Yep, It's That Day Again

Before we get to the hike you know is coming, I thought I'd just fill you in on last night - movie night at the Fountain. We debated going since it was just as cold as it was the last night we did a movie outside (at Biltmore Fashion Park), but we'd had fun before, despite the cool breeze, and decided to brave it again. We also went despite knowing there would be lots and lots of kids there (which is scary when you're not used to being around them). The movie was Frozen, a Disney film. And the title was apropos, because by the end of the film, Michael & I were frozen (the sofa throw we brought was not good enough). Anywho - there were lots of kids. It was a lot like Key West in the sense that you rarely see kids around, and yet when there's an event - wallah! - there they are.



The sponsors/organizers even had two princesses from the movie working the crowd and taking pictures with the munchkins.




This was a pretty good set up - there's a hill so it's easy to see, they was a little temporary stand that sold popcorn, snacks, and beverages, and it gets really dark so you could easily see the screen and the stars/moon. But as they warn you - don't lose your kids or your keys - I repeat, it gets really, really dark.



The movie (and popcorn) was good, I'm glad we went. I'm also glad we turned the heat on full blast once we got back in the car.

In the morning, I had to laugh as the kitties fought over the one sun ray we get all day. We still call our apartment "the dungeon." It's dark and chilly. If it stays this way through the summer, we'll probably appreciate it, but right now, we all fight for these early a.m. rays of light.

And then we headed for the Tom's Thumb trail again. We really enjoyed it last time, and the weather was the same as before (warmish, but with a cool breeze). We might get to 97 degrees on Wednesday, so it's now or never. The hike was just as spectacular this time around.

Despite the traffic (it comes in spurts).



Michael spotted this hummingbird hanging out, and it stayed on its perch so I could get a front and back shot of it. Not a bad view, eh?

See him at the bottom? I'm liking his view.

We did change it up a little though. Instead of heading right for the Tom Thumb's part, we headed left to the Overlook.

It added a mile to the whole thing, but it was so worth it. See the fountain?

Wow. Just wow.



At the top, the rocks were all kinds of weird colors.

On the way back, we followed the main trail, but we hadn't done that last time. Last time, we had taken a trail to nowhere, gotten lost, and then had to scramble and boulder back up to the main trail (no I hadn't mentioned that in the last post). So here's what we missed. This reminds me of Desolation Valley on the island of Dominica as you're making your way to Boiling Lake (okay, so Dominica was a little greener).



There isn't a part of this hike we don't like.



And if all that wasn't enough, we had lots and lots of wildflowers this time. People always think of the desert as barren, but it really isn't.



These were little berries.

No, we didn't try them, unsure if they were toxic. We need to attend Ranger Amy's Desert Grocery Store hike. Look at all these flowers!



Even off-trail, you see all these blossoming Palo Verde's. That second photo is the driveway to our apartment complex.



If you have allergies, this might not be the best place to be right now, but we sure are enjoying it! We actually ran out of time to do all the stuff we wanted to do but consider it another successful weekend.

Saturday Pow Wow

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation (with 950 members on a reservation designated in 1903) held a Pow Wow this weekend.  They were celebrating 30 years of gaming, since they were the first tribe in the U.S. to go into gaming and prove that it could give them prosperity (read more here). The event was free and open to everyone. Plus it was only 10 minutes from our apartment.



There was a group of singers and musicians in the middle,



and then a ring where Indians from various tribes around the country danced. When we arrived they were doing war dances, and Indians who had served in the U.S. military danced a few rounds (sort of light bouncing as they walked around the ring).



I have to admit, all the songs sounded the same to me. But they weren't. One of a Native American's greatest honors is to have a song written for him. That song gets carried on down for generations and becomes a part of his legacy. Here's a link to a video of some dancers from Friday night, and here's a link to one if you want to hear what the songs sound like (turn your volume down).

There was also the usual Indian fried food, which we avoided, and some nice jewelry to buy.

Eventually, participants started lining up for the Grand Entry, which was really impressive.



Once inside, some would dance, and others would walk around the circle, basically bobbing to the drums.


The outfits were so intricate. Everyone had to be so thankful that we recently had a cold front move through because they would have really been hot. Here are a couple more costumes to wet your whistle. We won't talk about the number of dead animals/birds that went into the making of these outfits...



Even the backs were detailed.



There were a couple of pretty young kids in the mix too.



If you've got more time on your hands, you can sit through the slide show of more of the costumes.



If you're in the neighborhood and missed it, it's still going on Sunday.