SW Trip 2014 - Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, Arizona – Lake Pleasant Regional Park

May 1 – 5

Picasa web album link:

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Our drive to Phoenix was fairly easy, but windy. The drive through the city revealed what a large metropolitan area Phoenix is! Lake Pleasant Park is located northwest of the city in a remote desert area, surrounded by mountains. The huge lake is a reservoir for the Phoenix area. Our campsite was located on one of the loops out on a peninsula. The location was great and we could see way across to the east side of the lake. After getting setup, I made margaritas for us all, which were quite strong and we all enjoyed them. Bedtime came early after a couple rounds of margaritas.

The next morning, we decided to relax a little around the lakeside. We packed up food, drink, and the dogs then headed over to a lake front area where we could setup and get in the water. We also brought our kayaks for a little paddling fun. The weather was very hot; it reached 100 degrees that day. We had setup a tarp between the two trucks for some shade. The water was very cold, due to the deep reservoir, but it definitely cooled us down. The dogs didn’t even want to go into the water because it was so cold, but we made them get wet to cool off. Kurt and I paddled around the area and got enjoyed the water. After a few hours, we packed up and headed back to the camp site. Later we all got together and enjoyed a grilled steak dinner.
The next day, we headed out to hike on the north side of the lake. The Pipeline Trail followed Pipeline Canyon and crossed a floating bridge over Pipeline Cove. It was a rugged desert hike with elevation changes, but not too difficult. Along the way, we observed the many Saguaro cacti which were just beginning to bloom. We also saw a couple of burros, which live throughout the park. As we returned from the hike, the heat was going up to 100 degrees and we were happy to be off the trail. After we cooled down from the hike, we drove over to the marina to check out the facilities. It was a very large and well equipped marina, but the boat rental pricing was outrageous. Later in the evening, we attended a program called “Stargazing For Everyone”. There were serious, amateur astronomers that presented a slide show in the outdoor amphitheatre and had about 10 telescopes setup for the people to view stars, planets and galaxies. It was a wonderful and we truly enjoyed it.

The following day, we had decided to drive around Phoenix and check out the area. Kurt had lived there for a couple of years when his father was stationed at a nearby Air Force base. We drove by his old house and elementary school. At lot had changed in 50 years! Then we drove up to Scottsdale to “Dos Gringos”, a great bar/Mexican restaurant to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We enjoyed margaritas, drinks and Mexican food. We were impressed with Scottsdale and it is such a nice, upscale area. It was very beautiful among the desert environment.

Our last day at the lake, Kurt and I went on a kayak paddle. We took Kody and headed up to a popular cove on the north side of the lake. We put in our kayaks and paddled around some islands and back into another cove. Kody got to “run the shore” and he had a fun time jumping off and on Kurt’s kayak. I believe that Kurt has created a new kayaking game for Kody. We had to head in after a couple of hours as the wind began to get stronger. Later, we began preparing for our move the next day.

Our next location is the Sedona area. We will be staying at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood. Can’t wait to see what adventures are there for us!