Are you SURE we are in the desert?



Fabulousness!



After a freezing (literally) cold start on Monday, we had the unpleasant task of saying goodbye to Julie and John. But not before a little more time together at their house, then running an errand and then a quick lunch. Yes, I finally got to sample the infamous In And Out Burger.



I think Jeff and I were both genuinely depressed after leaving J+J. We returned to the BP, I did laundry and Jeff moped in his Grandpa lounger.But life does go on (even without your fav sister by your side ) so we put on our big girl panties and made a spaghetti dinner, which we ate while watching Deadliest Catch.

Yesterday morning was just as cold, though no reports of snow. Jeff went to work out and I put on a pot of Chili for lunch. The "gang" from the "activities center" here at Valle Del Oro came by with a "welcome gift" for us. I think there was a wire crossed somewhere because when I said "Thank-you. We are leaving tomorrow!", Gladys looked more than a little surprised. I guess they thought we were here for the "season".  No way...maybe in 20 years, but not quite there yet! At any rate, we scored two wine glasses, a bottle of Pinot Grigio (can I exchange?), a few snack item, a nice cooler bag, and two new name badges for all the activities! Oh Boy!!!

After Jeff returned and we had a bowl of pippin' hot Chili, we went to Usery Mountain Regional Park for a hike. We took the Wind Cave Trail which looked a bit daunting but turned out to be a really fun (and challenging) trail. It was only 1.5 miles (3 round trip) but took some significant elevation climb and was a combination hike/rock climbing which added to the fun!

Starting point.
See the peak to the right, way up top?
That's the Wind Cave we hiked to!

Lot's of lovely (and green) Ocotillo!

There were actually quite a few hikers on the trail, and though I was getting a little winded on the way up, we passed several "old people" and their little dogs so I figured, if they can do it...I sure as hell can too!

As I said, the hike was rocky and involved some challenges along the way but we did finally make it to the end of the trail, Wind Cave. Of course, this other hiker comes up behind us and says that if you continue hiking (off-trail) up and around the side of the peak, there is a terrific view of Superstition Mountain. Well, how can we resist that? I mean, we already were seeing a gorgeous panoramic of Mesa and Phoenix below us...

So, we took that challenge and hiked onward. Up,up,up and over the peak we went. And we were rewarded with this beautiful sight...

                                             Apache Junction and The Superstition Mountains.

After a rest and quite a few photo's, we started down. I hate to admit each of us had a few issues on the way down (loose rock and all), but no major injuries. Just a little red-face! We met people going up as we descended and assured them, the hike was worth the effort and the trail "was not that bad". Yeah.

After reaching the bottom and rehydrating (ice cold beer in the cooler), We did a little exploring of Mesa via the BB. Got a few groceries (tried the Safeway...never again), and returned them home. I had a Mexican Food craving so Jeff researched and found a "5 Star" authentic restaurant called Asi Es Mi Tierra that was close by. Ends up it was in the "ghetto" we had ventured into before, just a few miles down the road, and from the front, looked extremely sketchy. Inside, it looked even worse but as it had such high recommendations, we decided to stick it out. Of course, we were the only ones there..

Jeff was really game for this and I was, frankly, scared for my intestinal health! But our food came (One chicken, one beef Chimichanga) and it was DELICIOUS!!! More than good...outstanding!

No complaints, and we left smacking our lips and hoping to return some day (with Julie and John!).
After this fab meal, I had to check out the Mesa Mormon Temple Christmas light display, which a fellow camper some time back, had told me we had to see to believe. It was a few miles down Main Street which was interesting to drive down anyway. I realized now, there aren't "Mexican" areas in Mesa, there are "white" areas. All of Mesa, with a few exceptions are truly Mexican. I couldn't even count the number of Mexican restaurants, groceries, hair salons, etc.....as we drove the 6 miles to the Temple.

The Temple apparently does this spectacle every Christmas and it is completely free to walk the grounds and see this absolutely amazing light show. They also had a full orchestra playing Christmas tunes. In reality, it was a huge Mormon conversion attempt, as the grounds were swarming with young, excited Mormons, attempting to convert us heathens.

Beautiful though. And we did manage to avoid conversion. I don't want any other wives to compete with and Jeff doesn't want the headache!
This morning, last loads of wash and we are outta here. Heading to Benson,AZ. Central to both Tucson and Tombstone, we will spend a few days in this town being tourists, again.