This wasn’t much as a hike per se, however it was someplace we had never visited as a group. Tom and Jeannie Van Lew, Pam and Genevieve Smith, Ray Brandt, Mike Haverty, Joe Michalides, John and Dorothy Hilty and Ben Velasquez all met at the Arboretum for a morning tour on a bright and clear November morning.

The arboretum consists of a network of interconnecting trails. Along these trails, thousands of water efficient plants from arid and semi-arid regions of North America, South America, the Near East, Africa, Central Asia and Australia attract the visitors’ attention.

We began our tour at the Interpretive Center. We then walked around the Cactus garden and discovered the Boojum Tree. We walked around Ayer Lake, a man-made oasis to store water for irrigating the Arboretum’s gardens.

Our guide pointed out the original Boyce house and then we found the cool shade of towering trees in Queen Creek Canyon. We walked through the Eucalyptus Forest where we found more sculptures.

We had the opportunity to see and learn about the magnificent Zimbabwean Shona style of sculpture as the Arboretum hosted an exhibit of “Chapungu: Custom and Legend, a Culture in Stone”. There were 67 pieces ranging in size from 500-6,000 pounds and grouped in thematic displays along the main trail. Sculptures range from ten-foot monoliths of people to smaller, fanciful depictions of animals, African village life and the spiritual world.

After the tour many of us drove into Superior and had pizza at Eduardo’s before heading home.