With a 5:30am wake up call, barely able to focus as a fumble for the soap in hopes to awaken me with some sort of aromatic slap in the face, but to no avail, with only 3 hours of sleep under my belt (due to last minute packing), I sluggishly wheeled myself and luggage to the airport for our 7:30am flight to Phoenix.
Landing in Phoenix proved for a new city and a new adventure...not to mention a whole new level of topography and meaning of the word "dry heat." Not like the lei I hope to be greeted with tomorrow when landing in Honolulu, and eventually Kauai, Phoenix decided to embrace me with a stifling 109 degree full body hug. Rental car for the day picked up, and off it was to a quick check into one of many Hilton Garden Inns (who knew?) our savior Yelp came to the rescue of determing where we were to have a true local yocal taste of Phoenix. Low and behold Cornish Pastey Co. (must read the history of the Pastey to fully appreciate its origin) was on our foodie radar. Yes, yes...for those that know me, I enjoy food. Not in a crazy, 400 lbs, stuck in bed, hoarder kind of way...but in one that enjoys the experimentation, the flavor pairings and layers of food. With us ordering two of their specialty Pasteys, I, the Chicken Tiki Masala with pair yogurt/mint sauce, and James the Greek Pastey with grilled artichokes and calmative olives. Needless YUMM, Yelp strikes again, and with both paired with a Tangerine Ale, perfect power lunch before heading off to the famous red rock hills of the Phoenix area.
With our carb overload, off to Hole in the Rocks to explore the deserts of Phoenix. Truly this being my first time out west and in an actual desert, the topography while driving out of Phoenix ( a mere 15/20min drive) was as if driving on the Planet Mars, especially now that they've found further evidence of water on it. With large red rock formations protruding from the barren earth, sparse shrubs and cacti dotting the landscape, the terrain was widely exciting and I couldn't wait to go explore and capture what I could with my camera, never minding that the car's temperature reading was currently at 118 degrees! Below are some of the picture I took:
After cooling down from some unfamiliar high temps as well as higher elevations, we set off for Camelback Mountain to go take pictures, but once again to our faithful Yelp app (yes not just for restaurants people) we found insider information and reviews on a trail to hike...little did we know what we were getting into. Needless to say two water bottles weren't enough, and debated at one point if we were going to make what went from an above average hiker's step path up the summit of Camelback, to steep rock faces with barely any sign of the trail other than previous hikers footprints left behind. However the highlight of the day, was reaching the second to last summit, approx. 2,100 ft. in elevation and the majesty of towering red rocks that were once above you, were now far below...and the gentle wind blowing up from the valley down below created this moment, or rather connection where there was no sense of the 21st century. I yearn for, and seek those moments, those opportunities in which I'm humbled, and more times than not, those experience I have had, have all involved Nature reminding me of its reign. The centuries of stories and moments passed by these monumental red rock megaliths, are imbedded in their geological grasp, and in a moment of silent, and appreciation of the significance of your insignificance in their presence...they share the ancient energy and wisdom with you.
Goodnight and Mahalo as tomorrow morning I leave Phoenix and arrive in Honolulu.
No comments:
Post a Comment