Fun and Games Dept

Train.

While we were meandering on back roads on Saturday, we spotted the vintage Union Pacific passenger train near Picacho Peak. As we made our way along the Frontage Road aside Interstate 10, Earl snapped a few photos.

Bridal Wreath Falls.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post that I hiked up to Bridal Wreath Falls in Saguaro National Park here in Tucson. I’d been up there a few times before; this was the first time I’d seen so much water coming over the falls.

We have some storms in the forecast this coming week. I’m hoping to see even more water over the falls if I hike up there this coming weekend.

Hiking.

While Earl made his daily trip to the gym, I went hiking in Saguaro National Park east. I got started just before sunrise. I’d been on the majority of the trails I traversed today but the solo hike is just what I needed and as I write this I feel fantastic.

Feeling fantastic is good. I’m already planning my next hike for Saturday.

Our time is finite. Get out there and enjoy as much as you can before you reach your expiration date.

Relaxed.

It’s been a relaxing day and a relaxing vacation at Walt Disney World. Tomorrow we head home. Tonight we take the water taxi to the Port Orleans Riverside resort for dinner.

I snapped a couple of photos of our resort along the way.

Adventure!

Tonight we tried out the new TRON roller coaster in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. To get on the ride involves a slight bit of contorting but it’s an impressive ride and we had a great time. The experience seemed a little short but it is very thrilling.

Hockey.

The 2024 home hockey season started last night and we made our way to Tucson Arena to see the Tucson Roadrunners take on Coachella Valley.

It was fun to be back at the arena for hockey. The game was not as enjoyable; the Roadrunners were shut out, losing to Coachella 4 to 0.

They introduced new items at the concession stands and it appears they’re still getting used to how to ring up these new items and how to prepare them, as the line was quite long populated with people waiting for their six digit number to be called out. We enjoyed the food when it finally arrived. I also had two beers. Earl drove us home.

I always enjoy they people watching at the hockey games as there’s folks from all walks of life in attendance. It’s interesting to see what folks living in the desert are going to wear to an ice rink; I usually add an extra shirt but still wear shorts. Quite a few people were wearing sandals. One woman I dubbed “Swiss Miss” (because of her pig tails) was not in attendance. I was a little disappointed. She usually has a dub of some sort of color on the end of her Swiss Miss pig tails.

Overall it was a fun night but I hope the Roadrunners get their act together. Hockey is even more fun when your team wins.

Bears.

Yesterday afternoon we decided to drive to Phoenix for a Sunday afternoon happy hour. I’m not up on any bar scene, but apparently the Nutowne Saloon in Phoenix, one of the oldest gay bars around, has recently re-opened so we decided to check it out.

We recognized one couple from our visit to Copper Cactus Resort early this summer so we chatted them up a bit. We really liked the vibe of the place and we’ll probably make the trek to Phoenix again to see what’s going on there once in a while.

My husband was kind enough to drive us home, but only after we stopped for a bite to eat at a local brewery just around the corner.

After some pizza and “disco chips” (loaded potato chips that were very decadently wonderful) we were on our way home.

I find Phoenix relatively easy to navigate and so does my husband. Since the freeways in Phoenix are relatively new, they were built to standards determined AFTER all the mistakes were made in cities across the U.S. when those freeways were built in the middle part of the 20th century.

Their gas is expensive, though.

Earl navigated his way along the 143 to the 10, and headed southeast to get us home to Tucson. I love the way my iPhone grabbed the colors in this night shot of the freeway.

Salt River Canyon.

Yesterday we went for a drive, aiming for a part of the state we hadn’t explored yet. We decided to head up toward Show Low, a bit of a drive to the high country, but I figured we’d see some scenic views and have a delightful time in our Jeep Cherokee.

Scenic views was an understatement.

Our ride took us up SR 77 to the northeast, and took us through Salt River Canyon.

The curvy, fairly steep route kept me on my toes as we made our way down to the bottom of the canyon and back up the other side. We also agreed we might have to have the brakes looked as there was a bit of a shake toward the end of their use, but once they cooled down everything was back to normal.

Show Low and nearby Pinetop-Lakeside are quaint recreational type towns. We stopped at the local casino but didn’t stay very long, as it seemed a little tired in decor and offerings. We then made our way across US 60 and the Mogollon Rim to Payson, where we stopped at their casino and spent a bit more time there. Country star Josh Turner was performing in a nearby court yard, so we enjoyed their concert special of a BBQ buffet inside and played casino games for a little bit.

After Payson we made a Beeline toward home on the appropriately named “Beeline Highway”, which is a curvy, twisty, hilly adventure, especially when driving at night with 55 year old eyes, but everything was fine. After around 450 miles round trip we were back home before midnight.

It’s been a long while since we did a long road trip together like this and we had a good time. I don’t think my husband is ready to drive all over the Great Plains with me chasing storms next spring but if I can deliver some scenery and some things to do instead of just driving, it’s all about the contentment.

Lake.

Since my husband is retired and I am not, he has a little more time during the week to explore our fine city. The other day he mentioned a small park near our house that features a small lake and I was skeptical. I know there’s a small lake in a gated community just north of us, but that was the only year-round water feature I knew about. After all, we live in the Sonoran Desert.

We made our way to Lakeside Lake Park, where we enjoyed a nice afternoon stroll under the desert sun. It was well over 100ºF, so we actually made our way from shady spot to shady spot, but we did well, as neither of us showed any sign of sunburn by the end of the day.

It was quite lovely. I look forward to going back in cooler temperatures.

Scenic.

Yesterday my husband and I went on a wonderful flight from Tucson to Casa Grande and back. I had flown this route several times last year during my instrument training out of Ryan Airfield; this was one of the first times I got to actually see the scenery along the route. During instrument training we use “foggles”, or view limiting devices, so we can only see the instruments in the cockpit. We don’t get to see outside.

Earl took a bunch of photos that he’s shared on various social media outlets.

It’s getting hotter in the Sonoran Desert and the best time to fly at this time of year is in the early morning. After 10:00 a.m. or so thermals start rippling about and makes the ride a bit bumpy. We were back home and on the ground by 9:45 a.m. after the 150 mile (or so) round trip. We did a touch ‘n go at Casa Grande Municipal Airport before landing on runway 11R back at our home base of KTUS Tucson International.

I really like being based at KTUS. The procedures are a bit more inline with “big pilot” ways and it’s neat holding short for our turn to take off with a Southwest 737 right behind us.

We’re going up again in a couple weeks. I’m going to find us another fun destination.