4/27 - Saguaro to Phoenix, AZ

Monday, April 27– I was up at about 530 am. We drank cups of coffee and headed to Saguaro National Park. The ranger informed us that dogs were not allowed on any trails, but could be taken onto pavement areas and could be left in the car for short periods before the sun got really hot The park is a driving loop with trailheads and exhibits off that road as you drive around.

Our first hike was a short educational walk around a saguaro stand. The trail was paved, so Dazey came. It was so early that we were the only people on this trail, and the solitude and majestic of the towering cactus was a great way to start the day.

Down the road a ways, we came to another trailhead that advertised an old mine .7 of a mile in. It was still early and cool, so we left Dazey in the car and jogged to the mine. Well, maybe not the whole way, but we did more jogging that walking. The mine was kind of a disappointment, just an indentation in the ground where a shaft used to be. We picked up a couple of pieces of copper that were left from when the mine was open and jogged back to the van. Dazey had destroyed the van! Torn apart some garbage bags and ripped part of the padding on the ceiling down. It sucked, but I cant blame her, I would also be pissed to be locked inside a car.

The last spot we stopped at in the park was Javelina rocks. Javelinas are a type of small pig that inhabit these areas and are commonly seen at this rock formation. We didn't see any Javelinas, but were greeted with the droning sound of buzzing insects and a sign warning of killer bees. "If bees become aggressive, Run to your car, Roll up your windows, and dial 911. This warning was enough to send us to the road.

Tyne and I started a bet the day before that whomever spotted the first Saguaro would get a drink bought for them by the other person. Since I was the first to see it, I called her out saying I wanted my beer. We stopped to get some supplies and two beers, and looking at the map saw that there was a large city park nearby.

We pulled into Gene Reid Park so we could park the car, relax on picnic tables, drink our beer, and sort, organize, and repack the van. The day was hot, but the shade and cold beers made everything ok. Dazey laid out in the shade and loved the park.

Headed north to Phoenix, we noticed a National Monument not too far away. We made a turn off the highway for the long way to Phoenix so we could see the Casa Grande National Monument. It is ruins of some of the oldest and biggest buildings of the Southwest Indians. Built over 600 years ago, the tallest structure is believed to be a sky observation and education center. The ruins were awesome but Dazey had to wait in the car so we hurried out after looking for 15 minutes. At the van, a mean old lady said, "Not cool, man."

She was talking about Dazey of course. Although we had been gone only 15 minutes, she claims she was at the car for over 20 minutes before we showed up, and that we should be punished for being so mean to our dog. She was fine, in the shade with water and windows open. I could understand if it had been hours, but some people just go out of their way to complain and scold others.

This long day was about to get longer as we drove into Phoenix, which I didn't realize was huge, the 5^th biggest city in the country in fact.. It took nearly 30 minutes to drive from one side to the other on he freeway. We finally made it to Matt's house in Scottsdale. We meet Matt on Couch surfing, and our first experience was a great one. Matt was extremely hospitably, and went out of his way to see that we enjoyed our time in Scottsdale. After showing us to our room and letting us take a swim in his backyard in ground pool, he asked if we liked wiffle ball.

An hour later, we were in his friends backyard, drinking Tecates and playing wiffle ball on a sweet "Sandlot" style field with some really cool people. It was about 8 on 8, and after the entire game, it was tied at 7. They called the game a tie because it was getting dark and everyone was getting drunk. It was such a different and fun way to spend the afternoon.

Heading back to Matt's house, he made up some delicious little Carnates. He bought some marinated beef from the Mexican bodaga, made up some fresh guacamole, and served it on heated tortillas. This meal made my favorite meals list, and the entire day was one of the best ones yet.

I'm not even sure when we went to bed, but when I did I was happy, warm, full, drunk and comfortable. I was very happy to be here and that Matt was not a crazy man, but a great guy that we are thankful to have met up with.

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