Discovering The Deserts of Arizona

My family and I recently took a trip to Arizona to visit family.  The flight there was a bit rough as a huge storm hung like a Miss America contestant’s sash across our nation’s midsection from Canada to Mexico.  As I get older, my tolerance for riding in airplanes is getting less and less.  My balance has never been quite right after I had vertigo so maybe that’s part of it.  Anyway, by the time it was time to disembark I was very pale and in desperate need of fresh air.  After we got our luggage and rode a bus, which didn’t help my motion sickness, to get our rental car we were set for an hour and a half’s ride to Payson. 

The city of Phoenix was warm, dry surrounded by stretching fields of different hues of mauve colored dirt.  I welcomed this after a long, grey and cold snowy winter and spring weather not much better.  It wasn’t long before we were on Route 87 with desert wilderness on either side of the road.  The saguaro cacti stand for decades on end with their arms up as if waving hello to passersby.  The mountains begin to elbow their way skyward; higher and higher the further north we travel.  As I looked out the window I saw an occasional small grouping of tiny low-lying houses or a ranch but mostly I see scraggly bushes.   Once in a while I would see flashes of red.  It was the ocotillo plant that looks like an upside down spazzy octopus with bright red clusters of small flowers at the tips.  This was our first time visiting in the late spring when the mountain air is warmer and the winter snows have watered parched plants in order for a surprisingly bright floral display come springtime. 

When we arrived at our hotel, we were already eager for the generous breakfast buffet in the morning.  They have a waffle iron so anyone can make fresh waffles as desired.  I like to see the faint smile on Alan’s lips as he saunters over to make one for himself.  He usually asks if I’d like one but I think it’s more for the fun of making one more rather than filling my stomach.  Nate likes the fact he can have a bagel with cream cheese every morning.  I like that they have a pretty good variety of breakfast foods but my will power is strong enough to resist the not-so healthy stuff.

The town of Payson is surrounded by miles upon miles of state park which, for a native Jersey girl, is a refreshing change from living with every bit of real estate having a manmade structure on it.  We met up with Alan’s brother, Mike, and went on many adventures.  The first was at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  When we went last year, we walked over the bridge and “oooed” and “ahhhed” at the immense tunnel.  This year we tried a new trail that follows a creek.  Well, it was more like a series of stagnant pools left from the melting winter snow.  It was very rocky and was more like an amble than hike but it was worth seeing rocks that looked like slides from the water rushing over for centuries.  It was such an interesting sight that I wasn’t bothered so much by the hundreds of skittering spiders hiding in the gravel beneath our feet.

There was another small trail that led to a special area where the water fell in gentle curtains on tendrils of angel hair ferns in front of the small caves.  It was a wonderful surprise to feel the cool droplets of water on my sun-warmed skin and completely refreshing especially when land and air are so dry.  I half expected little faeries to come out of hiding and fly around us spreading pixie dust.

My idea of refreshing was superseded when we went to Fossil Creek.  To get to it, we had to drive a half hour on a dusty, gravel road with terrific and stomach turning views of the canyon far below.  Nonetheless, this place is a true oasis.  Although we didn’t hike to it this time, there is a spring that gushes out so much water that it creates a fairly large creek.  Mike told us not to expect to find fossils but rather everything the water touches is covered in a chalky like substance from the high mineral content.

When we got out of the car, it was ten degrees warmer than when we first began our descent into the valley.  A quick change into shorts and sporting our backpacks, we were ready for adventure.  We didn’t see a trailhead so we took a steep path down to the creek bed.  After I got my footing, my focus was immediately drawn to the rushing water sound and I was struck by the beauty I saw.  Not too often have I seen such a place where nature has not been rearranged by man to make it “beautiful.”  Perhaps that was not the complete case here but I was so overwhelmed by its beauty that I would not have wanted to believe it.

The rocks and boulders gave their shoulders to the sun and our feet as we tread on them.  A log that had dropped in a shallow pool had already been encased by a mineral cast.  The water was a gentle blue color in some areas, like that of the Caribbean Sea.  The sun was efficient at heating us so that we took to hiking in the creek itself.  At first the coolness felt sharp against our skin but we soon became accustomed to it.  Because the water comes from an underground spring, the temperature stays the same – never too cool but also not too warm. 

Nate, who had tried walking across a shallow area, tripped and fell in.  Shortly after, he began to shiver so we stopped in a flat area and used a sun-warmed boulder like a hot plate so Nate could warm up.  We began to talk about going back to the car but the inner kid in me desperately wanted to hike on to see more.  It’s terrible to admit I wanted to shirk my motherly duties to my son so I could go have fun.  Alan knew I wanted to go ahead a little further and encouraged Mike and I to go on for a while.  With more gratitude than I could express, I shifted my backpack and took to the towering wall of rocks next to us.

I cannot say that I am in great physical shape but I felt like I glided over fields of rocks as if it were flat land.  The excitement of seeing what further mysteries the creek could offer us propelled me forward.  I was feeling like I was a teenager again with endless energy and not a care in the world.  We reached an area where a family decided to enjoy their afternoon.  It was this exact spot that we would return to a few days later.

A waterfall had cut its way through rock and fed into a deep turquoise colored pool.  I could not believe that the beauty I saw at this place a few days ago could be usurped but it was.  There was a shallow area where the kids could safely walk around and splash in the warmer water.  Alan and Mike climbed to the higher rocks which offered a balcony view of our playground.  They took turns jumping off.  It looked like fun until I climbed up there.  Perhaps if the water was warmer I would have decided to be a daredevil like the guys.  That’s the story I’m sticking with anyway.

When we got back to New Jersey, I did not feel rested although satisfied we did so many cool things plus spent time with family we don't see very often.  I dislike using clichés but I needed a vacation from my vacation.  I have to say that if you are looking for family adventure with low or no cost, check out Arizona beyond the cities and tourist towns.  The month of May seems to be like a really good time to go.  Nature has so much awe and beauty to reveal to you if you are willing to look for it.