is this for real?!
The State of Arizona wants to close 8 of our state parks because of budget issues. And the Director gets an 11% salary increase? Wha..wha..what? Are you kidding me? Where is the logic is this? If someone can explain it to me, I’m all ears.
Filed under Arizona, environment, issues, nature, outdoors | Comment (0)another perfect Saturday
Today, Scott and I headed up to Black Canyon City to take part in a trail head dedication ceremony. The Black Canyon Trail opened up its newest stretch of trail today and it was a perfect day to do so. The weather was a lot warmer than expected so we quickly ditched the fleece jackets. After spending some time walking around the booths and listening to the dedication ceremony speeches, and after Scott touched base with several work colleagues, we headed out on the trail.
Wow!! What a beautiful trail. It was all hand constructed by volunteers and they did a magnificent job. I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite trails. You are surrounded by tremendous amounts of vegetation and beautiful specimens of desert plants. Like I said earlier, it was warmer than expected, giving us a gentle reminder that hiking after noon in the desert is not always the best thing. I actually ended up with a slight sunburn on my forearms and face.
The trail takes you down to the Agua Fria River, which was flowing rather fast after all the rains we have had. It is always a special treat to see a healthy river in Arizona. Usually you would be able to follow the trail across the river, but due tot he high waters and current, it is unsafe to pass right now. So, we sat down near rivers edge and had a snack while enjoying the pleasant scenery and sounds.
All in all it was a wonderful afternoon, as not only did Scott get to take business 
, but we got to get out out and hike a beautiful, must-see trail.
After a little rest and shower once we got home, we headed out for dinner at an old favorite: Los Olivos Norte. Scott and I frequented this restaurant, and by frequented I mean we ate there like three times a week, when we worked at Staples together. The atmosphere is great and the food as delicious as ever. Since we both have changed jobs, we don’t get here very often, so it was a great way to end our Saturday.
Since we both have changed jobs, we don’t get here very often.
Filed under flickr pics, hiking, nature | Comment (1)what a wonderful day
Today was a wonderful day. Scott and I got to sleep in, which is a real treat for us. I had my morning coffee while we both fiddled on our respective computers. After taking a shower, we decided to head out to AAA, with the hope of gathering some information for our honeymoon. We are trying to decide between Hawaii, Alaska or mainland US. It has proved to be a very frustrating decision. After meeting with a travel assistant, we determined we would most likely just plan the trip ourselves, especially is going to Alaska. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Blimpies before heading home to pick up the dog for a short hike.
Scott, I and Sipapu enjoyed the Lookout Mountain Circumference Trail. The desert is really green right now which made the hike even better because the scenery was that much more appealing. Aside form a small rabbit hopping in the desert when we pulled into the trailhead, we did not see any wildlife. Papu did a really great job on the trail, aside from not having manners when we encountered two other hikers with dogs. He apparently has never seen a dog before. It was a great afternoon and it felt really good to be active.
After a brief rest at home, we headed out to the Apple store to drool over the new MacBook Air, which we both would absolutely love to own. While there we checked out the new Nano and the iPod Touch. There is a strong likelihood that I will be getting the iPod Touch sometime soon, to condense my electronic devices from 3 to 2, as the Touch appears to have decent PDA functions (minus a to do function). We’ll stew on that for a while to make sure the right decision is made.
The day was capped of by a dinner at Lone Star. This was our first dinner excursion at this restaurant. We’ve had lunch there many times. We both enjoyed our meals and of course each others company. It was a great way to end what had been a really good day.
Filed under Sipapu, hiking, nature, pets | Comment (0)do I have food on my face?
This picture sums it up for me. What other reason do you need to absolutely love nature than knowing you have the chance to see something like this? Truly spectacular. I only wish I could take credit for the picture!
