The Desert

Well, here we are in Scottsdale, Arizona. Another recon visit, as my

hubby calls it. We are scouring warm areas of the country for the best

place to snowbird. I know this is way past snowbird time, but these were the

only dates that worked with our schedules. Besides, we wanted to

experience the dry heat, well mother nature gifted us with 115 degrees

our first full day! WOW!

Considering the fact that the sun rises earlier here combined with the

three-hour time difference, we were up at the crack of dawn. At 6:30

a.m. the hike started, a nice but rocky hour hike and off to breakfast!

By the time we found bikes to rent, it was a scorching 107 and rising

quickly. Bike riding is probably the best sport to do in this kind of heat.

You have to stay hydrated, which we did, although the water was like a

clear flavorless warm tea! At least while biking you generate a constant

breeze; albeit, it felt as though the air was coming off a campfire!

Once again today, we were up early, on the trail by 6:30am, and had a

great hike. This desert backdrop, is very different from the Florida

environment. I’m fascinated with the different cacti. I feel as though I’m

in a western movie scene. After the hike and breakfast, we headed to

the bike trails, finishing a beautiful ride by 10:30 a.m.

Arizona is made up of many diverse terrains, creating hiking trails with

wonderful character. Evidently, they are known for some of the best

pizza, inspiring, “The Arizona Pizza Trail.” Reading about this before my

arrival, I did my research, and we hit this trail our first night. Grimaldi’s

Pizzeria in Old Scottsdale is fantastic! I do hope we can continue on

down this trail, although we did derail tonight, landing at “In-n-Out”,

well-known for one of the best burgers.

Tomorrow, we drive north to Sedona, hoping to hike and bike through

some more beautiful scenic areas. Probably journeying along the pizza

trail in that vicinity. This is a great recon, my husband and I are loving

Arizona, not sure where we will snowbird, but this is a strong

contender. With so much beauty here in the states, make sure to spend

time outdoors savoring it. And remember – Don’t Live Old!