A large fountain shoots water to an unexpected height over a lake, with trees, grass, houses, and mountains under a blue sky dotted with scattered clouds.

H2-Ohhh! Unexpected height!

A blog by Monica Etcheverry

The Jet d’Eau in Geneva, Switzerland, the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, and the Dubai Fountain in Dubai. No, I have not visited these yet. But I visited Fountains Hill fountain. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s time to put it in your places to visit!

A tall water fountain of unexpected height shoots into the air from a lake, creating a visible rainbow in the spray under a clear blue sky.

It’s a lovely fountain in Arizona. It’s the world’s 3rd tallest man-made fountain and the tallest in the United States. I visited it when living there, many times! The fountain was built in 1970. Every hour, on the hour, the fountain sprays water for about fifteen minutes. A concrete water lily sculpture, in the centre of a large artificial lake, forms the base of the plume. Three 600-horsepower (450-kW) turbine pumps propel 7,000 gallons of water per minute through an 18-inch nozzle in this fountain. With all three pumps running under ideal conditions, it reaches 560 feet (170 meters); normally, two pumps are used, resulting in a height of about 300 feet (91 meters). At its completion, it was the world’s tallest fountain, holding that record for over a decade.

A woman stands outdoors on a gravel path behind a large cluster of cacti of unexpected height, holding a teal jacket, with more cacti and plants visible in the background.

This fountain is part of a lovely and quiet park with many different cactuses, incredibly big! Just the thought of walking or running near them and falling on any of those amazing plants hurt me down to my last fibre! Needless to say, I walked very carefully among them, just to take the pictures of “I’ve been here!” and that was it.

A large green pencil cactus of unexpected height and a round barrel cactus grow in a gravel-covered desert landscape, with shrubs and a walkway in the background.

The lake is wonderful and there’s a walk all around it. There’s a special place where the Veterans are remembered and the feeling at that part of the park was special. We could see many ducks in the surroundings. Some of them are so used to interact with tourists that they do not mind coming near you obviously looking for some food you would like to share with them!

Desert garden featuring various labeled succulent and cactus plants in a gravel bed, showcasing impressive height. Bordered by a sidewalk and residential houses, it's a stunning H2-Ohhh low-water landscape.

As you wander around the fountain and through downtown you can see an impressive collection of public art—150 pieces!!

A tall fountain of unexpected height sprays a stream of bright blue water over a lake, with houses and a cloudy sky in the background.

I always enjoyed our visit to see the fountain. It was soooooo tall. I usually wondered if I could be on the top of the water and enjoy the scenery from there, it was not possible, of course, but it would have been marvellous – although I suffer from vertigo! From such a great height, the view seemed endless—like an infinite portrait of Earth’s beauty. This thought brought to mind the Condor soaring over the Andes, gliding at incredible altitudes. It also reminded me of plane journeys, where even towering mountains appear like small hills. I realised that when something troubles us, we should try to rise above it—like a Condor or an Eagle—and view it from a higher perspective. Doing so helps us see the bigger picture, making our problems feel smaller and more manageable. A shift in perspective can lessen the weight of our worries and help us find clarity.

“When a storm is coming, all birds seek shelter. The Eagle alone, avoids the storm by flying above it. So, in the storms of life…. may your heart soar like an Eagle.”

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