The Sandy Bottom is a feature of the Grove. The Grove itself sits along the bed of dry wash, with the palo verde (and the saguaro) about twenty feet upstream from the ironwood. In between an area of the wash that is fine-grained small pebbles and rocks---the Sandy Bottom.
The Sandy Bottom makes the Grove an appealing place because a sandy open area such as that is valuable in the desert for the simple reason that one can sit or stand there and be relatively free of any kind of critters that would sneak up on your feet, as would be the case with grass and scrub brush.
Flanked by the trees, it feels like a little zen garden. It is perfect for setting up the small tripod camp stool, like one I bought at REI years ago and which traveled the country with me. In the morning, even in summer, I bring it out with me in my backpack and set it up in the sandy to read in the brilliant sunlight. In the winter, it is the best place to sit all day long.
The sand is also a convenient place to get down on my knees, face the early sun coming up over the McDowell Mountains, and give thanks to God Almighty for His great mercy, and to beg Him for forgiveness of my sins and for a means to atone for the wretchedness I have caused in my own life and others.
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