Scottsdale Sans Kids

Teag will often do contract flying for a family up in Ogden, and back at the end of April, he had a trip planned for Scottsdale. There were only four people scheduled to be on that flight, and they graciously offered to let Teag bring me along if I'd like. Of course, I would like! My mom agreed to watch the kids while we went, and that was that! Five days in sunny Arizona sounded like a little piece of heaven after some cold and gray days here, and I was anxious to spend some time away from the demands of motherhood.

Our first day we flew in and then once we'd checked into our hotel and had some lunch, decided to check out Old Town. It's mostly just a lot of touristy-type stuff, but it was entertaining to browse.

The next day, we got moving early and headed to Camel Back Mountain, an aptly named monolith if I ever saw one.

 The hike itself is kind of a mislabeled as a hike, and is more of a mountaineering experience. You can see what I mean by these next couple of pictures.

It's pretty steep for almost the entire thing, and there were many twists and turns where you thought maybe you were finally about to make it to the top only to discover you still had a fair bit to go. The entire hike up is only just above a mile, but you gain 1200 feet in that one mile. Definitely intense. I took a screen shot of my Health Stats from my phone to give you an idea.

The top had a great view of Scottsdale in all directions, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

We had to take a picture with one of these saguaros in the background because they are everywhere! And according to what we learned during our stay, this one is very old.

There were a ton of lizards out and about, despite the plethora of hikers. Apparently they have no fear of humans.

In some ways, the hardest part of the hike was the going back down. All that elevation gained has to be descended and it's a bit rough on the knees.

Very challenging, but absolutely worth it. A fun accomplishment, and something I would definitely recommend, if you're capable. That same night Teag and I had booked a sunset horseback ride.

I love horses, and was so excited for the opportunity to ride one out in the desert.

My horse's name was Mo, and Teag's was Sherry. They were both very docile, and easy to ride for two beginners like us. We rode a couple of miles through the brush as the sun went down, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

We stopped for dinner at a steak house that was as authentic as can be. We had steaks, and bread and beans, with live country music, and low lighting. It was the perfect accompaniment to our ride.

After dinner, we climbed back on our mounts and rode back to the stables. It was dark now and so peaceful, with the city lights shining in the distance. Both Teag and I felt like it was an amazing experience, and truly a highlight of our trip. 

The next day we visited an old Ghost Town/Gold Mine that we'd heard about online. It looked authentic enough from the outside, but the more we walked around, it just felt too cheesy. 

It didn't help that everywhere you went they kept asking for tips, in addition to the entry fees. Nobody enjoys feeling nickeled and dimed. This is us being extremely underwhelmed by the $8 train ride we went on.

The live gun show was fun, but is probably the briefest one it history, lasting no more than two or three minutes total. I got a good shot of the action though.

That night, we had purchased tickets to the Carnival of Illusion, which sounds much more grand than it was. Maybe we'd already had our fill of cheesy from the ghost town, but neither of us were super impressed. Teag did get called up to participate in one of the tricks though, and he was a good sport about it.

On Sunday we hiked again, though this was nowhere near the level of Camel Back Mountain. It was called Hole in the Rock, and was maybe .03 miles? More of a stroll really.

It's located near some other attractions, including some man-made fishing holes that are actually quite pretty.

Later that day we headed to Mesa to visit with Teag's uncle Craig, and his family. They invited us over for Sunday dinner, and we were enjoying a nice chat afterwards, when Teag got a phone call informing us that there had been a screw up and his passengers were ready to leave right then. We had to rush around like crazy to drive back, pack up, and then drive to Phoenix where the plane was waiting. We didn't take off until after ten, and then shortly thereafter, had to land because of a fault with the fuel computer. Back to Scottsdale. Teag managed to get it sorted out, and we were off again, but didn't land in Ogden until around two, and then the 30 minute drive home put us in bed close to three. It wasn't exactly the nicest ending to such a lovely trip, but I'm still very glad I got to tag along and spend some quality one on one time with Teag.

Very grateful to those who made it possible, including my mom and dad and Sara! Thank you for being so accommodating!