Wow, I have
come back to some great weather. We spent some time in
Tombstone (about 3 hours east) visiting friends we met in Arizona many years ago, but who have moved cross country (whaa). We'd never been to Tombstone. It's like a movie set, only it's their real town. Our friend actually grew up there and said not much has changed. I'd say that's true for the past couple of hundred years! Basically, the entire town is part of a historic park, including the
court house, which has been around since 1882 and the
OK Corral, the scene of one of the most infamous early gun fights in the U.S.
The main street was closed to motorized traffic, which was cool.
People dressed up in old-time Western wear for various re-enactments, but there were also people just dressed like that because it was normal. It was hard to tell the actors from the residents. And some residents were performers, like this guy who was playing bones. That's right, bones. I didn't ask what kind.
The bars are where people like
Wyatt Earp hung out, and it's weird to sit on stools that may have coddled the tushes of some of the most notorious folks in this neck of the woods.
And when the sun went down, most of the businesses shut down too. Talk about a ghost town.
But not all!
We ended up eating pizza. I know...I know...
Thanksgiving was great. In addition to the parade (see last post), we cooked and ate. Well, one of us cooked (thank you, Michael!), but we both ate. We enjoyed eggplant parmesan, garlic mashed potatoes/gravy, and Caesar salad. (Michael added corn to his plate.) Perfect for two people, and it was nice to eat what we
wanted to eat, and not what we were
supposed to eat.
A typical Arizona sunset.
Michael had to work Friday, so I just soaked up the fantastic weather (we've been breaking or tying records for warmest temps and biggest temperature spreads) and caught up on things after being away for more than a month. Saturday, we hiked with the Town of Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission & Sonoran Conservancy of Fountain Hills. They offer
guided hikes year-round, and this is the first time we've hiked with this group. The trail was the Sonoran Trail/Western Loop in the McDowell Mountains, which coincidentally,
we hiked right after
last Thanksgiving. That time we were with the Friday Fitness group with the
McDowell Mountain Park. The hike started off chilly (about 58 degrees). But it warmed up quickly.
It was as beautiful as always.
Of course, you need your fountain shot. We saw it from two vantage points.
We also saw Tom's Thumb, our favorite AZ hike. The funny thing is that
we've stood by Tom's Thumb and seen this trail.
 |
| Tom's Thumb is at the top and middle. |
The problem with hiking with groups is that you have to go at their pace. Last year, the pace was almost too fast. This year, it was a little too slow. The
good things about going on group hikes are meeting people and learning things about a hike you never knew. There were several stewards on this hike, making sure we were ok. Those same stewards clear the trails, create new ones, and put up signs.
Think about it. Someone had to install this chain. And cement it in. That meant, carrying up the chain and the 40lb-bag of cement.
Someone brought this bench all the way up here to honor his son who had died in an auto accident. That was also cemented in.
And we met those someone's. It was nice to be able to thank them. These guys (and gals) who also carry pick axes and other tools in their backpacks, and who just cut a new trail joining Fountain Hills and Scottsdale via the McDowell Mountains. The trail is the
Andrew-Kinsey Trail, and the
Sonoran Conservancy of Fountain Hills will be guiding whoever wants to go on January 3, 2015 (you can go sooner). We'll probably go sooner...
