George and Deborah's Great Adventures: 04/16/14

If it was our goal to kill off Mike and Kathy through physical activities, we have failed miserably. At the end of five consecutive days of exercise, Kathy was still heard insisting we take another spin around the block to ensure we broke the 50-kilometre mark for our day’s bicycle ride.

Our latest exercise marathon began five days ago with our first bicycle ride. Phoenix is a fantastic place to cycle. Even though the temperatures are hot, the dry air makes it a very comfortable place to ride. As well, it is a city that is well set up for cyclists. There is a large network of trails throughout the city and off road cycle parks at the outskirts. In addition to the dedicated, clearly marked bicycle lanes on the main arteries, there are long linear parks with dedicated paved paths for cyclists. Many of these are adjacent to golf courses, playgrounds and the irrigation canals running through the area. These paths have overpasses and underpasses to enable clear sailing through all the major roads and highway intersections.

In a previous post we described our trip north to the Recreation 11 area. That was an “out and back” route but for our second trip we were looking for something that was both challenging and a loop back to our condo in Scottsdale. Mike studied the map and we decided on a circumnavigation of the Phoenix Mountain Reserve. Our chosen route took us north and then west around the mountains. We weren’t sure how long it would take but we were aware that there was a pass between the mountains that would bring us back to the condo if we couldn’t do it in one day.

We started off at 10 am and were merrily on our way when Mike and Kathy experienced their first of four flat tires. Mike became adept at changing tubes and even stopped by a cycle shop to purchase extra, “thorn resistant” tubes. It appears that cactus and other thorn producing plants are huge culprits in this area. We had a great ride but the many stops put us behind and we took the “Dreamy Draw” pass between the mountains, arriving home after 44 kilometres on the road. We promised ourselves we would return to complete the task.

All Smiles at the Start

Still Smiling

Everyone Has One Flat

Not Smiling As Much at #4 Flat

Canal Ride

Day two involved a marathon session of tennis. Deborah is the tennis keener but the rest of us joined in earnest. I’d like to say we had a spirited game with lots of fluid movement on the court but in reality most of our running was chasing balls hit willy nilly. By the end, both Mike and I had sore arms, Kathy was tired but still leaping like a gazelle in vain attempts to chase down Deborah’s shots, and Deborah was left wanting more. Mercifully she let us end the session and we headed down town to explore old Scottsdale. It is a very touristy place with great vibes coming from the many art galleries, restaurants and bars. It must be seen at night to see it in all its splendour.

Downtown - Old Scottsdale

Banana Dog Takes a Ride

Day three was golf. In honour of the golfing worlds “Masters” played at Augusta the day before, we decided on the Augusta Ranch “short” course golf club in Mesa. It is the top rated “short” course in the Phoenix area. We rode golf carts so we didn’t get as much exercise as you might think but when you take as many swings of the club as most of us did, it was tiring enough. It is a very pretty course and we would like to return.

Banana Dog Drove the Cart

We ended our night with dinner out at Bobby Q’s BBQ in Scottsdale. If you like barbecued meat, it is the place to go. Deborah and I settled on the Hog Wild Heaven dinner for two. Four beef ribs, eight baby back ribs, four spicy sausages, and a half roasted chicken, with potato salad, grilled vegetables, and pecan coleslaw. After washing down this mass of protein with beer and wine, we finished the meal with apple cobbler for dessert. It is a must visit for meat eaters!

Smiling Thinking About Hog Heaven

Day four was a hiking day in McDowell Mountain Regional Park, located just outside of Fountain Hills, a half an hour drive from Scottsdale. The park has trails for horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking. We stopped at the ranger station for some route advice and observed the live local wild life in enclosures. We saw a King Snake (rattle snake eater), Gopher Snake (as the name implies), and a Rattle Snake. As well, we saw a stuffed Javelina (looks like a wild pig) native to the area. We were warned to stay on the trail to avoid the snakes and were reminded that the snakes did not want to meet us.

We chose the Scenic hiking route, more for the views than the challenge. It was a loop route with an elevation rise of around 100 meters in the first half-hour of the seven-kilometre desert route. The elevation rise took us to the top of the ridge and we had great views of the valley. Like earlier hikes, “spring” in the desert produces many colourful trees, cactus and scrub. We stopped many times along the way to take some pics of the vegetation. Try as we did, we did not spot any legless wonders on the trail.

Mike Has Mastered the Selfie

Cactus Flower

Day five was a return to biking. We were determined to finish off our Phoenix Mountain Reserve loop. We started off poorly with Mike & Kathy experiencing two more flats. (I was to join them several kilometres later). We returned to “Dreamy Draw” and picked up the canal path where we left off four days before. It was another great ride. The path took us on a south counter clockwise route around the base of the mountains. It took us through lush green parks, neighbourhood backyards, and downtown old Scottsdale. All of it was without riding on a road until the last few kilometres. We arrived home tired but very pleased with our accomplishment as we broke the 50-kilometre mark for the day.