A Desert Surprise- Day 3
Saddle Up Your Horses, We've Got a Trail to Blaze
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
#SpringBreakView
I swear this will NEVER get old! This is just breathtaking!
Unfortunately, Natalie and I left before breakfast hours but the boys got a real treat with made to order pancakes at the Embassy Suites! Another BONUS to this gorgeous hotel!
The commute was unbelievably easy with less traffic than I
would have ever thought. We arrived about 30 minutes before our riding time and
we were able to pet to the horses as the ranchers and helpers got all the
saddles, equipment and horses ready for the day. Natalie loved this part so
much since for about 20 minute it was just the two of us.
Welcome to Arizona Stables!
Natalie petting "Prince" before our trail ride!
This was mine and Natalie's favorite... Rubble!
Mommy- Daughter Horseback riding... Let's Do This!
The trail ride itself was gorgeous. Natalie and her horse,
Mississippi, did very well at the front of our group while Me and my horse,
Darcy, did well bringing up the rear. Funny Memory- About 15 minutes into the ride, the ranger
told me to readjust on my horse. I had a bit of difficulty adjusting so the
leader got off her horse to help me and her horse just TOOK OFF! It was kind of
funny (and a bit sad) so the leader just talked in front to lead the rest of us
(about 10 people). About 10 minutes later, another ranger came riding along
with the leader’s horse in tow. We passed through trails in South Mountain and
we got to see all kinds of reptiles and creatures as well as gorgeous cacti all
throughout our trail. I swear every 5 minutes I was just in awe of the gorgeous scenery. It was truly a once in a lifetime type of morning!
Natalie was the first one to get on a horse so had a little bit of wait while the rest of us got saddled up! Her horse, Mississippi, got a little restless!
I'm on a horse... in the desert! Is this real?
The views and scenery was just breathtaking!
After seeing 100s of catci, this was the first one IN BLOOM!
Here comes the run-away horse!
Natalie and Mississippi!
Darcy and I!
We did this ride with Arizona Stables in South Mountain.
This was a very large and well-maintained stable area with well over 50 horses.
This ride cost $40 per person and was a trail ride on the lower end of South Mountain.
The horseback ride was mainly just a trail and not mountainous but there were some ups
and downs. It lasted just over an hour and was WELL WORTH the $100 total (with
tip) we paid. The manager was a little snippy at first but that could have
easily been due to us being SO EARLY and the first ride of the day. I would
highly recommend this “excursion” for anyone wanting horseback riding in the
desert.
This was such a wonderful experience!
Natalie and I made our way back to Scottsdale to shower up
and get the boys for our afternoon of baseball. We knew we wanted to eat at
some local diners and restaurants, so I researched and found “5 & Diner” in
North Phoenix. This was a diner featured on Food Networks “Diners, Drive-Ins
and Dives” with Guy Fieri. It certainly lived up to it’s “diner” stereotype but
we loved it. The décor was very 50s themed and the service was great. AND kids
eat for $.99 on Tuesdays which made for a very cheap lunch.
5 & Diner in North Phoenix!
The Menu
The Kids Menu
And Kids eat for $.99 on Tuesdays!
Silly picture time!
Kids Spaghetti Plate!
Philly Cheesesteak
(This was not "Philly" worthy but it was very tasty for diner food)
The inside of the 5 & Diner
We all approve of this diner!
It's really happening... AGAIN!
I know I cried yesterday but here are my tears again!
This trip just meant SO MUCH to me!
I loved this picture prop!
The hot tub... IN THE OUTFIELD!
This was his favorite part of the day!
One of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!
I grew up watching this guy pitch in the den with my dad!
We made our way to our seats and then saw a huge open area in a nearby section. It was basically just a slab without seats. We decided to sit there and it worked out SO WELL. Chris and Natalie sat in the seats and Luke and I comfortably spread out on the cement slab! It was a unique way to watch a ballgame. The game was so much better than the previous night. We were
able to see 4 home runs total at this game as well as 14 strikeouts for the DBacks
alone. We enjoyed Cold Stone Creamery mid-game and that was probably the
highlight of my day! It was not Keto… But you gotta live occasionally!
It was not a cheap afternoon treat but so worth it!
You Only Live Once!
We were SO HAPPY!
Thank you Chase Field for the memories!
I swear every baseball stadium these days has MICKEY MOUSE!
After the game we had planned to go to Arizona State
University in Tempe but once we realized how close we were to the State Capitol
building, we made a detour. We got to the downtown State Capitol building and were
able to see the anchor from the USS Arizona from Pearl Harbor. Even with all
the construction and distractions around this area, this was very humbling and
special to see and witness. We then saw the Desert Storm and Korean War
observation areas and made our way to the State Capital. Unfortunately, due to Covid,
it was not open to the public, but we still count as having seen it!
A list of all of the persons whose lives were lost at Pearl Harbor.
USS Arizona anchor
Arizona State Capitol Building
Another Capitol Building checked off our list!
There was a lot of construction in this area of downtown and
VERY close to this public viewing area were a GINORMOUS amount of homeless
people. (Be sure to DRIVE to this area and not walk even though it is a short walk... JUST DRIVE! Trust me) There was literally about a 2-block area, enclosed by a chain link fence,
full of tents of homeless people. It is definitely not the worst I’ve seen
(Vancouver, BC) but it was really bad. As we passed by the tents Natalie said, “Thank you Jesus
for our home”. We all then said a quick prayer for those people, and this made my heart so happy (that we stopped to pray for those in need)! We are truly blessed!
We made our way to Tempe just before rush hour traffic. Arizona
State University was gorgeous, and we loved all the southwest style buildings
and the layout of the campus. We visited the Football Stadium before finding the
bookstore so we could grab some souvenirs. After this we went to the Music Building,
because I mean, why not? We were able to get inside the music building and this
was a very small building but full of character. There was an ORANGE tree in
the garden area with REAL oranges. That was pretty cool; although it made me
feel like I was in Florida not Arizona!
This campus felt so Southwestern and we loved it!
|We saw this robot delivering food for DOOR DASH! It was so cool... We literally saw it cross the street!
Another MAJOR university checked off her list.
While she liked the campus and Phoenix, she still says Texas A&M is her 1st choice!
This was the ORIGINAL in Paradise Valley area but there are many in the Phoenix area
This was AMAZING Mexican cuisine!
After dinner we went back to the hotel to swim in the hotel
pool. I swear this was both of my kids focus ALL evening! What is it about hotel
pools? Are all kids like this- or just mine? We build in hotel pool time on all our vacations, because they just love
it so much! I know Gigi and Poppy do as well! We spent well over 2 hours in the
pool and hot-tub area of the Embassy Suites. This was one of the most beautiful
pools I have been to at a hotel. The hot tub was HUGE and very elegant near the
edge of the golf course. The pool itself was very large and well heated. As I mentioned
in previous posts, this hotel is WELL WORTH the money and distance from
downtown Phoenix.
He does smile all day for pictures but seconds before he jumps in the pool he is grinning ear to ear!
We called it a night shortly after 10PM so we could get
ready for the night and our very early morning call time to get to the Grand
Canyon the next day. The kids, and Chris, were wiped out before I could get out of the shower
and ready for bed! It was a very busy day but full of memories!
Up next- One of the 7 Wonders of the World and something I
personally had been wanting to see for a VERY LONG TIME… The Grand Canyon!
God is good… ALL THE TIME!
Did you miss a day? Catch up here:
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