Nostalgic trip out west

Longing for some warmer weather, wanting to see old friends, and wondering about how our first house is doing, we headed out to Arizona last weekend for a nostalgic tour.  Whilte it was only 4 days, we packed alot in and had a great time.  Somehow we didn't manage to take any pictures while visiting our friends Dev and Beth and their new baby boy, but it was awesome so see them and their little guy!  Turns out we didn't take any pics of the old house either - mostly because it seemed strange when someone else is living there.  But, the tenant seemed really happy with the place and we're hoping she'll renew her lease in September!

First up on our list of things to do was to hit up Ted's hot dogs, an old neighborhood favorite.  Afterwards we headed to the Desert Botantical Gardens - a favorite spot in town.  It was a gorgeous day for wandering around. 

Chihuly goes well with cactus!

Afterwards we took a ride on the new Light Rail.  It was done just months after we moved, so we had both been looking forward to taking a ride.  Makes Tempe seem pretty hip!

We had a goal of eating as many meals outside on patios as possible (Ted's included). So, we met our friends for dinner at Aunt Chilada's - a patio where we had drinks on our first date! The next morning we headed to The Farm at South Mountain for breakfast. Delicious!

Literally a farm, great patio!

Mmmm...french toast with apple butter and pecans...

Afterwards we headed to Camelback Mountain for the classic tourist hike so that we could take in views of the whole valley.


View mid-way up the mountain

 That night we got a great deal on a resort in Scottsdale, and enjoyed relaxing on the open air patio and pool while visiting with our friends.

The lounge at the Hyatt Scottsdale



The mega-pool

It was hard to wake up and leave the next morning, but we had more to see.  Next stop - Sedona, a favorite short road trip north of Phoenix.  We intended to just do a short hike and move on, but once we got there we decided to stay the whole day.  We hiked up Doe Mountain to the top of a mesa with awesome views of the whole area.

And then we moved on to the West Fork trail in Oak Creek Canyon - one of our favorites!

This trail has a bunch of creek crossings, which were a bit of a challenge in high water.  We laughed at how we used to love this hike because its one of the few where you see and cross water nearly the whole way.  Less of a novelty now that we're living in MD, but the canyon walls are still spectacular.

It was hard to leave, but our adventure still had one more destination.  We scheduled our departing flight out of Las Vegas so that we could go and visit Mike's dad for a day.  The plan was to meet at the Hoover Dam to walk the new bypass bridge.  Might not sound too exciting, until you see the pictures of the new bridge.  In our previous trips to the Dam we had seen the bridge construction, and were excited to see it now that it is finished.  We got there too late that night, but we did try out the tripod for some night exposures.  We were literally the only visitors on the Dam property - it was a great way to see the bridge for the first time.

Here's the same picture the next day in daylight:

The walk accross the bridge was surprisingly not scary, despite the short railing.  Great views looking back at the Dam and Lake Mead. 

Mike and his dad mid-bridge crossing

The Hoover Dam

One last last drive down the Vegas strip, and we had to head back to MD. 

And we caught dinner at the first Steak 'n Shake in Nevada, inside a casino, of course.  Meal comped by Dr. Pozsgay.

Phoenix, we do miss you sometimes.  Your blue sky and expansive views are amazing.  We will visit you again soon.  Until then, we're off to find some fun things to do in MD!