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...Phoenix Style... my heat-beating suggestions:
1) Tubing down the Salt River... I have ALWAYS wanted to do this (since we moved here). Keeper always shot me down saying "I think that's trashy..." well, he was right. We confirmed with friends a few weeks ago, that yes, tubing down the Salt River is a thing that trashy people do...that doesn't mean it wasn't fun and it definitely cooled us off! Last Saturday, we met up with a few of Keeper's classmates and headed out to Mesa for our river ride. We did not have to pay to rent tubes or use the shuttle since one of Keeper's classmates is a Phoenix native and was very familiar with the ins and outs of tubing. We had our own tubes and strategically left cars at both ends of the ride. We roped our 5 tubes together, roped our coolers with plenty of beer and water in the middle and set off. The river was really low and instead of taking 3-4 hours for the trip it took SEVEN!!! Needless to say, although fun and refreshing, we were ready to be done about 3 hours before we hit the endpoint. The water was cold, the scenery was amazing (cacti, canyons, birds), and the people were... amusing if nothing else. I guess tubing is known as THE summer thing to do with the party crowd and we were surrounded by groups of "frat" boys (although some that we talked to admitted to not being in college so I use that term loosely) and other various white trash groups. We witnessed marshmallow throwing, funneling of beer, shots and some really trashy conversations...but our little group had fun anyway :) No pics to post because our camera would have gotten ruined...
2) D'backs game: with the roof closed, of course. I love how there are windows around the stadium so you still get all the natural sunlight pouring in, but none of the heat. I would say Chase Field is kept a comfortable 75 degrees or so. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon indoors.
3) Early morning running...nothing like getting up at 5am everyday on your summer vacation...but it sure beats the heat stroke and dehydration that would accompany running later in the day. I've upped my water intake for the day, upped my Emergen-C consumption to replace electrolytes...and I have the liberty of taking a nap after practice on most days when I need to.
4) Evening dog walks. Poor Onyx and her black fur...we have to wait until after 7pm and even then her walks are very short. It is nice that the grassy lawn inside our condo complex is mostly shaded so she can run around and play in the shade when she needs to...but she is definitely perplexed at being cooped up inside most of the time. I would love to sneak her into the pool. Just once :)
Yesterday, Keeper and I decided to take Onyx up to Payson for her first summer hike. We chose to revisit a hike we'd done in August of 2007 (right after we first moved here): Horton Creek Hike. We got up early, drove the 2 hours to the Upper Tonto Campground/Traihead and began the hike. Although it was warm in Payson (mid 80's) we were definitely not complaining considering the near 100 degree temperatures in Phoenix of late. We had our new hiking boots (thanks, REI mega-sale!), our picnic lunch/snacks and plenty of water. We remember the trail being a lot more crowded two years ago (lots more dogs) but yesterday it was pretty quiet. We passed hikers here and there but for the most part, we let Onyx off the leash and she was fine. She loved being leash-free and trotting next to us (or a little in front or behind). She was definitely sniffing the many new smells of the forest and tried to chase a lizard or two. She LOVED the creek. We knew Labs loved water but she was in HEAVEN. She jumped right in, splashed all around, got plenty of drinks, stuck her face in the water multiple times, chased sticks, etc. We knew Onyx probably wouldn't make the whole 8 miles of the hike but she did make it well over 6. At 3 miles, we stopped for lunch and let her splash around in the creek for awhile before turning around and heading back to the car. She got tired during the last 2 miles and kept lying down in every patch of shade she could find. We got her back to the car, gave her plenty of water, and she was very quiet on the ride back home. We stopped at Sonic for some post-hiking treats (a coke for Keeper, a slushie for me, and a cup of ice for Onyx) and we decided to give her a bath when we got home to wash all the dirt and mud off of her. I don't think I have ever seen her so tired! Needless to say, for the first time in weeks, she did not wake me up before my alarm clock went off this morning!
~chicken pot pie lunch at Grandma & Pap's
I had a great trip and am looking forward to the time when I do not have to fly to see my family... a drive down for a weekend here and there will be much more practical than a big trip every summer (without Keith & Onyx).
