WEST PARK LOOP TRAIL…RELAXING HIKE

Friday, February 27 – We headed to Papago Park this morning in Phoenix, Arizona, to hike the West Park Loop Trail.

This trail is listed as easy with mostly smooth and wide paths. We decided to make it a little more challenging by hiking the trail higher up on the mountain. The views are nicer up there, and the trail is rougher and more strenuous. If you choose, you can even move further down the mountain and walk on a paved park path that circles the park.

There is even a large amphitheater.

There are two buttes we hiked around.

It is recommended to hike counter clockwise around the buttes. Not exactly sure why that is recommended, but we chose that direction regardless. The easy trail is listed at 4 miles in length. The more difficult route we choose to hike ended up being about 5.5 miles in length.

We got some beautiful views of the city of Phoenix from the higher trail.

One unique vision was the never ending line of air planes taking off from the Phoenix airport. It was like a never ending train. One after another about 15 seconds apart lifting steeply off the runway and disappearing on the horizon. Where the heck are all those people going....ha ha!

We took a side trail up to the top of the smaller butte. Some very neat views of the surrounding area. If you are a more adventurous climber, you can ascend the bigger butte also. That takes some pretty steep rock climbing and of course you then have to figure how to get down. We chose to pass on that challenge. Old bones reportedly break easy. Actually, we didn't see anyone attempting that climb.

This is a more leisurely hike then some we've done recently, but we enjoyed it. You can take it easy or increase the challenge, if you wish. It is close by and does not require a long or tedious drive to reach the trailhead. if in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, We think you might enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping it by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

THE BOYS OF SUMMER…THE CLEVELAND INDIANS

Thursday, February 26 – Although the Cleveland Indians and the Spring Training Cactus League don't begin games until Tuesday, March 3, we decided to head to the baseball field in Goodyear, Arizona, to enjoy the team at practice. Man did we have a good time!

We started our visit at the Stadium where the games are held.

We were here three years ago; it seems like yesterday. We walked briefly around the stadium for some necessary photo opts.

We then stopped in the team store to check-out the “Spring Training” t-shirts. Yep, we each got one!

The Indians practice down the road from the stadium with the team spread out on seven different fields. The public has access to four of these fields.

The fields are awesome!

The players walk down the sidewalk to the fields to give fans opportunities to take pictures and shout out words of encouragement. It always surprises us how different many of the players look in person. On TV they appear bigger in some cases and smaller in others.

Nick Swisher and Ryan Rayburn

Michael Brantley. Marsha thinks he is just so cute and an excellent ball player!

We are both Indians fans but Marsha takes it one or two steps further than Paul. She's crazy about them! She took numerous pictures and even got a picture with the former manager Mike Hargrove (1991–99). He led the Indians to five consecutive AL Central Division titles in 1995–99, and World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997.. Marsha says to the ladies…He is so handsome close up!

Later during practice, Hargrove was hitting balls and tossed one to Marsha remembering her from the photo opt. Does Paul have something to worry about here? Ha ha!!

We were a little surprised to see Terry Francona, the manager, actually hitting the ball to the players during infield practice. WOW! Thought those top guys only did the managing....LOL

We watched the team practice for quite awhile. We saw some infield drills, pitching practice and then finished up the morning with batting practice. What beautiful swings these professional players have. Amazing!

Kyle Crockett did an outstanding job for the Indians last year.

Jason Kipnis had his ups and downs last year. Hope there are more
ups than down this year.

Carlos Santana looks like he has slimmed down quite a bit.

Our catcher, Yan Gomes, had an outstanding 2014 season.

After a couple hours the team began moving toward the indoor facilities so we called it a day and headed home. It was a fun and interesting day. Next week the games begin, and we have plans to attend at least three games. Go Tribe!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

A GORGEOUS HIKE….GRANITE MOUNTAIN

Wednesday, February 25 – We enjoyed a wonderful hike this morning venturing to Scottsdale, AZ, to the Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. What a beautiful area Scottsdale is with the nearby mountains, rocks, desert and beautiful southwest style homes.

We chose the Granite Mountain trail in the Northern Region of the preserve.

The trail was one of the most beautiful hikes we've done. We were amazed at the spectacular desert views.

We hiked the gentle, curving trails that are smooth with gradual ups and downs. All around us were gorgeous mountain vistas and neat mountain boulders.

The desert is ready to burst out in bloom, and we were lucky to see some of the plants giving us a sneak preview of the upcoming splendor. The birds welcomed us singing their little hearts out in the morning air. We stopped frequently just to enjoy their tunes.

This little humming bird was so entertaining.

The bees were everywhere.

No idea the name of this beauty.

We saw several other groups enjoying the trail this morning. A few other hikers, a group on horseback, or were those mules, and mountain bikers enjoying the ups and downs of the trail. We did end up getting a little lost (actually just twisted around and off our planned route) and hiked further than planned.

We ended up covering 6.22 miles in a little over three hours. That included a side trip out to Balance Rock. We were actually tricked by an impostor on our way out to Balance Rock. The first balanced rock was not the rock of our intended destination.

The Impostor

We reached the “real” Balance Rock after covering the 1.3 miles down the trail. It proved a great place to stop and enjoy our “brunch” before heading back to the Granite Mountain trailhead.

Hiking up to Balance Rock.

Balance Rock

This whole area is covered with hiking and biking trails. We will definitely be back to explore the area further. Check out this area if you are looking for some beautiful hiking environments in the Phoenix, AZ, area.

The End

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

ART ON EVERY CORNER….MESA, AZ

Thursday, February 19 – Marsha convinced Paul to do another Volksmarch in Mesa, AZ. We started at the Best Western Hotel to pick-up the map and directions. It begins with a tour of downtown Mesa, which we both enjoyed.

This mural wrapped around the entire building.

Man are they spending some money in Mesa. It is a beautiful city.

They are extending the Mesa light-rail train through Mesa and into Chandler. This is major construction and big time money! It is close to being finished and is really a nice addition to the downtown area.

Scattered throughout downtown Mesa there are 38 different sculptures that make up the city's public art collection. Here are just a few…

The Big Pink Chair

Flowering Stiletto

Booked for the Day

They Are Waiting

Here is a webpage that has all the sculptures with information about each one. There are so really neat pieces.

The Volksmarch then took us on a side spur outside the downtown area. Paul doesn't understand the purpose of these “off the beaten path” detours. There wasn't anything to see but the back of a couple hotels and some empty streets. Marsha did pass the post office. She was looking to buy some stamps.

We then returned to Main Street and finished up back at the Best Western Hotel.

Friday, February 20 - We met up with fellow bloggers and RV'ers Sharon and John (On The Road Of Retirement), Sandie and Jim (Where Are The Dixons), and Jeri and Terry (Just Wanderin’) this afternoon for happy hour at SanTan Brewing Company in Chandler, AZ. We were with these friends in Quartzsite about a month ago but enjoyed their company so much, we wanted to get together again before we began moving all over to different parts of the country.

We enjoyed tasting several of SanTan's micro brews and finished the afternoon with dinner. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed reminiscing with our friends. It's such fun to share past experiences we have in common with fellow RVers and discuss future plans as we contemplate future travels.

L-R: Paul, Marsha, Jeri, Terry, Jim, Sandie, John, Sharon

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!