Since we were staying near Old Town Scottsdale, we ended up eating in that area multiple times at various restaurants. We also enjoyed walking along the Scottsdale waterfront. It is a scenic, walkable district along the Arizona canal near shops, restaurants, etc. After walking the waterfront, we would sit and people watch.
When growing up in Phoenix, and on past trips we spent more time going north to Sedona, Jerome, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, etc. With a couple days of free time, we decided to head south to Tucson.
We went to the Sabino Canyon recreation area in Tucson and did some walking. I saw this deer meandering through the brush.
There were lots of Saguaro cactus around. Because they don't have annual rings like a tree, age is generally estimated by height and arm development. While many live 150-200 years, they can survive much longer under ideal conditions. This was an interesting one we saw on the trail in the recreation area.
We decided to take the Canyan Crawler (Shuttle) which was fun. Going up the canyon the crawler made several stops, so I was able to take pictures. Several people got out to walk back or hike and could be picked up by later shuttles. We enjoyed this.
It was interesting to see the dry creek beds coming down the mountains. I imagine it is very dangerous when flash floods occur. It was a bit early so the cactus were not in bloom.
We also drove to the top of Mount Lemmon (9,157' elevation). THe road was 28 miles to the top with great vistas, interesting rock formations, cool mountain forests and deep canyons. Once at the top there wasn't much there. It was a fun drive up but a bit disappointing at the top.
Another day we headed west of Phoenix. Our plan was to drive the Apache Trail so up and out early. Our first stop on the trail was the Goldfield Ghost Town. It was truely a ghost town as we were so early no one was there!
We continued driving with lots of winding roads passing Canyon Lake to Tortilla Flat.
We continued driving with lots of winding roads passing Canyon Lake to Tortilla Flat.
There was a restaurant, general store, bar, etc. From there we wanted to continue our drive and head to Roosevelt Lake.
We had second thoughts when we got to the dirt road part of the Apache trail. The sign said 22 miles of dirt road with certain sections very narrow and steep. The car I rented didn't seem to like that. We did continue several miles on the dirt road but ended up turning around when we saw the sign saying last turn around. We got out and walked a bit at the turn around. Some nice views but still to early for most of the flowers.
The dirt road would have been a blast in my Jeep. Our rental. car ... not so much ...
We headed back to Tortilla Flat and decided to take the Dolly Steamboat tour on Canyon Lake. We didn't have reservations so we waited to see if they had enough room for us to board. We lucked out!
The canyon walls were pretty. The boat captain gave us the history of the lake and the area. We spotted several desert bighorn sheep in the rocks. I would recommend doing the tour. It was lots of fun.
On the way back we stopped at Goldfield Ghost Town. It was open this time. It is the site of an old small town and the old Mammoth Gold Mine. It was a fun place to explore.
We did take my cousins to Carefree and Cave Creek as they had never been. The cactus flowers were just starting to bloom there too.
We had a great time. Next visit will be connecting with more family, friends, and more exploring.
