What a Week!

 

We hiked a new trail this week. The Hawes Ridge Loop is an easy loop trail with sweet views. The parking area is along Power Rd, but the trail head is about a quarter-to-a-half mile up the road. Although the trail is rated easy and only a few hundred feet elevation change, it seems like we were up-down quite a bit. Of course, it was one of the last triple digit days and we started a little late in the morning so it was warm! We hiked at a leisurely pace so it took up just over an hour-and-a-half.

The views were awesome. From the higher ridges we could see the Salt River and the Granite Reef Dam. The Superstition Mountains, Red Mountain and Usery Mountains were all visible. The trail is pretty well marked. Lots of loose gravel and not as many rocks as other trails in the area, which makes it a popular spot for mountain bikers. We talked with one mountain biker from Alaska who just arrived the day before with plans to stay for the winter. Busy trail, busy area. It would be amazing in the spring during super bloom.

A fun, familiar area to visit is Carl's Damaged Pet Warehouse. This visit, I splurged on pumpkins for the "big guys." Odie, loved the first pumpkin. When the second was tossed, one of the goats tried to break it open. Odie was a little peeved but waited patiently until the goat gave up. Odie took over and totally conquered the pumpkin with ease. The goat did the same with the carrots we brought. Add a few oranges and I think the animals had a nice morning filled with treats from us, and from several others who were visiting.

Papa and I saw animals on the golf course this week, too. The coyotes apparently liked the freedom of no golfers for a few weeks during over-seeding. When we drove up on golf carts early in the morning, a small group seemed startled and looked at us with a questioning gaze, as if wondering why we had the nerve to interrupt their breakfast. One laid down in a rocky yard and starred at me as I took its picture, almost saying, "Hurry up. Do your thing and let me get back to breakfast."

The golf course is beautiful and green. The weather has turned as perfect with mild temperatures, a light breeze, making golfing a priority now. We will be getting in a few holes several days a week as long as this ideal weather holds. Looking forward to that and hopefully improving our games. We both need improvement.

Also a priority this week will be watching the World Series. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the World Series for only the second time, first time in over 20 years. They led most of the first game and lost in extra innings at Texas. Still there are many games ahead so we will anxiously watch what happens. Of course the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals are also playing. Sports is a blessing since strikes have caused delays in many television programs. 

We're back in the swing of things again and looking for more hiking trails and new adventures. And I'm slowly going through the blog posts to fix things. Posting from the road with limited tools means formatting isn't the best. As time permits, will get things cleaned up. Thanks for your patience.