Day Adventure With Cindy

Cindy and I went up north to have some time together and to find some WATER!

We stopped at Sunset Point because it's just what one does.

There's a nice rest stop and a wonderful view.

Cindy likes these trees . . . but I can't remember what they're called!

This was was growing sideways.

I love this sign, but I have never seen a poisonous snake or insect in the area.  In fact, I have never even seen a rattlesnake in the wild, and I have lived in the desert for 24+ years and I have hiked a lot.

I have seen scorpions (though not in the wild).  I saw a tarantula in the wild.  I saw a gila monster in the wild.  I saw a ring tailed cat in the wild.

I saw this cute little lizard sneaking across the ground!

We enjoyed the bathrooms,

and then we enjoyed this lovely view.

When it's hot, the desert looks airbrushed and weathered.

There goes Cindy down the ramp!

The picnic area looks modern.

There was one pretty yellow cactus flower blooming just for us!

We kept on driving.

Our favorite spot, which used to almost always be completely empty,

was FULL again (the last 2 times I've tried to go there, it's been full!)

It's disappointing.  Too many people are moving to Arizona and it's getting too busy!

Hopefully it was the relaxing of the stay-at-home orders that made people go crazy and go into nature.  And truly, it's dangerous to go into nature in the valley (the Phoenix metro area) right now . . . it's expected to be 108 F for a high today.  Even Sedona, which is higher in elevation and therefore cooler, is still in the high 90s.  (It doesn't feel so bad when we're playing in the chilly water in the shade, though!)

We decided to keep on driving . . . . 

But then I saw a turn and I took it suddenly with no advance warning, and it turned out to be a stroke of genius!  It was a small little parking lot right by the river, so not much hiking was actually required.  My ankles are still not strong and well, so I'm not up to a huge amount of walking or climbing.

There was even a place to relieve ourselves . . . though it was quite disgusting.

I wore rubber shoes that I thought would be great for walking in the river (on the rocky bottom), but they were terrible for scrambling down the steepness to the water.

I didn't keep them on long.

Here's the top . . . 

And you can see a piece of the river down there!

Here's how it looks from the bottom:

We were HAPPY!

I brought a really yummy lunch.

This was a pepper stuffed with brown rice, black beans, and veggies.

It smelled delicious, like juniper pine trees.

And the water was cold and clear (ahhhhhh!)

We walked in the stream on the rocks for awhile after we finished lunch.

My balance isn't as good after my ankle injuries as it used to be, and my feet are very sensitive, but I did okay.

There were little waterfalls to enjoy.

There we are!

I don't know what I'm digging around in there for . . . probably lip balm.

And then I fell in.

Three times. 

I couldn't get my footing, so I just kept falling again and again.

Everything was soaked.

Oh well!

Then we decided it was time to head home.

Because we had gone upriver a bit, we went up the bank in a different place and it had a bit of a sandy beach!

It was a glorious day and I'm blessed and thankful to live in such a beautiful place!