Holding pattern

It feels like we are on the runway waiting for our plane to take off but they won't give us the go ahead. Over the next week, we should know if we are a go or not. Mike is so much better after his accident and just waiting to get the MD all clear so we can be "on the road again".

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

We have nothing to complain about. The weather has been great and people very nice. We have even gotten back out on the mountain bikes, worked on our carnitas recipe and made reservations for this spring. But when the itch hits, it can drive a person crazy.

Trail to Wind Cave

Wind Cave with many bee hives inside the cracks of the cave

Yep, we started clear down there

The desert is greener than we have ever seen it due to the large amount of rain this year. We hear the rattlesnakes are waking up but haven't seen any as we hike or cycle.

We enjoy Gilbert

Great BBQ with a walkup counter

On a rainy weekend, we stopped at the Mesa Market



Don't have to do that too many times

Mesa, Arizona - Grave of Ernesto Miranda

Ernesto A. Miranda was a career criminal. In 1963 he was arrested and convicted for armed robbery and the kidnap/rape of an 18-year-old girl without being advised of his right to remain silent and to have an attorney present during questioning. His attorneys appealed his conviction, which led to the 1966 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that all suspects at the time of their arrests must be read their "Miranda" rights. His conviction was overturned, he was released, and promptly rearrested and "Mirandized." He served 11 years before being paroled. On January 31, 1976, he was stabbed to death in a bar fight

This was taken from Roadside America. A great place to find unusual sites to see when we get there.


McDowell and Hieroglyphs

We have stayed here longer than usual. Surprisingly, it has been good. Don't get me wrong. I am not talking about putting down roots. We had so many things to take care of before heading out again on a year packed full of plans. We had to be sure not only we were all tuned up and ready to go but our truck and trailer too.

Hieroglyph Trail

Since our health insurance deductibles had been met for the year, we went forward with the Dynamic Photo Therapy recommended by our dermatologist to prevent new skin cancers developing. Boy, did we look ugly for a week. Mike looked like a burn victim and I looked like a teenager with bad acne. Now that we have shed the snake skin, we don't look half scary anymore.

Shady place to ground the mesquite pods

We are back on the trails, now that we can be in the sun again, enjoying the hikes in cool temps in the 60s as we prepare to leave Valley Del Oro and head out into the desert.

McDowell Regional Park is one of our favorites with plenty of trails to hike and bike.

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After our mountain bike ride, we were having lunch and noticed a Lazy Daze RV across form our picnic table that I thought I recognized. Sure enough, it was Gayle and Jim from Life's Little Adventures. We didn't want to just drop in but did want to say hi. I was placing a card on their window when Jim walked out to assess the situation. We had a fun visit and hope to catch up more when we move over to camp at McDowell Regional Park for a few days soon.

These are a few interesting caches we have found while hiking in the East Valley.

A dove in a mesquite bush (not quite the Christmas song)

We woud notice a lot of cars parked at the Silly Mountain Trailhead when we would go to Gold Canyon. This day we checked it out and found a rather nice hike.

 Papago Park in Tempe near the zoo

It has been another fun year with plenty of new places visited. And has been good to return to others we have enjoyed in the past. We often are asked how long are we in this for and really aren't sure. But after being in one place for 3 months, we aren't done yet.