Saturday, November 7, 2015

Zanjero Park's burrowing owls and Petroglyphh Trail

In all of my years as a traveling nurse, this is the first time I have returned to the same hospital, other than those in Colorado Springs. I wasn't sure how I would feel going to the same place again but we both are enjoying the desert again. There are so many trails we haven't been on before and places we would like to visit now that the temps are in the 70 and 80s.
 
Zanjero Park is along the 202 on Lindsey Road in Gilbert. We were on the way to the farmer's marketin Gilbert and decided to stop and check out the burrowing owls here.
 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXuJ3zVtUTg is a great video to learn about the burrowing  owls in Arizona. I liked that they make a sound like rattlesnakes while underground when they feel threatened. That would make a predator think twice before reaching in the hole.
 
 
The tubes are placed in the ground for the burrowing owls before they are relocated. A multiuse path runs through the park but doesn't seem to bother the owls. Most people riding by don't even notice them even though they keep an eye out just in case.
 


The roadrunner was darting around so fast, I was surprised I actually got a picture of him.
 

Some petrified wood along the way.

Got to love a farmer's market on Halloween.

Had to get some Anaheim chiles since we were all out. This little girl was just too cute picking out her pumpkin.


Of course, there are always lots of good treats and samples. I opted for the pie.

The water park under the water tower was a nice place to cool down.

Gold Canyon and has so many trailheads in the Superstition Mountains. I would rather stay in Gold Canyon rather than Mesa except for the drive to the hospitals and we have met so many nice people here. 
We decided to try a short 3 mile hike to see the petroglyphs.
 

As we were finishing our hike, we ran into some mountain bikers that gave us the low down on the trails to ride on. Guess we will be returning once it gets a bit cooler or get up early for a ride.





During the monsoons, the area has waterfalls through here.


I have a feeling that the ladies would wait until the shade was overhead to do their grinding.

I wonder how long until the rock tumbles.
 





Friday, October 30, 2015

A hike in Usery is good for my soul

After a week of classes and working on computer competencies, I was ready for a much needed hike. Usery County Park is nearby. The temps are much better so a noon start was fine for a hike. Also, there weren't many people out there.
 
I like my job but the sitting through orientation is wearing and I don't behave as well as I  probably should. I find myself pacing and trying to listen. I closed my eyes for a bit to listen to a program on the computer today. When I opened them, the test was blinking. I guess I missed the lesson. Good thing there is a back arrow. 

There was such a nice breeze while we were walking and the clouds would drift over and cool us. My soul felt so much better.

The jumping chollas had a funky fruit hanging from them.

We had the worse hard mattress. Mike had tried a comfort foam and it was too soft. So we ordered one and it just right. It came rolled up in a box and once it rolled out and expanded it was just the right size.


One day last week, we took a bike ride from Fountain Hills to Rio Verde. The road has rolling hills which were good for a our legs after some time off the bikes.

After the ride, we stopped at the Euro Café and had a "mean" calzone and salad with a beer and watched the fountain go off a few times. It is set to erupt every hour for 15 minutes.

Lots of nice sculptures in Fountain Hills. We don't usually stop as we drive to McDowell Regional Park. Glad we did this time.

Looks like someone broke into this tortoise's house and ate him. 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Time with the family in Tucson

Catalina State Park in Oro Valley northeast of Tucson is a favorite place of ours along with the hike to Romero pools. It is 5.5 miles out and back with a treat of a stream and pools to cool down in. We skipped this hike until it cools down a bit more. Deb hates rattlesnakes.
 

In the eastern foothills of the Santa Catalina mountain range, Sabino Canyon is a world of natural beauty. Stunning vistas, the freshness of the morning air, the tranquility of running creek water, and the rugged backdrop of Thimble Peak make this place so unique. There is a tram that people can ride and see the scenery but we chose to walk the 6 miles.
 

There is a beautiful visitors center which was nice for a cool down after our hike. The sun gets toasty even though the temps were in the 70s with a nice breeze.


 
When I lived near here while working at the medical center, we would walk here often and see roadrunners and turtles many times.

The rains have been pretty heavy since we have been here so the stream from Mt Lemmon had a pretty good flow. Mike was pondering while watching the fish.

There are 9 nine stream crossings

Love those desert sunsets.

On the driveway to my sister's house, I stepped over a rattle snake and didn't realize it until Mike told me.


I appreciated the clouds. As they rolled in the crowds thinned out for a pleasant walk.

The reason for our visit to Tucson this time was a celebration of my niece's wedding
My sisters Sandy and Patty at the rehearsal dinner. Lyndsey behind the camera. It was fun to catch up with everyone. Sunday after the wedding there was a BBQ and three nice days of visiting and telling stories. Driving home after everything, Mike noticed I was quiet. I was just lost in my thoughts of how time passes so quickly. It was 28 years ago that we were attending Sandy and Ihor's wedding and our children were the flower girls and ring bearer.

Kim was a beautiful bride. At the reception, we stood outside and watched the lightening show all across the night sky.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Light rail to Phoenix

When we arrive in a new city, we like to take the public transportation or hop on hop off buses to get a feel for the area. The light rail was not too far and saved us from much driving. $4 pass for all day including buses and $2 for seniors. Not a bad deal since parking was free.


It has been nice to have yoga classes and a nice gym to use while we are here.
I liked how the buildings reflected in the downtown. When we were riding into the city, many neighborhoods reminded me of driving in Mexico and not in a quaint way.
 

We found that college students eat well and decided to look for a place for brunch near the ASU campus and Sun Devils Stadium. We found Snooze that seemed to have a good vibe and breakfast tacos. Score!

It was a good way to spend the morning since the temps are pretty warm to be outside for long other than in the swimming pool. We found some places that we will return to and check out further. Ready for the return ride home.
 

Cuenca, Ecuador

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