Pinetop!

Keeper's summer break this year was almost non-existent ( 3 days instead of 3+ weeks) so we had to plan for our summer getaway a little closer to home. We opted for a trip that was in cooler weather and where we could bring Onyx with us. We decided on the White Mountains of AZ, more specifically Pinetop (about 3 hours, 45 minutes from Phoenix). We rented a cabin from Moonridge Lodge & Cabins for 3 nights and were apprehensive about the quality of the place. We got a "studio" which consisted of a big open floor plan (kitchen, bathroom, couch, tv, fireplace, double bed, and single bed). We tried to find reviews on Yelp of the place but there were none up there. I did find some sketchy ones from Yahoo; half of them were positive, half were negative. All the positive reviews were written the same day, all the negative ones were written the same day....something fishy was going on.
We decided to just see how it was and keep the reservation. We left Phoenix in the afternoon (after the World Cup final) and drove up the Bee Line Highway to Payson. From Payson, we took Route 260 east and saw a sign that said "Caution: mudslide: 9 miles ahead". Um what? The road was not closed and everyone seemed to still be driving ahead although it was obvious that there were storm clouds... well 9 miles ahead and we were in a dead standstill...for an hour and half. People were getting out of their cars and walking forward to try and see what was going on. Finally, an emergency vehicle drives by and announces that the road would open up in 10 minutes. Traffic started moving slowly and we did see (eventually) the spot were the mud (rivers) had flown over the road and down the mountain. Keeper at this point, had no idea what time we'd make it to Pinetop. He called the lodge and the lady told him we had 3 options: 1) come up in the morning and stay and extra night at the end of our trip (not an option since Keeper had class on Thursday), 2) reschedule the whole trip and use our 3 nights anytime in the next 6 months, or 3) get their after the office had closed, she would leave the key and a map to our cabin and check in in the morning... we decided to motor on and got to the cabin around 8pm. It was surprisingly clean and charming... phew!Monday morning we woke up, made breakfast, found a coffee shop and headed out to do a short hike in the morning. We chose Springs Trail, which was about 3.5 miles round trip. It was perfect for getting used to the elevation and Onyx LOVED the shady, soft dirt path and the creek to play in. We love being able to let her off the leash and get her exercise. After the hike we went back to the cabin so Keeper could check in officially. We made a picnic lunch and headed to Woodland Lake Park to do another quick hike and have lunch. The area was less shaded and it had gotten warm so Onyx wasn't going to make it that far. We had our lunch and walked another 3.5 miles before we got caught in a thunderstorm and decided to call it a day. We came back to the cabin, showered, took a nap, and then Keeper made steak for dinner on the grill!Tuesday morning, I woke up early and went for a 7 mile run. I mapped out the run to start from our cabin, head uphill for 2 miles to the park we went to the day before and do a lap and half around the lake (paved path) before heading back. I was worried about the altitude but the cool weather outweighed the altitude and I had a great run. Keeper and Onyx went to the park while I was running. Then we all had breakfast, packed a picnic lunch and drove north to the Petrified National Forest/Painted Desert for the day. The park was only 70 miles away from where we were staying so I figured why not? We drove in through the south entrance, stopped at the visitor center, did a quick walk, and then drove the 28 mile road through the park stopping at various peaks to take pictures. It was much warmer here than in the mountains and Onyx really minded the heat. After a few stops we decided to not take her out of the car each time. It was a really beautiful place and I'm glad we got to experience it.
On Wednesday morning, we slept in, checked out, and ventured back to Phoenix a different way than we had come. We drove down through the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and were amazed by the views. We took Route 60 (through Globe) and were treated to a magnificent view of the Salt River Canyon. We arrived home in early afternoon... enough time to take a nap, unpack, and grab a run on the treadmill before it was back to school for Keeper on Thursday!