Sonoran desert

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
Little Amy wants to play,
come again another day.

Sun, sun, out you stay,
Warm us up for all the day.
Little Amy wants to play,
Warm us up for all the day.

We left San Diego on Tuesday and it started raining before we left the county. Then it rained on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A couple of days of rain is always nice, six days, not so much. I’m a blue sky, sunshine kinda guy. You can’t control the weather so you adjust and roll with it. We were still able to squeeze in rides and a hike between downpours.

On Monday, our last full day, we awoke to blue skies and sunshine. It was glorious.

This is our fifth stay at McDowell Mountain Regional Park. That says a lot about a lot of things, mostly though it says their E.I. Rowland campground is really nice. If you’ve camped here before and have a favorite site, beware, they have renumbered the south loop. So site #74 isn’t #74 anymore. They have added 14 new sites in the south loop. None of the new sites are open yet. Someone did a crappy job. The sites were raised then paved. The dirt underneath is collapsing. And if that’s not enough, the electricity to the sites isn’t working. There’s no telling when they will get it all squared away.

Somewhere on the US 95 on the way to Quartzite.

We spent Tuesday night at the Scaddan Wash in Quartzite.

Quartzite is busy this time of year, it’s “the season.” All the crowds are at the LTVA’s (Long Term Visitor Areas). No crowds at Scaddan!

Look at this beautiful bike! But where are the gears?

It’s pretty cool riding amongst the saguaros.

This is one of the trails at Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It’s a little more challenging than the tame trails at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

Seems like we always get at least one incredible sunrise while we are here.

The biggest crested we’ve ever seen!

I tweaked my back a little so one day we hiked up to Tom’s Thumb instead of riding.

It’s a short steep 2.2 mile one way hike.

The serendipity of the universe! Half way up we saw this rock. It was the only painted rock on the entire trail. Amy and her dad…I’m tripping out about it.

When we reached the top it was reminiscent of Black Butte, Guadalupe Peak, and Table Mountain, our view shrouded by the clouds.

It’s a hike worth doing for sure if you’re in the Scottsdale area.

I sure miss my buddy Rheinhardt. He passed away on Christmas Day last year.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!