Sunday, November 30, 2008

Take a Hike!

No, I don't mean in a bad way, not in a "get the heck out of here" way. I mean, let's go for a hike at the White Tank Mountains? What do you say?

We set out around 11am this morning, the White Tank Mountains Regional Park is only 11 mins from base and it's such a beautiful area, filled with trails of all kinds, little nooks and crannies, Saguaro Cactus as far as the eye can see, and even a little waterfall.

So come with me and I'll take you on the hike, it was a beautiful day, 72 degrees, a light breeze and tons of other families hiking and walking with their pets.

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We picked the Waterfall Trail which is 0.5 miles long and home to Petroglyph Plaza. I tell you, seeing those up close is just absolutely amazing. If only I knew what they meant.

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Getting higher into the mountain and closer to the waterfall. This waterfall is dry unless there's been a lot of rain lately, luckily for us, last week was filled with rainy days.

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One of the tanks filled with water, we found out that this is what gives the White Tank Mountains their name........the tanks of water found throughout the park.

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Getting to the waterfall was fun, to say the least, we had to climb over rocks and water tanks.

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The park has worked hard at making a lot of the place more accessible, up until about a year or so ago, these rock stairs did not exist.

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Time to stop for some photographs with the beautiful scenery behind, I just love the ones of daddy and kids.

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Of course mommy and daddy were having a lot of fun too....sorry it's a bit blurry.

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Stunning HUGE HUGE Saguaro Cactus, you have no idea how tall these things are. Actually if you click on one of the thumbnails above, there is a photo of me and the kids next to one, we look tiny.

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Moss was everywhere and I just had to snap a picture, it's such a rich green color, gorgeous.

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It was a wonderful day, for only $6 per vehicle to get in for the day and so much to explore, it's one of those inexpensive ways to have fun with the family. If you're ever around the area, be sure to check it out.

I leave you with a view of Phoenix from the White Tank Mountains....the smog is horrible, look at that brown cloud over the area

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22 comments:

Amy said...

What a beautiful hike! I haven't been to the White Tank Mountains yet... how fun!!

Isn't that yucky smog just the grossest?? Ugh!

Thanks so much for sharing your day!

Hugs.. Amy

Mike Golch said...

Sandra, that was a fun hike that you took me with you on,thanks for taking me along.Hugs.

La Dolce Vita with LeAnn said...

I certainly need to take a hike after all the gobbling I did....so thanks for taking me along. It was beautiful!

Stacia said...

Sandra that looks like you had a fabulous day. :-)
I truly needed to see your post and pretend I had your day instead of mine. ;-)
Thanks for the amazing photos of sunshine and good times!

everyday mom of one said...

It looks like you had a wonderful day. I wish I had places like that around here. We live in the flat lands. I don't even know if I could climb a hill anymore LOL

Steph at Problem Solvin' Mom said...

What beautiful scenery and adorable family photos - thanks for bringing us along!

Mari said...

You guys do such fun things as a family! It looks beautiful and I love the pictures!

Hartsheart2heart said...

What beautiful pictures. Looks like a WONDERFUL day with your family. Blessings & thanks for sharing. :o)

Michelle said...

that looks like it was such a lovely day and family outing!

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful!! I used to live in Peoria for a while and the general phoenix area.. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it!

Lara said...

Hi Sandra,
I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I loved the photos.

Linds said...

What a fabulous day! This is just what I absolutely love doing - hiking!

Jen said...

We havent been hiking in years....I loved looking at your pics....I know you all had a great time.

Cheri said...

That looks so fun- what amazing scenery and the weather was perfect!

All My Blessings said...

Wow, What a beautiful day. You always take such nice pictures. I like the way you take your kids along with you, they are lucky. Kae

Lara said...

Great Pictures!!! Wish I was there to enjoy the nice weather.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking me along on your family hike.. stunning views and great pictures of the area.
What a shame the smog has to hang over the city. I use to live in LA so I know all about the nasty smog.

Allie Z said...

Sandra, I had no idea you were in AZ let alone stationed where you are. Wow! I have been following your blog for a few months now, and I would never have guessed. I'd send you an email, but I can't seem to locate your email address on here... Do you two attend CCV too? I'm in Phoenix in NE Glendale. I think that we see each other regularly and never knew it.

Thanks for sharing the photos of the mountains! We were just ta the WTs two weeks back, but we weren't sure where to hike, etc. Have you done the moonlight hike? That sounds like os much fun with the kiddos!

Talk to you later :)

Allie

The Raggedy Girl said...

How beautiful and thank you for surprising me when I dropped by to visit for taking me on a hike. I used to hike all the time until a back injury sidelined me so your photos were very special to me. Thank you so much. Your family is beautiful.

Roberta Anne

Anonymous said...

Hi Sandra,
What a wonderful day you all had. So very pretty.
Hugs,
Elizabeth

Cindy said...

Looks like a fun family hike! What a beautiful area to go exploring!

Kirstin said...

What beautiful pictures. How do get the ones in groupings like that?