I have been to Arizona many times to visit Grams, and as always, I had a blast. I thought it was going to be a relaxing vacation of sitting by the pool, finishing my books, and playing LOTS of cards. Oh I was terribly mistaken.
I arrived in Arizona after a busy week of work extremely jet-lagged, immediately I was off to the pool. The next day after an 8AM wake up call (which happened to be the latest I would get to sleep in while in AZ!!!!) I was in the car with grams headed up to Red Rock Country (Sedona)! On the way up to Sedona we stopped in Jerome (the vertical city). It was so disappointing and run down we did not even bother to stay for lunch. I am not sure grams agreed but I think the stop was worth the view of the Verde Valley. When we made it to Sedona we had time to hike West Fork and caught an amazing sunset!
The next day we were up early and I enjoyed an off road jeep adventure. It was so much fun! My tour guide happened to be a Biology major back in his day so he taught me all about the plants of the southwest, fascinating! I met some awesome follks from Washington State who offered to let me come a visit. Free lodging? I will be there in two years, no doubt! After the tour we hiked the Bell Rock Path. 110 Degrees, 2 hours of fast paced hiking, 20 ounces of water. Bad planning.
Friday and Saturday I did a little exploring of Fountain Hills on my own while Grams worked. Prior to work both days (because being in AZ means rising early) we managed to do about 6 miles of hiking (Lost Dog Trail on Friday; Saturday was less hiking and more running around the 3rd tallest fountain in the world) I got some time to talk on my phone, catch some rays, and read my book. Hooray! Saturday night we went to a fundraiser for the Fountain Hills Museum. Oh small towns, oh total chaos, oh old people! Afterwards we caught her 80 year old friend Jim singing at the hotel in town. It was so funny, and his wife was a real character!
On Sunday Grams took me to her place of work, We-ko-pa. I cringe at admitting it is the nicest golf course I have ever seen because anything that terrible for the environment can not possibly be goregous! I guess when the charge you a million dollars per round per person you should expect nothing else, still... To redeem themselves for killing planet earth they do make some pretty killer food! We also made it to REI where I officially FINISHED(!!!!) all my shopping for the Peace Corps, at least I think I did! I also got to meet her friend Suzanne (over Starbucks) who shares a common interest in ants. And I thought I was the only one! It was not until Sunday that we finally busted out the Skip-bo cards. No worries, I won and proudly claimed all 45 cents of my winnings! Oh I think I failed to mention, Sunday was our day of rest?
Monday we went to Eagle Nest and I hiked what might be my favorite trail of all time! The views of Four Peaks were amazing, the desert landscape was serene, and there was a mine at the end of the trail. There was plenty of time for reflection and pictures. I slowed the pace and really took time to enjoy my surroundings, after all, it was my last day in Fountain Hills for awhile. Sigh. In the late afternoon I caught a nap at the pool and a few more wins in Skip-bo!
Grams, thanks for being a wonderful host. Thanks for making me get out of bed and fill everyday with new adventures. I promise I will recharge my batteries, that is, after my half cross country road trip to Denver. Travel on.
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