The second week of our trip is in Phoenix, Arizona. We will stay for 9 nights at the Mesa/Apache Junction KOA.
Phoenix: Day 9
Hey, today was kind of the opposite of yesterday. Yesterday we were going to play tennis and hike and we had to call it all off and take it easy. Today we had planned to take it easy with no hiking or tennis in order to rest my foot, but we got to do an amazing hike in a new park we found.
Scott got the idea to check out a local lake because it's featured on the new mural at Nando's—Saguaro Lake. We looked it up and discovered it's pretty close. So we decided we would drive out and, at first, we planned to only look at it from the car window.
So we got up, drank coffee, read, did our exercises, and rode our bikes around the campground for a while. Then we made lunch and headed out to Saguaro Lake Park. I did look up a hike just in case.
Saguaro Lake is located just past Usery Mountain Regional Park, about 20 minutes from it. The scenery was awesome driving through the mountains.
Scott got the idea to check out a local lake because it's featured on the new mural at Nando's—Saguaro Lake. We looked it up and discovered it's pretty close. So we decided we would drive out and, at first, we planned to only look at it from the car window.
So we got up, drank coffee, read, did our exercises, and rode our bikes around the campground for a while. Then we made lunch and headed out to Saguaro Lake Park. I did look up a hike just in case.
Saguaro Lake is located just past Usery Mountain Regional Park, about 20 minutes from it. The scenery was awesome driving through the mountains.
We drove to the park entrance and got out at the picnic shelters to have lunch. This place was gorgeous. Here's our lunchtime view.
Away from the water, the rock formations are beautiful.
Here is a view of a portion of the lake from a higher vantage point, taken as we were leaving this part of the park. The lake was formed by damming up a part of the Salt River, so it's not a uniformly rounded shape. It's more like a couple colons lined up one after the other.
I felt I could handle a hike with my new shoes. I really didn't want to let the opportunity pass to check out this park. So we drove over to the trailhead of the Butcher Jones Trail. It's said to be a popular hike, and it was. It was about 1 pm and 75 degrees, so pretty nice conditions. The park was full of cars. There was a beach where people were actually swimming.
Boats, kayaks, and fishermen were on the lake. We met plenty of people on the trail, but it was okay.
I'm so glad we did this hike because it was amazing! A fun hike with stunning views.
The trail starts off level through some vegetation but is soon climbing the hill and hugging the lake.
I'm so glad we did this hike because it was amazing! A fun hike with stunning views.
The trail starts off level through some vegetation but is soon climbing the hill and hugging the lake.
The trail followed the lake for a good while, winding around its contours where it curved into little bays or opened up into wider views. The path was narrow, a bit rocky, and close to the edge. Somehow not too scary though. Then the trail turned back into the land. The scenery, the rock formations, and the cacti were varied and beautiful.
Then we started climbing again. A hiker we met coming the other way told us we were close to the endpoint and the payoff view. She wasn't wrong. It was stunning!
We admired for a bit and then turned around and headed back.
The hike was 5 miles out and back and we did it in 2. 5 hours. Worth it!!
And the day was still young. We came back to the campground and had a hot tub!
And the day was still young. We came back to the campground and had a hot tub!
Unfortunately, we were not alone. Just one other fellow, but he was a talker. Actually some of his conversation was super interesting, but there was just a bit too much of it. And he was a loud talker. But we stayed for a bit and then headed to the camper for dinner; tonight, our standby.
After dinner, cards, some dark-chocolate-covered almonds, and then a movie.
I have to admit that the movies we've been watching are 1 step above Hallmark movies. A little silly, but low stress and somewhat entertaining. Here are some of the beauts we've watched.
Phoenix: Day 8
A nice but a little bit of a disappointing day.
Yesterday I reserved a tennis court for us. I booked 2 hours so we could play as much as we wanted. The earliest time I could get was 11:30, so we had some time to kill after we got up. We drank our coffee, read, and exercised. We made lunches because we planned on going to Usery after tennis, having a picnic, and then hiking Blevins.
Yesterday I reserved a tennis court for us. I booked 2 hours so we could play as much as we wanted. The earliest time I could get was 11:30, so we had some time to kill after we got up. We drank our coffee, read, and exercised. We made lunches because we planned on going to Usery after tennis, having a picnic, and then hiking Blevins.
But, the best-laid plans. We played tennis for 40 minutes and I had to call it. My foot was killing me the entire time and finally I couldn't take it anymore. Sad because it was perfect weather for tennis, even at 12 in Phoenix. No wind, warm but not hot. I will say the noise was getting to me this day too. Little commuter planes fly continuously overhead, landing across the street at the airfield. They are low and extremely loud. Honestly, you look up and 3 or 4 planes are always in view approaching the airstrip with their path directly over whatever court you're on. Today, there was also a clinic going on and they were playing Michael Jackson over and over and loud. Actually not very pleasant.
So then we did a couple errands and headed back to the campground. I practiced while Scott headed to the pool to read. Then I joined him and we hit the hot tub. We had about 15 minutes of quiet and then some very nice folks stepped in and started talking. They were interesting--full-time RVers who told us about the Renaissance festival that happens every year right up the road from the KOA.
Then, what the heck, we headed to Nando's for dinner. When got back, we watched a movie.
So then we did a couple errands and headed back to the campground. I practiced while Scott headed to the pool to read. Then I joined him and we hit the hot tub. We had about 15 minutes of quiet and then some very nice folks stepped in and started talking. They were interesting--full-time RVers who told us about the Renaissance festival that happens every year right up the road from the KOA.
Then, what the heck, we headed to Nando's for dinner. When got back, we watched a movie.
Phoenix: Day 7
After coffee, reading, and exercising, it was almost noon. Then we went hiking! We did Pass Mountain in Usery Park again. It was absolutely perfect weather, 72 degrees, sunny but with a thin coating of clouds so no overly hot sun, and a light breeze.
The park was crowded and even though this is a long, somewhat challenging hike, we crossed paths with more people than ever. A few times I felt I had to go fast to stay ahead of people, and in the end, we did the full hike in 3 hours and 15 minutes.
The park was crowded and even though this is a long, somewhat challenging hike, we crossed paths with more people than ever. A few times I felt I had to go fast to stay ahead of people, and in the end, we did the full hike in 3 hours and 15 minutes.
You never see too much wildlife, but today we saw more than usual. Driving in, Scott spotted a bald eagle flying. On the hike, he saw a beautiful green hummingbird at an orange-flowered bush and a white and orange butterfly. On looking them up, they turned out to be an Anna's hummingbird and a Southwestern orangetip, respectively. I spotted a few lizards. Those were the same species, an ornate tree lizard. I saw a a number of birds too far away or too fast so I could not identify them. Then I saw a bunny. That was a desert cottontail. We saw a couple chipmunks, which I looked up to find they are called cliff chipmunks (the photo of it below is someone else's).
And by the way, we saw a Gila woodpecker at our campsite today; he alighted on our electrical post and hammered away at the metal and then flew off before I could grab my camera. And on several days we have seen Gambel's quail and three kinds of doves: mourning doves, white-winged doves, and Eurasian collared doves.
I wore my new hiking shoes on the hike, and they were fantastic. One side bonus was I guess I felt more sure-footed because I wasn't nearly as frightened as I have been before crossing Nemesis Point or walking across the loose-gravely bits of the trail angled down toward the abyss. My foot held up pretty well during the hike, though in the evening it was sore and more swollen than ever.
I wore my new hiking shoes on the hike, and they were fantastic. One side bonus was I guess I felt more sure-footed because I wasn't nearly as frightened as I have been before crossing Nemesis Point or walking across the loose-gravely bits of the trail angled down toward the abyss. My foot held up pretty well during the hike, though in the evening it was sore and more swollen than ever.
After hiking, we played cards, took showers, and ate dinner. Then we went for a bike ride around the campground for about 30 minutes. Then it was more cards and a movie before bed.
Phoenix: Day 6
Today, there was no hiking or tennis. I had to give my foot a rest. Since the soreness and swelling could be from too-tight shoes, both hiking and tennis, and we have been on our feet a lot, we got the idea to look for some better shoes. Scott had spotted a running shoe store next to the grocery we went to yesterday, so we headed there after coffee.
They were nice and I found hiking shoes and tennis (pickleball really) shoes that are less restrictive than what I brought with me, so we bought them.
On the drive home, Scott snapped a picture of a cactus he thinks look like Patrick from Sponge Bob.
They were nice and I found hiking shoes and tennis (pickleball really) shoes that are less restrictive than what I brought with me, so we bought them.
On the drive home, Scott snapped a picture of a cactus he thinks look like Patrick from Sponge Bob.
When we got back to the campground, Scott headed to the pool to read and soak up some sun. I exercised and practiced, and then we headed to the hot tub. We were in there a little too long. Scott was light-headed when he got out.
We came back to the site, had dinner, lounged around, played cards, and finally watched a movie. Lazy day.
Phoenix: Day 5
After getting up, we took our time lounging around. Coffee, emails, news reading, exercising.
Then we went hiking. This time, we chose to go someplace new. We chose one of the other regional parks run by the same outfit (Maricopa County) that manages Usery Mountain Regional Park. The Maricopa system has more than 10 different parks located around Phoenix. The one we went to was San Tan Regional Park. We had an amazing hike!
The drive to the park was about double the drive to Usery, 45 minutes. We drove through vast desert that is being built into a new suburb. Phoenix is really packed with people. Suburbs galore, RV parks galore, and it's still growing.
San Tan is a different set of mountains. As we started hiking the Goldmine Trail, I worried it might be a dull hike because there didn't seem to be a ton of bigger vegetation. The terrain was very different from Usery but it turned out to be an awesome hike, winding up and down and around and around this set of mountains..
It started out with about a mile of flat sandy trail, after which it climbed straight up to the top of the mountain (these are very small mountains). On the map, it has a warning about the "extreme" steepness of the climb. Fortunately, the path was wide so it wasn't scary.
Then we went hiking. This time, we chose to go someplace new. We chose one of the other regional parks run by the same outfit (Maricopa County) that manages Usery Mountain Regional Park. The Maricopa system has more than 10 different parks located around Phoenix. The one we went to was San Tan Regional Park. We had an amazing hike!
The drive to the park was about double the drive to Usery, 45 minutes. We drove through vast desert that is being built into a new suburb. Phoenix is really packed with people. Suburbs galore, RV parks galore, and it's still growing.
San Tan is a different set of mountains. As we started hiking the Goldmine Trail, I worried it might be a dull hike because there didn't seem to be a ton of bigger vegetation. The terrain was very different from Usery but it turned out to be an awesome hike, winding up and down and around and around this set of mountains..
It started out with about a mile of flat sandy trail, after which it climbed straight up to the top of the mountain (these are very small mountains). On the map, it has a warning about the "extreme" steepness of the climb. Fortunately, the path was wide so it wasn't scary.
After you got to the top (I didn't climb to the tippy top, maybe next time, but Scott did. He said it was a nice view.
After descending that peak, the trail continues going down but it becomes very rocky and it was a challenge to keep from falling. That lasted for about a half mile and then it turned comfortable again. That's when the trail started winding around and through this mountain range. There was some up and down but nothing super steep. Views were beautiful, there were loads of cool rocks and land formations to see, and the weather was extremely pleasant. We met another great dog on the hike, and we saw a historical gravesite.
Like Usery, San Tan has a "tortoise habitat," complete with habitat but no visible wildlife. I think the sign is probably 100% accurate. It didn't promise tortoises, just habitat.
Phoenix: Day 4
Today we headed out earlier than usual to play tennis at 9 am at the Mesa courts. It was a beautiful morning, sunny, about 72, and not super windy. We played for 2 hours, and I had a lot of fun.
When we came back, we lounged a bit and then headed to the hot tub. We took some pina coladas along. Unfortunately, there was someone already there who was perhaps not quite right in the head. He was overly talkative and after hoping for about 20 minutes that he would get out, we decided to go.
I was researching some new trails to hike, and while I found a couple possibilities, they were 45 minutes to an hour's drive, and my foot was killing me so we never got out the door.
To round out the night, we took showers, did laundry, played cards, and watched a movie.
When we came back, we lounged a bit and then headed to the hot tub. We took some pina coladas along. Unfortunately, there was someone already there who was perhaps not quite right in the head. He was overly talkative and after hoping for about 20 minutes that he would get out, we decided to go.
I was researching some new trails to hike, and while I found a couple possibilities, they were 45 minutes to an hour's drive, and my foot was killing me so we never got out the door.
To round out the night, we took showers, did laundry, played cards, and watched a movie.
Phoenix: Day 3
We woke up and took our time to get going. We had our coffee and I updated this blog and did some final tax paperwork while Scott read, napped, and then exercised. When we were ready, we headed back to Usery Mountain to do the Pass Mountain Trail.
It was overcast and a bit chilly. We went prepared, and we had a great hike. Some parts of the trail were scary as usual for me, the worst being the part the locals call the saddle but that I have redubbed Nemesis Point. Even after Nemesis Point there are lots of others scary parts where the trail is very narrow and a vast space stretches to the right. Inexplicably, there were a number of bikers on this trail.
The views along the trail are amazing.
It was overcast and a bit chilly. We went prepared, and we had a great hike. Some parts of the trail were scary as usual for me, the worst being the part the locals call the saddle but that I have redubbed Nemesis Point. Even after Nemesis Point there are lots of others scary parts where the trail is very narrow and a vast space stretches to the right. Inexplicably, there were a number of bikers on this trail.
The views along the trail are amazing.
Park info says people take 5-6 hours to do this trail but that's nuts. It took us 3.75 hours and we weren't jogging it.
After our hike we were pretty hungry and I hate to admit it, but we went to Nando's and had a great early dinner.
After our hike we were pretty hungry and I hate to admit it, but we went to Nando's and had a great early dinner.
When we got back to the KOA, we relaxed a bit and then had a long hot tub. Several couples came and went and we chatted with all of them. Before the heat got Scott, the chatting did, and we headed back to the camper and played cards then watched a movie before falling asleep.
Phoenix: Day 2
A great but exhausting day.
First we went for a hike at Usery Mountain Regional Park, one of our favorites. We walked the Blevins Trail and added parts of the Chainfruit, Talon, Cat's Peak, and Cat's Peak Pass Trails. There were many bikers, some hikers, and we even saw horses! We walked for 3 hours, it was wonderful, and then we had lunch.
First we went for a hike at Usery Mountain Regional Park, one of our favorites. We walked the Blevins Trail and added parts of the Chainfruit, Talon, Cat's Peak, and Cat's Peak Pass Trails. There were many bikers, some hikers, and we even saw horses! We walked for 3 hours, it was wonderful, and then we had lunch.
At the top of Cat's Peak Pass, there is a bench. This time I read the plaque. It's in honor of a soldier who died at 22 serving in Afghanistan. It reads: "Spc. Wyatt Joseph Martin. From the deserts of Arizona to the deserts of Afghanistan. What we do in life echoes in eternity."
We saw lots of cool birds. Only one could we identify: Harris' Hawk.
Then we headed to the Mesa tennis courts for our 3 pm reservation. We played for 1.5 hours. It was super windy, which was frustrating at times, and we were both playing in pain, but it was sunny and we still had fun playing. Scott came close to pulling a big muscle early but still managed to beat me two sets.
Then we went back to the campground and had a long soak in the hot tub.
Then we went back to the campground and had a long soak in the hot tub.
Then we headed to Nando's for dinner! It was delicious as usual. We stopped by the grocery on the way home and then decided to watch a movie. Scott was out in about 10 minutes. I lasted another 20.
Phoenix: Day 1
We left Boulevard before 9 and headed to Phoenix. It was a pleasant drive even though the Google sent us for an hourlong trek on a two-lane highway and a city street with stoplights all to save 4 minutes. Just stick to major highways, Google.
It was nearly 80 when we arrived at the Mesa/Apache Junction KOA. We really like our campsite! This KOA is packed tight, but it's Phoenix. Every place that can be is packed tight with RVs, most of them huge.
It was nearly 80 when we arrived at the Mesa/Apache Junction KOA. We really like our campsite! This KOA is packed tight, but it's Phoenix. Every place that can be is packed tight with RVs, most of them huge.
You can see the Superstition Mountains from the campground.
We had our dinner outside, and later it was still warm enough to play cards outside. The sunset was pretty, and guess what? We got to sit in the hot tub for a long time after cards. There were two people in it already when we arrived, one getting out. Soon after, another guy came, then a couple, then another couple. Oh my, it's popular.
