Sunday was good...
Our ride: Scottsdale to Payson
Payson, Arizona is a small town in Arizona with a population around 14,000 people. It is northeast of Phoenix at 5000 feet in elevation. Because of the elevation, it is outside the boundaries of the Sonoran Desert. Temperatures are much cooler in Payson during the summers than they are in Phoenix and many Phoenicians head to Payson to escape the heat.
The landscape (because it is not in the Sonoran Desert like Phoenix) is much different from the landscape in Phoenix. The most significant differences is the presence of natural pine trees. I believe they may be pinon trees, but I am uncertain. Trees are not my thing.
We rolled in to Payson at about 10:30 in the morning and hit the Knotty Pine Cafe. Mmmmm - nothing better than sausage, eggs, toast and hashbrowns with a hot cup of coffee to wash it all down. When we started out in Scottsdale, this morning, it was warm. By the time we hit about 4000 feet elevation - BRRRR!!! It isn't bad standing out in the sun, but when you are moving at 65 miles per hour, it is damn chilly.
Everyone working at the Knotty Pine seemed pissed off. It added to the charm.
After the Knotty Pine, we stopped...at a Walmart...and I bought her a sweatshirt. I hate Walmart.
Then we headed north out of town to TONTO NATURAL BRIDGE STATE PARK . This place is cool. You can read the stats about the natural bridge in the link I provided, but it is a natural tunnel that is about 183 feet high.
I took this picture as we hiked down to the bottom of the canyon.
It was a beautiful day and I snapped this picture looking back up the side of the canyon. The sky was blue, but there was a bit of a wind up at higher elevations which made what little clouds there were very whispy.
A small creek runs above the natural bridge and then falls into the canyon (and the larger stream) below.
Inside/under the bridge, there are giant boulders and the stream pools (please note the use of black and white to create a little artsy effect).
Looking back out from under the bridge.
Working our way down under the bridge.
It was a steep hike out, so we stopped about half way to take a break.
Back at the top, we pose for a picture. While we were hiking four bikes joined mine in one parking spot. One of the bikers took this picture for us. Bikers are good people.
Then on to the Dairy Queen....
before heading back home.
Wish you could have joined us.
posted by FLAMINGO1 at 9:13 PM
14 Comments:
Good times, good times. Little miss flamingo is a good daughter to take the time out of her day to spend with the old man.
Pics are spectacular as always (and yes I did notice the wonderful use of black and white). Good to see you are back to more regular postings.
FWIW, yes I was anonymous on the last post. You are right, I was too lazy to get an id of my own and simply hit the wrong button. After seeing my mistake I simply didn't care to correct it.
I remain your friend (hopefully) Kagemusha.
Awesome Pics! Im jealous, it is very rainy in PDX right now. Hope you had fun with the Family. Mom told me that Mrs. Flamingo's sister got a place while she was down there. Thats very cool as well.
Looks like so much fun. The landscape is gorgeous. That tunnel looks so weird; I wish I could explore it.
Bloodgood - She did indeed get an apartment while she was down visiting...now we need to find her a job. Wish you could have been here. Did you get your troubles with the scooter worked out?
Phoenix - this was very cool. It was like being in a giant cave with a back door. The only thing that distracted from the experience was the man made additions. We have to make alterations to nature so that everything is easy to get to. I say, leave it as it was and make people sacrifice for the experience. In this instance they went half way - there is a rough trail down to it and then a walkway and bridge leading right up to the front door of the tunnel - it looks like the same redwood decking materials you would use to build a deck on your house.
It wasn't ADA friendly, yet it wasn't left natural - in my opinion that is the worst of both worlds. Either make it ADA compliant or leave it alone.
Sunday - what a wonderful day to spend with your daughter.
(I think I've heard that somewhere before.)
Lovely day. Good job.
Have you seen Montezuma's well?
Not the castle... the well.
I would love to see some pics from there next time.
Try to oblige, would ya?
MsAmber
It looks like I am going to have to run up to Montezuma's Well to snap some pictures for MsAmber - Is there anything I could post from Arizona that would help with your homesickness, Roxi??
By the way, I have been to Montezuma's Castle, but not the well, so I am going to have to hunt that one down.
I have also had my picture taken while "standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona" - I was such a fine site to see.
Nice pics dude.
When I look at pics like that it's just a reminder of how much I really work and how little I don't.
I am very afraid that I am never going to experience looking at a cactus in its natural habitat before I die.
I want it to be painless.
Work hard, play hard, live hard.
This whole day cost $8.00 in gas, $12.00 for breakfast, $4.00 for Dairy Queen and $6.00 to get into Tonto Natural Bridge Park.
$30.00 for an entire day of entertainment and lifetime of memories. (I almost forgot the $11.00 sweatshirt that I bought for my daughter) - that brings the total to $41.
Not spending this $41.00 would have been so much more costly.
That's $41.00 I don't have. And time I don't have, hence "When I look at pics like that it's just a reminder of how much I really work and how little I don't."
I am not complaining nor trying to make you feel guilty (not that you would). I am sure you work very hard and probably deserve to take off and have a good time more than you do. It's nice to see people not always scurring around like a rat. Good for you! You should do it more often.
I should have gone to law school.
I am still trying to figure out how I am going to eat today and tonight. Seriously. This week has been brutal financially.
Hi Flamngo,
Tell everyone in the family hello for me too please. Your trip looks like a wonderful time, I wish there was some place around here to go for a climate change when it gets shitty, but everywhere is the same. However, it is finally starting to get warm out and I should quit my damn complaining soon.
Mountians.. and desert... mountians and desert.. God I miss that shit
Your laziness is not jiving with me dude.
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