All 15 of us had a fantastic hike at Spur Cross. The weather cooperated (never above 74), the flowers were out in full force, the scenery was ‘Arizona lush’, and the natural camaraderie all made for a great day.

The scenery was incredible, lush by Arizona standards, with wildflowers all over the place.

Interestingly enough, since I was last at Spur Cross, several benches were placed on the trail. But of course, we had to sit on the old saguaro for a little break. It’s what we do!

There is a solar oasis along the Metate trail, and it is always fun to stop and check out the water lilies.

After the Solar Oasis we took the Spur Cross trail up the Tortuga loop. This was a bit of a climb, but as Diva pointed out, a great workout. We then joined the Tortuga trail and hiked down towards Dragonfly. As we hiked down the Tortuga trail, it was like hiking through a green meadow, everything was so lush and green that one might be forgiven for thinking we were in Switzerland ... just kidding, but it was lovely.

We continued down the Dragonfly Trail and into the Jewel of the Creek Preserve. This is a gorgeous place. We’re so very lucky to have it close to Phoenix.

Bridge jumping could be a new activity on our hikes. Having fun was part of the game!

After playing in the water we made our way back to the parking lot. The hike was just right at 6 miles and by noon we were hungry. Most of us went to Tonto Bar and Grill for a wonderful lunch al fresco. In thinking about lunch, I had failed to consider that Carefree had a big event on that same Saturday morning and most restaurants were booked. But, not to worry, Rebecca worked her magic and secured this excellent restaurant for us.

Thanks to Monika for making sure we did not lose anyone, Jim for doing the stats, Dave for helping navigate and especially, a Big Thanks to everyone for enjoying the day together!