We had the best spring break ever! We left cold, snowy Memphis and arrived in warm, sunny Scottsdale to start the trip. We got there around lunchtime and got a quick recommendation on a lunch spot in Old Town. We had lunch and walked around Old Town enjoying the beautiful weather, cool scenery and festivity that is spring training in Arizona!
The boys loved the pool and insisted on swimming every day that we were there. The pool was near the bar and the poolside weather was amazing, so we didn't object : )
We started off or first full day bright and a little earlier than planned. We learned quickly that we were the only ones in Scottsdale who "sprang forward" since Arizona doesn't participate in daylight savings time! It worked out fine, though, and we arrived at the Desert Botanic Garden just as it opened.
The pictures speak for themselves, but the garden was beautiful. We all learned a lot about the landscape and plants, too. It was a great way to start the trip and get ready for all the interesting and unusual things we were going to see.
We could see several big rock formations from the Botanic Garden, and the boys were dying to climb something. So, we headed over to hole in the rock for an easy climb up to the top. There were stairs made out of rock, so it really wasn't as much climbing as they wanted. After a few pictures at the top, they found some cool spots to climb around the base of the rock. We had no idea how much they would love all the rocks and climbing in Arizona - it was like a giant jungle gym!
After a morning of climbing, we headed to our first spring training game. We were able to walk from our hotel to Scottsdale Stadium to see the Giants and Diamondbacks. The boys were able to get a few autographs which made their day.
The game was fun, but it was hot! There was virtually no shade at this stadium, so we put on lots of sunscreen and walked around in the shade after a while. I never knew that 85 degrees could be so hot!
The next day, we started off another morning bright and early at the ranch! We were at Ponderosa Ranch at 8 a.m. for a morning horseback ride. The boys had never ridden a horse, so it was fun to have a new experience. Reed was a little bit afraid at first, but with some skillful coaching from the cowboy, we were off!
The ride itself was about an hour through the desert. We saw some cool sights and learned a little about the area.
After horseback riding, we went out to Talking Stick for our second spring training game. This stadium was newer and absolutely amazing. There was lots of shade too, so we all enjoyed this game much more! The Rockies and Reds were signing tons of autographs and the boys were super excited. They even had a cool little baseball field for kids where staff was pitching and kids could hit and run the bases. Reed loved it.
Our time in Scottsdale flew by, so on our last night there, we picked a restaurant in the heart of Old Town and ended up having some of the most amazing tacos we've ever had. We used one of the golf cart taxis to get to dinner - very fun! After dinner we walked around a couple shops and had ice cream at the Sugar Bowl.
Somewhere along our walk, Reed managed to touch a cactus and get tiny little cactus "hairs" in his hands. He was not happy, and we were pulling these tiny hairs out for two days!
On our way out of Scottsdale to the Grand Canyon, we made a stop by Camelback Mountain. We made it a pretty good distance up the trail, but it got too steep for us! The views were absolutely amazing, and we were so glad to end our time in Phoenix in that way.
