We had not been to this part of the Sonoran Preserve and decided to get out early since it was the weekend and the trails can get busy here.
The Gateway Trail was a nice new one for us with so many options and looks like we will be returning to check out Bell Pass in the future.
Heading down after reaching the saddle.
We had originally planned to visit old Scottsdale in the morning but put it off after the hike and found this mission from the early 1900s.
A Boy Scout had preserved the confessionals for his Eagle badge and were pretty small.
We had lunch at this restaurant that was built by the same family that built the mission. The prices reminded us that we were in Scottsdale of our time.
The nights get chilly and make for good sleeping. Our neighbors like to put notes on our door and let us know that they are barbecuing and what time to be there. Several couples show up with side dishes and we all dig in and tell out stories for the evening. This is working out pretty well for us.
