AZ 2019 Chapter 2

I keep thinking I prefer Sedona to Scottsdale but it’s probably not true and they are impossible to compare. Greater Phoenix is huge and we do a lot of driving when we are in North Scottsdale where the two timeshare properties are that we have access to. Better for me would be central Scottsdale or Arcadia but hey, here we are again and it’s not exactly a hardship posting.

April in Phoenix is spectacularly in bloom. The palo verde trees define April for me and they are in full yellow glory which will fade to nondescript soon while the magenta bougainvillea (with Jim hiding in one) and red ocotillo are the counterpoint.

an ocotillo framing the view from Gateway Loop

a small-ish palo verde

 We’ve been keeping up our walking exercise, sometimes outside and if it is really hot, inside. We are only about 5 minutes from the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and took advantage of the proximity yesterday with a moderate trail, the Saguaro and Gateway Loops, about 6.5 miles all told. 

the Arizona Canal

Today took us down to a section of the Arizona Canal which has paths on both sides and runs for miles. The reward was a nutella/banana crepe at Top Marks Cafe, a hole-in-the-wall, in Old Scottsdale. On one of our first visits to PHX we were near the Arizona Biltmore and travelled the canal path regularly. On another trip we backed onto a huge greenbelt, about 20 miles of municipal park, golf courses, lakes, tennis courts etc. I may be making this up but I think this might be the only city to have the 4 major professional sports teams: hockey, basketball, football, and baseball. And golf of course, maybe 250 courses to choose from and the Phoenix Open tournament.

 

Lego art at Arizona Mills

What we always notice is that the streets are wide and clean, the landscaping is spectacular everywhere, and the public amenities, parks, art, recreation, and athletic facilities are endless. Not to mention museums, art galleries, and theatre. Tonight we are going to the Phoenix Theater to see “Sisters In Law” a play about Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, both Supreme Court Judges, one Republican and one Democrat. How can that not be a fascinating story?

Tomorrow we are off to Chandler in search of a Merrell outlet store and maybe a new pair of trail shoes for me and then we are overdue for a sundowner on the patio at The Phoenician. Friday is supposed to be up to 98F so it will be a perfect day to go back the Musical Instruments Museum which, if you are ever in Greater Phoenix, you have to explore. You don’t have to be a musician, neither of us are, to appreciate MIM!

Sedona AZ and repeat

Sedona 2019

We have been in one of our happy places this week, Sedona, AZ where we’ve been coming since 1999 for hiking, relaxing, and beauty. The first time, Jim had contacted our time-share group and asked for “anywhere in the southwest” When they came back with Sedona, I asked some friends who said wow, so we accepted the location. And we’ve been saying wow ever since. You come off I17 from Phoenix and a couple of kms in on 179 you come around the bend and there is Courthouse Butte and it’s wow all over again.

This trip the weather has been whacky, in the 80s for 3 days and then barely making it to mid-50s with even a couple of snow showers on Wednesday, but we are good at layers so no matter. I brought my 4 yr old runners (I’ve got new ones) because I need new trail shoes and intend to ditch these. The soles are still pretty good except on slip rock but I’ve taken in a good bit of sand through the holes! I found a pair of Scarpa hybrids that I really like but I like the CDN price on Amazon.ca better than the USD cost here. So the runners are probably going home again.

We’ve had some great hikes on old and new trails, always with the beautiful red rock scenery around us. Day 2 saw us park on Back O Beyond to access Cathedral Rock but rather than go up the chimneys we took the Templeton trail thinking we could loop back to the parking lot via Baldwin. BUT, the old access through Crescent Moon is closed which meant trekking back up to Templeton (lots of stairs). I flagged down a couple in the parking lot to ask if they knew of an alternative and they offered to drive us back to our car. Magic! Thank you Eric and Sharon who happen to also be staying at The Ridge.

Thursday we took a 12 hour tour to Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, south of Page and Antelope Canyon, east of Page. It’s easy to do on your own but it’s almost 6 hours of driving which makes for a long day. The roads are pretty rough and the 14 passenger bus was rattling and banging quite a bit. When I managed to separate the noise from the ride comfort I realized it was like a fairly gentle massage rather than a pounding. The tour group Great West has abandoned the lower and upper entrances to Antelope Canyon because they have gotten way too busy so we went in at Canyon X. This access point is operated by a Navajo family and we got elderly Robert as our guide. He whips up and down the 30% grade as though he were a teenager while the rest of us huffed and puffed; hard on the knees going down and the heart coming up and it was so worth the climb!

 Friday, we took our Great West guide’s advice and went to West Fork about half way up Oak Creek Canyon and took the trail along the west fork of Oak Creek, about 4 miles round trip. We made this a stroll because of the altitude; 6000 feet isn't very high unless you were born, bred, and live at sea level in which case you notice the thinner air. It isn’t a strenuous trail but there are some fun creek crossings, 11 in all, teetering on logs or jumping rocks. We have been super happy with our trekking poles, about $20.00 at Capitol Iron a few years ago. We settled on them because they come fully apart and fit into even my small suitcase and they seem sturdy enough to support us on tricky terrain. Having a stick makes a world of difference on stairs, steep slopes, and other oddities by providing an extra point of balance. I can hear Mike FitzGerald trying to teach me to ski years ago, “plant your pole” and it works!

  

Tomorrow we head to Scottsdale for a week for completely different experiences. We are both happy to be back in AZ.