Cartwheelin' into South Mountain

From the Tucson area, I headed to Scottsdale.  I have been here before also, but haven't had too much opportunity to spend time with a good friend who lives here during those past visits.  Even while doing something low-key, Jessica and I always have a good time.  I arrived in the late evening and we spent it catching up at a place where an 80's hairband went on stage.  They were pretty good, and definitely entertaining!

 

Monday, Jessica had class and allowed me to sort out some photos and organize the car during the day.  Then I did something that I had not done in about a decade: rode a bicycle.  The saying is obviously true ("it's something you never forget how to do, like riding a bike"), because I did not fall and break my arm, or any other bone for that matter. 

 

I was so pleased with myself :)  And it was a blast!  I had so much fun, I am considering to buy a bicycle for next spring to start riding in Chicago.  We rode through a park and around a golf course... and stopped to do some cartwheels on the course, just for the heck of it!

 Finished the night off with a couple terrible movies at the drive-in theater.  I love drive-in theaters, and the occasional bad movie, so it was still an awesome end to a really fun day.

My final day in Scottsdale was spent riding around in a golf cart and watching the sun set in South Mountain. 

 I never knew people had a separate mini garage door, specifically for golf carts!  They do, and Jessica's mom does, so we took the cart out for a ride after my first lunch at Chick Fillet(yummy).  Sped around in the cart, scared the ducks, ducks chased us after, and then headed out towards the mountain (in a car, not the golf cart!).

South Mountain was really beautiful.  Really hilly, covered in cactus plants, awesome sunset.  I don't know if Jessica's dog, Rascal, liked the mountains as much as I did but I really enjoyed the day, and the visit to Scottsdale in general. 

 It was so great of Jessica and Matt to put me up these few days.  (And, for the record, I had NO influence on any classes that Jess might have "missed" during my visit!) 

This week has given me the chance to be reminded of the pace of living I am used to- a chance to take a break from the road for a while.  I didn't want the trip to feel like an express train without any stops.  Well, after the next few days of sightseeing, I'll be stopped again in Vegas with friends and then on the road for quite a stretch again... don't worry.