! We’ll be in Colorado for five days before heading to San Francisco for six weeks.
View of downtown Phoenix from Dreamy Draw Recreation Area
Cell tower disguised as palm tree
ASU campus
There are orange trees and olive trees on the campus. I looked up why the trunks of the orange trees are painted and found this:
Peeling bark on branches is usually a sign of sunburn. Painting the branches with white latex-based paint may prevent further damage.
Travels with Charlie and Laurel 
I grew up in Scottsdale, in an area that had once been a citrus orchard. All of the trees’ trunks are painted for the reason you cite. For a few years I took piano lessons from a woman who couldn’t get enough of the color pink. She tinted the white-wash to her favorite shade. Her house was easily identified as the one with the “pink orange trees.”
Nice! 🙂 I guess we should’ve gotten out more while we were here; today was the first time I saw any orange trees.