Butterfly Wonderland! and McDowell Sonoran Preserve

It doesn't rain often in Phoenix. Even if there are clouds with the possibility of creating precipitation; it either doesn't reach the ground, evaporating well before it gets there or the clouds skip over the Valley altogether. On a Monday, that wasn't the case. It rained and rained and rained. We took the opportunity to enjoy Butterfly Wonderland. 

Butterfly Wonderland is located in North Scottsdale and offers a short 3D movie of the Monarch butterfly migration to Mexico, a very large live butterfly exhibit, a small area featuring the stinging and venomous creatures of Arizona, and lastly a small room with fish and sting rays. 

The 3D movie was quite good and explained the Monarch migration using an analogy of a family and the daughter laying eggs and traveling north until she arrived in the Great Lakes region. The Monarchs that hatch in the Great Lakes Region in August/September are the butterflys that make the arduous migration back to Mexico to winter in the oyamel trees. It was a short 15 minute video and provided the average person with basic knowledge about Monarchs. 

We both really enjoyed the large butterfly room. There was a certain species that kept landing on Nate. The butterflies fly freely in this open greenhouse environment with plenty of opportunities to drink nectar from the flowers, water from the koi pond, and the fruit and sugar bowls set out for them. One man had a few butterflies land on his cheeks and he happily walked around displaying them. You are not allowed to touch the butterflies at all, if you want them off you just simply shake your clothing. There were also a few birds in the area to add some melodies. 

It's not the greatest picture, but you can see the butterfly's probiscus out drinking the nectar from these pink flowers.

The stinging creatures room was interesting and not the place I would ever want to be stuck; bees, scorpions, black widows...

As we exited the museum, it was still raining, however we were just in time for happy hour. We chose a place close to home that we haven't tried yet, Brathaus. It was a nice place to grab a beer (great selection), a Bavarian pretzel with beer cheese sauce, and Belgian frites with dipping sauces! The wings were pretty good too!

After the rain stopped and things began to dry quickly the next day, we were on to another adventure.

We have been exploring all the natural benefits of living in the Greater Phoenix area. Most recently, the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is the latest checked off our bucket list of things to do while in Arizona. We were lucky to have waited until a relatively cool day (think 60s) after a day of rain.

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a large area in Scottsdale that is free and offers many trails to hike, bike, and ride horses on. We began at the Bajada Nature Trail. It is a short interpretive loop, handicap accessible and pet friendly. It teaches people about the flora and fauna in the area as well as the geology of the area. The geology marker was interactive with samples of rocks one might find in the area. I learned many things about the desert ecosystem in this .5 mile loop. 

We started hiking on the Gateway Loop Trail and eventually broke off and ended up at Inspiration Point. It even rained on us up there, I guess a little added inspiration :)! We ended up hiking about 7.5 miles here! It was a great workout and the trails were not too difficult. There were a lot of ups and downs instead of a continuous incline, which I prefer. It was also a bit cloudy, which helped ease the intensity of the sun. 

I saw a little lizard and many beautiful wildflowers starting to change a brown/green landscape to a quite colorful with pops of yellows, oranges, pinks, purples, and whites. In the coming weeks the cacti will begin to bloom as well, we saw evidence in many buds forming on prickly pears and ocotillo. 

Yesterday, I saw the prickly pear blossoms for the first time. The only ones with the true magenta flowers were the prickly pears in the median strip of Scottsdale Road. This however, does not detract from their beauty and only serves as an indicator for what we have to look forward to in our last month here. 

Until then...

Hanging out in Scottsdale

We have been living in Scottsdale for a little over a month now, however we haven't spent too much time here. Last night we visited Four Peaks Brewing Company, the largest microbrew in Arizona. Just to make sure we covered out bases, we shared a flight of their 8 mainstay beers. The bartenders were quite helpful, very friendly, and knowledgeable in their beers! To top off a wonderful beer experience, the food was very good as well!

This morning, we hiked Camelback Mountain. Every day we see it, as Camelback Mountain is visible from our balcony. This morning was cloudy and cool (60s) with a nice breeze. This made great weather for climbing ~3 miles and 1230ft. There are two trails that take you up and down this mountain, one is pet friendly and the other is not. We chose to take Kobi, therefore we settled on the Cholla Trail. 

The Cholla Trail has a difficult trail rating, we didn't think it was too bad. There is a nice crushed granite trail a majority of the way. Toward the top there is a bit more scrambling up rocks, large leaps, and tricky footing. I managed to scrape my lower left calf on one rock, but it was minor. Kobi and Nate came out unscathed. I would say the most difficult part of the experience was dodging other people. 

From the top, you could see the entire valley including many ballparks, Downtown Phoenix, many many golf courses, and some very nice homes with pools. You can also trace the valley by the surrounding mountains that seem to encircle Camelback Mountain.

I would do this one again in a heartbeat! Bring water!

Scottsdale

Last weekend was our first full weekend in the Phoenix area! We found a place to stay and made it our temporary home relatively fast. After a full week of working for Nate, it was his first day off. I applied for several jobs and was fortunate enough to be hired within several days (working at a little giftshop in Old Town Scottsdale). 

The past few days, we have both had opportunities to explore Old Town Scottsdale. We are about 1/2 mile from Old Town and very close to a bike path. There is always a lot of action going on around us, especially with the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, and PGA Tour going on. We might see a bit of a lull, but Spring Training starts up soon and we live extremely close to the Scottsdale Stadium where the San Francisco Giants play. The Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks share a stadium in Scottsdale not far from us. The Cactus League stadiums are all over the Phoenix area and we have seen several just driving around!

I had utilized the Indian Bend Wash bike path nearly every day since being here. There are many golf courses along the way, a disc golf course, and the training facility for the Giants. I see a lot of bikers, dog walkers, and power walkers daily as well. It is a nice little path winding through parks and "green spaces" along the way. Many culverts and ponds are along the way with a good variety of birds. 

This week we went to Fashion Square Mall where ESPN has set up their headquarters for the Super Bowl. We went late in the day, however we still saw Chris Carter and several other NFL analysts. I don't have many pictures of the area because I don't always carry my phone or camera with me. Pictures to follow as I get them. 

All in all, Old Town Scottsdale seems like a nice place for us to call home for the next few months.