Hiking

I am loving Christmas break. It is so nice to have Mario home everyday to do fun things with us. Since moving to AZ, Eric and Mario have hiked frequently with the Boy Scouts. But the three younger kids and I haven't done much. The desert hikes aren't nearly as appealing as all the great hikes we have done in Guam, Hawaii, and Monterey. Mario has been wanting to take us on a hike that is about an hour and a half away. I hate long car rides, so I suggested we do a local one today (even if it meant a desert hike). We did a nice hike that was completely flat through Saguaro National Park. It was just under 3 miles and very easy on my knees. I complained that this was most of the scenery:

But then Mario reminded me to look up at the beautiful mountains. As much as I don't love the desert landscaping here, I do love the mountains.

The kids had fun taking little side trips off the trail.

After hiking, we made a quick stop at Subway and then to Cold Stone next door. Then we decided to go to a park that the locals describe as a little oasis. It doesn't have the typical Arizona landscape because it has a pond and hot spring. There were lots of palm trees. Some say it reminds them of Hawaii, but I don't think they must have ever been to Hawaii. I guess it really is as close as you can get in AZ though. It was a nice break from the cacti. The kids had fun jumping the springs and watching a huge snake cross the path.