arizona

Beautiful Boyce Thompson Arboretum at a Glance

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

As you may have noticed if you follow me on Instagram, I’ve been spending as much time as possible in and around the Superstition Wilderness this year! I love that area– the history and mystery, the natural landscape.

Read my articles about the Superstition Wilderness on World Footprints!

Plants of the Superstition Wilderness

When I’m outside, I like to know the names of the plants I’m seeing and what they can be used for. Ben would probably like it if I would stop eating things I find in the wild, but if the apocalypse comes, I’ll be one of the few who knows how to prepare mesquite pods 😉

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

I’ve been doing a lot of plant research online, but it’s just not the same as getting out and learning about plants in person. So, for my birthday excursion, we headed to Boyce Thompson Arboretum, a huge garden of desert landscapes complete with hiking trail!

The arboretum is located at the foot of Picketpost Mountain (or, Piglet Wiglet Mountain, as my three-year-old has dubbed it), a formidable peak that is not possible to summit with a child and a dog. And yes, I know that from experience.

A natural stream runs through the gardens, bringing life to the desert landscape. However, you won’t just find Arizona’s flora here–there are also exhibits from desert environments all over the world!

Boojum trees are named after a word Lewis Carroll invented for The Hunting of the Snark

Why visit Boyce Thompson Arboretum?

If you’re in the East Valley region of the Phoenix Metro Area, the arboretum isn’t too far of a drive out of town. And it’s definitely worth it! Those who enjoy the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix will love a getting a different angle on local vegetation.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is a great activity for people of all ages and mobility levels. While not all the trails, including the loop trail, are accessible, you can see most of the gardens from paved paths.

Little ones will love the kid appeal in the children’s garden. It provides an opportunity to talk about shapes and colors.

Where’s your favorite place to explore the natural world? Do you like arboretums or just getting out in nature? Leave a comment and let me know!

New addition to my jungle

Wupatki National Monument

arizona, Blog, International Travel, United States

It’s high time I invited you to my favorite place in the world (outside of Sint Maarten, of course). If you’ve ever spent a significant amount of time in Arizona, you know that Great State Forty-Eight has a lot to offer in the way of hidden roadside treasures. My absolute favorite is Wupatki National Monument.

A couple of years ago, Ben and I took a road trip from Phoenix to Page, which is north of the Grand Canyon on the border of Utah. Along the way, we stopped at several ancient Native American dwellings. I wrote about Palatki, but we also stopped at Wupatki during that trip. This year, I decided to introduce my sister, Kaylee, to Wupatki.

Wupatki is one of those amazing places that doesn’t get the attention it deserves, which makes it even better, because you don’t have to share it with seven million tourists and busload of field-trippers. In fact, it’s so out-of-the-way that you might drive by it on the highway every weekend and never pay attention to the turnoff signs.

However, once you do make that trip deep into the high desert wilderness, you’ll be amazing to walk through the remains of some of Arizona’s oldest civilizations. The history value is incredible– and the Instagram factor isn’t bad, either!

There are many pueblos in Wupatki, and you can see several of them at five stopping points along the loop that takes you through the monument. My favorite is Wupatki Pueblo, a huge, multi-family complex that includes natural air conditioning (you have to see it to believe it) that comes from a hole in the ground.

Cooling off with natural air conditioning

In addition to the big pueblo, you can visit other stops within the monument to walk through houses built over a box canyon, climb inside a medium pueblo with a stunning view, and hike to a hilltop neighborhood.

The best part, to me, is getting out to a place where all you can hear is the sound of the wind over the wilderness, where animals rule the landscape, and where whispers of the past rise like smoke from the crumbling remains of mysterious ancient dwellings.

As an aside, I would encourage you to visit my sister’s blog. She talks about faith and hope in the midst of navigating life as a 23-year-old widow.

Click here for Kaylee’s blog.

Arizona Christmas Lights

arizona, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

 

When the snow is deep in Michigan, a not-so-white Christmas starts to look pretty good! Ben and I made the four-day drive from Detroit to Phoenix to see my family for Christmas.

Arizona may not have snow, but it does have enough colorful lights to create a magical Christmas vibe!

One of my favorite traditions is making a few evenings of Christmas light viewing. The Phoenix area has two major light attractions: Zoo Lights and Glendale Glitters.

 

 

Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo isn’t a great time to see the animals, unless you like a couple of camels and a creepy animatronic giraffe. However, the light show is fantastic! They even have the lights around the duck pond set to music. We thought that decorating the ducks with lights would really make the show! If I ran the zoo, that’s what I would do. I’d probably get shut down, but that would be one heck of a light show!

 

 

This yeti was not awkward, but my mom and I took a photo with it anyway (If you got that joke, then we’re best friends forever).

 

 

The other major Christmas lights attraction is in my hometown. Glendale Glitters is an annual month-long event! the historic downtown area is decorated in lights, and every weekend brings entertainment to the amphitheater. I used to be in shows there with a performing arts group as a kid.

 

 

Ben and I visited Glendale Glitters with my sister and our friend. It was a bit cold when we were there, so we browsed through the stores downtown. We were followed for a while by a creepy man in a pink sparkle shirt and pink skinnies, so we girls ducked into a comic shop to avoid him while Ben discouraged him from coming inside. I found this superhero inside, but Ben is my real hero!

 

 

This year, we missed all the Glendale Glitters shows and food trucks and vendors, but we still had a lot of fun. Street performers own the night, and many Glendalians take it upon themselves to provide entertainment. When we were there, we saw an impressive parade of decked-out trucks and ATVs blasting music. The procession wrapped around the whole district! The street was transformed into a show of blinking Christmas lights, waving kids, rap, classic Christmas songs and norteño, This is Arizona holiday culture!

 

 

Even more impressive was the UFO that lit up the sky that night. It silently flew through the western sky, lighting up the horizon and drawing everyone outside. It turned out to be a rocket launch from California, but it looked like the world’s biggest Christmas light display!

 

 

This is what an Arizona Christmas looks like: clear streets, clear skies, a little bit of Mexico, and enough light to illuminate the whole world. It was good to be home.

Tuzigoot National Monument

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Uncategorized, United States

 

Tuzigoot is one of those places I’ve always see the signs for but never actually visited. During our Pueblos-of-Arizona road trip, though, Ben and I finally stopped to see it! This reconstructed ancient dwelling is located between Cottonwood and Jerome in central Arizona. It’s a great place to go if you want to see what pueblos actually looked like once-upon-a-time.

 

 

Ben and I invested in a National Parks Annual Pass, which is $80 and gives up to four adults and unlimited children admission into any United States National Park for a year. This includes national monuments, so we invited my parents to come with us and witness this awesome bit of history!

 

 

What to Expect 

Tuzigoot National Monument is the site of a large ancient pueblo that is thought to have housed the Sinagua people about 800 to 600 years ago. the pueblo is pretty big- it has over a hundred rooms!

 

 

The main room has been reconstructed so that visitors can actually walk inside and onto the roof. It’s obviously not exactly like the original, since it has stairs and a concrete floor. But it’s about as close as you can get and still be up to code! While we there, the large room was infested with flying ants. I hate ants with a deadly passion, but it didn’t stop me from going inside anyway!

 

 

My dad gave us an interesting history lesson while we were there. He works for Freeport-McMoRan, the mining company that was formerly Phelps Dodge. Phelps Dodge owns the land surrounding Tuzigoot and used to own the site as well, but they donated it to Yavapai County so that the site could be excavated and serve as a center of history and education.

 

 

Tuzigoot has an awesome visitor center attached where you can enjoy the (hallelujah) air conditioning. There is a museum here, and it hosts demonstrations once a month. You can also buy Native art and baskets here, if you like.

 

 

When to Go

The best time to go to Tuzigoot is in the spring or fall, when the weather is nicest. The summer wasn’t bad, but be prepared for a warm experience!

 

 

If you can, try to go on the third Saturday morning if the month. They do demonstrations from 10:00 to noon at the visitor’s center! When we went, we saw a demonstration on ancient weaving and dying techniques, which was pretty cool. Arrowheads and shoes are up for August and September of 2017.

 

 

How to Get There

If you’re coming from Phoenix, take the I-17 north to Camp Verde. Here, you’ll turn onto the 260 toward Cottonwood and Clarkdale. When the 260 turns into Main Street, continue on this road. Main Street becomes Broadway, and soon you’ll see the turn-off to Tuzigoot on your right.

 

 

Good Things to Know

  • The fee for the park is $10 if you don’t have a National Parks Pass. This fee also covers your visit to Montezuma Castle, should you choose to visit both in the same day.
  • You can get a National Parks Pass online or at one of many offices around the country.
  • Dogs are permitted as long as they are on leashes.
  • Go to Hog Wild Barbecue for lunch. This is not a sponsored link. It is a delicious place that my parents took us to after our trip to Tuzigoot!

 

 

More Pueblos to Visit

Montezuma Well

Montezuma Castle

Agua Fria National Monument

Palatki

Elden Pueblo

Wupatki National Park

The Ruins of Pueblo La Plata in Agua Fria

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

 

Do you ever wonder what it was like to live in prehistoric times? I wonder this all the time. We have so much information on how the ancient Romans lived, but there’s so little verifiable evidence about the life and times of the ancient Native tribes in the American Southwest. We do, however, have the remains of many of their homes! Agua Fria National Monument in Arizona alone contains about 500 of them, including Pueblo La Plata. Here’s a little bit about my excursion here and how to find it!

 

Pueblo La Plata

Although there are a ton of ruins in Agua Fria Monument, there’s one in particular that’s pretty well known and has a maintained trail. Pueblo La Plata is a great destination for your trip to Agua Fria National Park, especially if you don’t have the time or ability to take a longer trek into the hills to search out other ruins.

 

 

Although Pueblo La Plata is the easiest pueblo to reach, it’s still pretty far into the park. It took Ben and I about 40 minutes to drive from the park entrance to the end of the road. We actually didn’t quite get to the end of the road, because it’s a pretty rough road and we weren’t in a jeep or anything. That was OK, because it was a beautiful morning for walking around outside!

 

 

Once we walked about ten minutes, we got to the parking area. There was a path from the parking lot to the pueblo that took about five minutes. Once we arrived, we saw the heaps of stones and outlines of walls that had housed generations for perhaps hundreds of years. Visitors have found shards of pottery and left them on flat stones for the rest of us to see. Like in all archaeological sites, removing objects is not allowed. Thank goodness these things are protected for everyone to enjoy!

 

 

Standing by the walls, we looked out over the hills and canyons. How incredible it must have been to wake up every day to this view! The desert is so beautiful, with so many colors. The red dirt and greenery of the prairie is split suddenly by jagged black canyons, and in the distance the purple mountains meld into the blue of the sky. It’s so remote, and ruggedly stunning.

 

How to Get to Pueblo La Plata

Pueblo La Plata is located in Agua Fria National Monument. This national park area is located between Phoenix and Camp Verde, just south of the Sunset Point Lookout by the Bradshaw Mountains.

 

 

Turn off the I-17 onto Bloody Basin Road going east. You’ll see the sign for Agua Fria National Monument. Head down the dirt road. You’ll cross a stream (it might be dry), pass a restroom (which reminds me of descriptions I’ve read of Soviet prison cells– use at your own risk), and head uphill. Follow the signs to Pueblo La Plata. Eventually, you’ll see a sign directing you to turn left. Continue on this road until your car can’t make it anymore and then walk the rest of the way. Eventually, you’ll get to the path leading to the ruins.

 

 

More Awesome Pueblo Sites

There are a lot of great pueblo sites not far from Agua Fria National Monument! Look for Montezuma Well, Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, and Palatki.

I visited several sites on a ruins road trip last weekend, and I’ll be posting a new one every day this week! Subscribe or follow me on Facebook to get notified about each new post.

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, United States

 

Sedona is one of Arizona’s most intriguing and beautiful locations. You’ve never experienced the magic of Arizona if you’ve been here! This town is built in a geological wonderland, where breathtaking red rock formations rise from the valley floor to create mystical shapes that inspire hikers and painters alike. Ben and I decided to take Kito here and experience some of the things we hadn’t visited before.

 

 

Although Sedona has become famous as a place where New Age mystics come to seek out vortexes, its most recognizable structure is actually Christian. The Chapel of the Holy Cross was built to honor the God whose hands carved these mysterious mountains. On Sundays it is a place of worship, and during the rest of the week it is a popular destination for people of all belief systems.

 

 

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is built right into the a red rock formation in the heart of Sedona. Although I can’t really see the likeness, the church was inspired by the Empire State Building around the time of its construction. The chapel was finished in the 1950s, and since then it has served as a Catholic place of worship.

 

 

 

The chapel is pretty far out off the I-17, but many people stream into its parking lot every day. I have to admit that we were a bit surprised at how busy it was. I guess when it’s too hot to hike, there isn’t much else to do in Sedona. Besides, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is simply stunning!

We walked up the ramp to the chapel and found ourselves gazing out over the beautiful red-rock landscape. Wow! There are few places in the world quite like this.

 

 

Since Kito couldn’t go into the church, Ben and I took turns sitting inside the chapel. There is a huge window that looks out over Sedona, and I’m pretty sure it’s the best view for a hundred miles around. If it had been quieter in there, that chapel would have been a wonderful place to sit and pray in silence. I was a little bit disappointed that the chapel’s popularity has turned it into such a tourist attraction that it’s pretty much impossible to engage in private worship. Maybe it’s different at other times of the day or when it’s not tourist season.

Even though I didn’t find the atmosphere of the Chapel of the Holy Cross to be conducive to devotional activities while I was there, it was well worth the trip! There’s a lot to love about it: the architecture, the view, the town, and so much more. It’s a great stop for any trip to Sedona. Even just half an hour at the chapel was a wonderful Arizona experience.

 

 

Half an hour was as long as we stayed, although you might want to stay longer. It was pretty warm outside and Kito wasn’t enjoying the crowds, so we decided to drive on to Flagstaff. Kito loved the forest, since it was the first time she had seen one!

Stay tuned for more Arizona adventures! I haven’t been posting much since I’ve been busy doing a lot of things, but pretty soon the 3rd Culture Wife blog will be filled with plenty of new posts on interesting things to see in the Western United States.

By the way, we are moving again soon! We still don’t know where, but I will keep you posted. Subscribe and follow on Facebook to stay connected! Until next time.

Honoring Our Veterans at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona

arizona, Blog, International Travel, United States

 

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes forget to really focus on what Memorial Day is all about. This year, I did a lot better at dedicating time to remembering fallen American heroes. The Tuesday after Memorial Day, I visited our local sanctuary of honor: National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.

 

 

 

What is Memorial Day?

If you’re not American and you’re reading this (or you’re any of interviewees featured on Watter’s World last week), Memorial Day is a national holiday in which we take a day off work in order to remember the many American soldiers who have died to protect our nation. From the first casualties of the Revolutionary War to the most recent war tragedy, each life is honored and remembered with gratitude.

 

 

What is National Memorial Cemetery in Arizona? 

This is the final resting place of many of Arizona’s veterans who have passed since the 1970s. My grandfather was a Korean War veteran, and although he had the option to be buried here, he chose to be taken back home to Iowa. Even though I don’t have anyone to visit here, it is still a wonderful place to go and think and be thankful. Here, you’ll find the endless neat rows of well-kept headstones, each representing a service member who gave their all for their fellow countrymen. The cemetery also has some beautiful memorials tucked away in to the far corner, including the flagpole from the U.S.S. Arizona.

 

 

 

My Experience 

Nobody was able to go to National Memorial Cemetery with me, so I ended up driving over to Cave Creek, Arizona by myself. It ended up being the perfect solo excursion for a thoughtful afternoon. I can’t quite describe the emotions I felt when I stepped out of my car in a remote area of the cemetery. I suppose “poignant” would be an appropriate word. I have to admit that I haven’t been to many cemeteries; I expected this one to be filled of creepy, moss-covered, chipping headstones with bizarre epitaphs. I guess that Boston graveyard tour got to me! However, nothing could be further from opposite of creepy or ghostly. In fact, I don’t think I’ve found a more pleasantly peaceful place in the entire Phoenix metro area.

 

 

It wouldn’t be bad to lay at rest here, where the warm sun shines perpetually, casting its light over long, neat rows of memorial headstones. The only sound here is an occasional bird and the smart snapping of an American flag in the wind. An occasional visitor sits quietly beside the engraved name of a loved one, and the militarily-neat rows are interrupted by the bright colors of flowers and flags.

 

I’m not so sure where one should or should not step near a grave, so I was careful to be respectful and just stroll along the perimeter. Many of the headstones were sprinkled with coins. According to Snopes, a penny on a grave means you visited to pay your respects. A nickel means you were at boot camp with the soldier. A dime means you served with him or her, and a quarter means you were there when the veteran died. The coins are a nice way to honor the military members and tell their loved ones that someone cares, and they usually go to pay for an honorable burial for military members without family and financial means.

 

 

As I surveyed the countless rows of headstones, I felt tears spring to my eyes. An engraved sign at the cemetery paraphrased the words of John Maxwell Edmonds:

 

When you go home,

Tell them of us and say,

For your tomorrow

They gave their today.

That struck a chord with me and I couldn’t help but let the tears flow. For all the countless graves at National Memorial Cemetery, this is just a sampling of the Arizona men and women who have sacrificed, if not their lives, at least their years for me. I just can’t quite wrap my brain around the idea of someone else sacrificing themselves for other people, including those they have never met, all in the name of patriotism and freedom. I think it’s just about as close as you can come to giving yourself the way Jesus did.

 

No matter what time of year you’re reading this, I challenge you to clear your schedule for a couple hours and head to the nearest military cemetery. Even if you’re not a U.S. citizen, this still applies; honor the people who fought and died for your country’s freedom.

 

You’ll never feel more patriotic than you do when standing beside the graves of thousands who gave everything for your nation. It’s an indescribable feeling.

Peach Picking! An Afternoon at Fenway Park Orchards

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

Did you know that Arizona is a pretty popular agricultural area? Arizonans grow oranges, spinach, lemons, wheat, flowers…. and peaches! Yum! Yep, even here in the desert, the least likely place you can imagine, you can grow all sorts of delicious things. Last weekend, my husband, my parents, and I headed to Morristown, Arizona to pick peaches at Fenway Park Orchards. There’s nothing like sourcing your food straight from the growers. Here’s a bit about this awesome little u-pick farm.

 

What to Expect from Peach Picking at Fenwick Park Orchards

It’s really trendy right now to eat local, eat clean, and eat organic. But hasn’t that always been the best way? Fenwick Park Orchards is a pesticide free, fertilizer free grower. Of course, this has a host of health benefits, but it also gives the fruit another huge advantage: the taste! According to the young man who briefed us on peach picking, the lack of chemicals allows the rich flavor of the fruit to come through. Our guide said that every singe tree has its own distinct taste. He was right! Wow!

 

 

We had the chance to try just about every tree and find our favorites. When you’re picking in the orchard, you’re entitled to eat as many peaches as you like, free of charge! The u-pick peaches at Fenway Park Orchards are a little bit more per pound than your average (dry, tasteless) supermarket peaches, but you make up for the difference with all the fruit you eat. Oh my word. Peaches off the tree are simply heavenly.

 

 

My parents love peach tea. They like to get peach sweet tea from Dutch Bros. Some of these peaches tasted exactly like that tea!

 

 

An hour’s drive from my parents’ home in Glendale was more than worth time in the peace and quiet of the beautiful orchard. It’s nice to get back to nature and get a little dirt under your fingernails once in a while! I think we all feel the call to to remember our ancestor’s ties with the land now and then.

 

 

By the end, we were all hot, sweaty, sticky, and oh-so-happy.

 

 

We also had about thirty pounds of peaches to take home!

 

 

Peach Recipe Ideas

What do you do with thirty pounds of delicious, juicy, freshly-picked peaches? Why, you make tons of peachy delights with them!

 

 

As soon as we got back to my parents’ house, we set to work on my dad’s personal favorite peach dessert: cobbler! He searched online to find a peach cobbler recipe that included blueberries.

 

It was delicious! Fresh produce makes all the difference.

Of course, there are plenty of other things to do with peaches.

 

 

Here are some recipes to try:

 

Fenway Park Orchards Info

Cost: The peaches cost $2.39 per pound when we visited. Of course, this price fluctuates from season to season.

Hours: You can visit Fenway Park Orchards from Tuesday through Sunday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Coupons: Visit the Fenway Park Orchard website for a coupon.

Contact info: 

  • Website: FenwayParkOrchards.com
  • Phone: 623-388-2603
  • Email: away106824@aol.com
  • Address: 42610 Highway 60-89
    Morristown, AZ 85342

 

Fruit seasons:

Apples: June and July

Peaches: May and June

Peach season in ending, but apple season is just around the corner! We’ll be in Arizona for a few weeks yet, so we will definitely be back to Fenway Park Orchards to pick apples, If you’re in the Phoenix area between May and July, be sure to take a side trip to Morristown for some fresh produce. After all, there’s nothing like eating local, wherever you are.

Saturday Morning at Phoenix Public Market

arizona, Blog, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

Downtown Phoenix is full of wonderful surprises: little indie coffee shops, trendy boutiques, unexpected museums, ethnic food unlike any other, colorful splashes of street art… you get the idea. It’s not all chrome and glass like you see on the postcards. One of my favorite local attractions is the Phoenix Public Market that runs in the parking lot of Phoenix Public Market Cafe each Saturday from 8:00 am to noon. I first discovered this urban gem about four years, ago, when one of my best friends started working for one of the vendors. Since then, it’s been on my agenda during each of my rare free Saturdays! Last Saturday was one of those delightful days. Here’s what you can expect at Phoenix Public Market!

How to get to Phoenix Public Market

If you’re like me, you generally avoid both driving and parking in downtown Phoenix at all costs. It’s not that it’s a poorly designed city; on the contrary! The problem is that there are a ton of one-way streets and a shortage of free parking. Thankfully, getting to Phoenix Public Market is pretty easy! Here’s the address:

14 E Pierce St, Phoenix, AZ 85004

To get there from the West Valley, you need to take the I-17 South to the I-10 East. From the East Valley, get to the I-10 West. No matter where you’re coming from, go south on 7th Ave, then go east on Roosevelt, then go south again on N. Central. There is plenty of parking, even on a busy Saturday morning–thank goodness!

What you can get at Phoenix Public Market

Look who I got to go to the farmer’s market with!

Yep, that’s right! Alyssa and I were both med school wives in Saint Martin. When I said goodbye to her six months ago, I had no idea that I’d get to hang out with her in Arizona! She and her husband are spending a few months here between classes and clinicals, just like us. You can read about our island adventures exploring downtown Philipsburg and downtown Marigot in some of my earlier posts. I guess we just like hanging out together downtown.

We had a great time wandering through the many vendors at Phoenix Public Market, trying samples of ice cream and peppermint essential oils. The farmer’s market has everything you can imagine, as far as produce goes. I picked up some fresh organic Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, and tomatoes while we were there. Everything tastes better fresh!

It’s not all veggies at the Phoenix Public Market, through. There are also things like homemade cheese, fresh-baked goods, local honey, and ice cream. A chocolate chunk cookie was essential to our shopping day.

This weekend, the market with bursting with colorful blooms! Hit this corner of downtown in springtime, and you’re always bound to see plenty of flowers for sale.

We admired the handiwork from all the talented vendors. The farmer’s market is an awesome place to get turquoise jewelry, hand-carved wooden toys, and macrame. Both Alyssa and I loved these handmade macrame planters. Aren’t they awesome?

I loved listening to the live music in the market before we left. Outside the market, there are always plenty of food trucks. I’ve tried the acai bowls before, and they are delicious.

 

Phoenix Public Market Cafe

Of course, no trip to the Phoenix Public Market is complete without stopping at Phoenix Public Market Cafe. This is located right next door to the market, and it sources as much of its ingredients as possible from the market. Alyssa treated me to a cup of tea and we enjoyed chatting in the busy weekend atmosphere.

There’s a lot to do in downtown Phoenix, but if you’re in the area, why not make some time this weekend to enjoy a taste of the rural in this urban jungle? Actually, anywhere you are, it’s a great time to seek out some local produce! Go support your local growers and eat healthy. Love your community!

 

A Walk Along the CAP Canal

arizona, International Travel, Nature, Uncategorized, United States

Just in case you were wondering, Phoenix has a grand total of zero natural waterways. We do, however, have a couple of canals. The Central Arizona Project Canal and the Salt River Project Canal. These take water from the Colorado River and the Salt River and bring it to the city because, well, there’s a city in the middle lf the desert with no water. Go figure. 


The CAP canal isn’t too far from our house; in fact, it runs through the middle of one of our favorite hiking ranges, Deem Hills. 


Deem Hills is in the Northwestern corner of Phonix. If you start at the east entrance of the trails, you can take the Circumference Trail a short distance to the path that goes along the edge of the canal. Unlike the hilly trail over the mountains, this is a nice flat trail, good for long walks and jogging.


The trail goes through the range, and then runs behind a neighborhood. It offers access to parks and playgrounds, and has nice views of the canal. 


When a canal’s all you’ve got, it’s actually a pretty desirable view. We did find a rattlesnake back there once, so keep an eye out just in case! 


Kito loved the trails. She’s still discovering new and interesting things, like quail and rabbits. She didn’t even mind when we ran the last mile! This is the first of many family hikes in Deem Hills.