January 5, 2013

Desert Sky

I had set the alarm for 8am this morning because we have plans for the day and need to leave home by 11am.  We drove to the town of Fountain Hills to meet up with Steve and Dianne who we met at the RV Dreams Rally in Harrisburg, OR last September.  They were waiting for us at the All American Sports Grill.  The restaurant is directly across the street from the famous fountain of Fountain Hills, the world’s fourth largest fountain.  It sprays water for 15 minutes every hour between 9am and 9pm.  When it went off, Steve told us that you could see the fountain from miles away. 

 

We got reacquainted over a delicious lunch as they filled us in on what they have been up to since the last time we met including flying home to Victoria in British Columbia for the Christmas holiday. 

After lunch Dianne drove with me as we followed Monte driving with Steve back to their campsite at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

 

After gearing up for a hike Monte and I followed Steve and Dianne to the trailhead.  The park offers over 40 miles of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails ranging in length from .5 miles to 15.3 miles.  We chose to hike the trail with a 4.6 mile loop.  Steve and Dianne did some geocaching along the way. (Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunt.  Players try to locate hidden containers using a Smartphone or GPS and can share their experience online.)

 

The trail we hiked was moderate with some difficult ascents.  We encountered a few mountain bikers along the way.  I couldn’t imagine riding a bike on that type of terrain.  Steve had been correct about being able to see the fountain miles away because we were able to see it when we reached the crest.

We finally made it back to the trailhead parking lot where Steve and Dianne invited us to come back to their campsite for cocktails.  We sat outside until the sun went down and with it the warmth.

 

After visiting for a little while longer inside the rig we said our goodbyes.  We had a wonderful time and hope to get together with Steve and Dianne again at the end of February when they are scheduled to be in the Mesa area.  As we drove home and discussed the events of the day, we were reminded once again that one of the perks of this lifestyle is getting to meet some really nice people. 

(Thank you Dianne for showing me how to add my pictures directly into the posting.  It really enhances the journal.)