Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness

For our Memorial Day weekend, we(Shan, I and our friends Matt and Juile) ventured southeast of Phoenix for a backpacking trip that seemed to be in a completely different part of the country. Nestled in the heart of the desert is one of Arizona's few perennial riparian areas, created by Aravaipa Creek. Our trip started on Saturday morning with a 2 1/2 hour drive to the trail head. Once at the trail head, we readied ourselves for a hike through the canyon, and the creek itself. The entire canyon is about 12 miles long with dispersed camping allowed anywhere. Meaning you can make the hike to your campsite as long or as short as you would like.

map of Aravaipa

trailhead

We were blessed with amazing weather considering the past week it had been over 100 in Tempe. A large storm system moved through the state and we hiked in under a cloudy sky and 85 degrees. Hiking at a steady pace, we stopped once for lunch and then arrived at what we thought would be our campsite. Upon arrival, we all dropped our packs and laid down for a little siesta. Shannon grew restless and hiked up stream to read. After our naps, Matt and I ventured to find Shannon and check out the territory. After a short chat, we three decided to explore upstream a bit and happened upon what would be our campsite for the next two nights. We returned to fetch our gear and Julie and we were off to the new site. It was a nice sandy patch nestled above the bank of the creek in a natural "amphitheater".

Our first night we enjoyed "Texas Taters" prepared by Matt and Julie. The consisted of baked potatoes from the fire, chili, onions and cheese. We recommend this to all backpackers/campers/everybody. Dessert was fresh brownies baked by Julie.

Sunday morning breakfast was pancakes with freeze dried strawberries and maple syrup and coffee. Sunday was our day to explore deeper into the canyon. About midday, under a cloudless sky, we decided to put the tubes we brought along to use and cool down. After lunch that is.

Night two's dinner consisted of Indian Fare and Pitas from Trader Joe's. Dessert was what Shannon considers her "snob s'mores". They are made with vanilla marshmallows(although we used original mallows this time), old fashioned graham crackers, and dark chocolate. They are super rich but very delicious.

On Monday morning we were treated to an early morning wake up call by Matt. He had coffee made and water for oatmeal on the stove before we even got out of our tents. This ensured we would be hiking out during the coolest part of the day, which was a very good thing as it was in the 90's by the time we got to our car. We stopped in a small mining town on our way back to Tempe in order to indulge in burgers and beers, well deserved.

It was very nice to get away from the city and enjoy this great state. Our time outdoors with our friends was very much enjoyed. We will most definitely take requests from those who would like to venture down here and experience this great place!

ASU Commencement & The President of the United States

The commencement ceremony for ASU this year carried with it extra significance. President Obama agreed to give the commencement speech to over 70,000 attendees. We were fortunate enough to be a part of that group. Our friends, Ryan Adams and Zoe Tovar-Blank, both graduated from ASU's Psychology program with their Doctorates. They were both given 6 tickets for themselves and family and friends. Just so happened that there were 2 extra. That's where we came in. Commencement was on Wednesday, May 13th. Temperatures reached the 100's and there were quite the lines to wait in. Our tickets advised us to arrive at Sun Devil Stadium at 2:30 pm. The commencement itself didn't start until 7 pm! We arrived at the stadium, promptly at 4 pm. Side note: We experienced our first LightRail ride on the way to the stadium, love that public transportation. We were told beforehand that there would be "cool zone" and plenty of water. We approached then entrance were there many people waiting, being corralled into lines like cattle. There was no shade and no water, unless you planned ahead. We were lucky enough to pack a liter of water and some snacks for the anticipated wait. We waited for about 45 minutes to get past security and during that time witnessed 2 people nearly pass out and have to be rushed through the lines to receive medical attention. Let me tell you, heat, thirst and waiting in line can cause some people to get mighty cranky! We arrived at our seats at about 5 pm and there waited patiently for the commencement to begin. There was definitely excitement and energy in the air. The President gave a very motivating speech about life and how it should not focused on the dollar but should be centered around being selfless. Giving back, not always taking. All in all, it was a very enjoyable, albeit hot, experience that we are both glad that would be a part of. Here are few pics from the commencement. Enjoy.

a packed house

the veiw from our seats

wow, really?

has it really been a month since our last post? that is crazy -- we have two drafted and some more to come. It just confirms how I've been feeling lately, a bit crazed with a busy fast paced life. Don't give up on us, here is what we've been up to lately and some possible new posts coming your way.

• cinco de mayo (maybe i guess its a little late)...
• Joshua tree national park camping trip
• ASU's graduation - Obama time!
• Backpacking in a beautiful Arizonan canyon

I hope life will be a bit more normal for me after this week, work has seemed to take over for now. I'll be back though and am taking a day off soon. SO on that note - I need a new good book. I have a few pages left in Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris and it is really good if you're looking for a good read yourself!

Joshua Tree National Park

This past weekend(May 1st - 3rd) we were able to enjoy one of the most unique parks/places in the Southwest. We were also able to add to this experience by camping with our friends Joe and Nicholas. Joe lives out in Los Angeles and Nicholas back in MN(he flew to LA to visit Joe for his birthday weekend).

This weekend carried with it much anticipation. Lots of planning and preperation in order to have maximum enjoyment. Meals were planned, campgrounds chosen. Therein laid a problem. Joe and Nicholas left LA early in order to be able to find us a suitable campsite None of us anticipated 8 of the 9 campgrounds to be completely full by 3 pm on Friday, but they were. We were finally able to get a campsite around 630 pm, when Shannon and I arrived in the park. After all the extra driving on Joe/Nicholas, we were setup in the Cottonwood Springs campgroud by sundown. Our first night included great conversation, exceptional food(cooked by Chefs Stewart and Goodwin), and some refreshing beverages.

The chefs

The drinks, nothing but class!

The following day started with another tasty meal provided by Joe and Nicholas. It was two flavors of yogurt served with black berries, bananas, strawberries and home-made granola. Very nice. After breakfast it was off to discover what JT had to offer. While driving to our first destination, Ryan Mountain, we stopped off at the Cholla Cactus Garden. We discovered that the preferred method of reproduction for Cholla is detaching it's stems, once it's spines are lodged in the skin of a animal/human, of course. The stem then falls to the ground at some point and sends down it roots. This 'garden' was esentially started by a single Cholla stem.

more from the cholla garden:

Cholla Flower

some other type of flower

same here

After our stop at the Cholla Garden, it was off to our longest hike of the day: Ryan Mountain. This hike was about 3 miles and offered some lovely views of the surrounding landscape.

Atop Ryan Mountain, looking west

topping out at 5500 ft.

Disclaimer: this pose was requested by the photographer(Joe Stewart)

Here is a sample of pictures from a short hike we did to Hidden Valley. There were numerous sets of rock climbers that provided opportunities to admire their physical/mental strength.

Gabe: I am all that is man.
Nicholas: Wow, what a specimen.
Joe: Shucks.

On our drive back to camp we stopped off at a section of the park filled with giant Ocotillos. These are common here in the valley but not of this size. This particular one about a half dozen humming birds searching its flowers.

Shannon: "I mean just look at how big this sucker is!"

All in all it was a wonderful experience and well worth the drive. There was a lot of great food, conversation and ladder golf. We recommend checking out this weird little gem of a national park.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

I got home after a wonderful yoga class tonight to a surprise cinco de mayo celebration! It was so festive and fun, I love surprises! We had chips with pico de gallo and margaritas with carne asada tacos. Yumm-o!

Cinco de Mayo, courtesy of the Dollar Store

Even got the ceiling fan in on they festivities

3 things about this picture: 1. Cactus stem margarita glasses 2. Shan's noteworthy shaking form 3. We use a Nalgene as a drink shaker