I recently visited the area of Phoenix, Arizona for the first time since becoming an adult. Recently my daughter completed a mission for our church near the area of Scottsdale. She would be our guide. I didn't plan much (unlike usual), which led to many unexpected experiences. Here's a list of ten pleasant surprises we encountered.
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| Mural in Downtown Phoenix. |
1. Downtown Phoenix. We parked near Roosevelt and Second Street with the intention of perusing the Arts District. The place was busier than normal with a long line of people waiting to enter some sort of cannabis convention. That wasn't our thing so we continued walking and ended up in the center of town near Chase Field (home to the Arizona Diamondbacks) and below all the skyscrapers. We found an alleyway with walls covered in street art. It was a cool place to chill and take photos.
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| Box of BoSa Donuts. |
2. BoSa Donuts. Kaitlyn was excited to take us to this donut shop. BoSa Donuts is based in Arizona and has an amazing selection of this tasty confectionery. We stopped by a shop in Mesa and it was a relief to be away from the hustle and bustle of the more popular areas. If I lived near a BoSa, I would definitively come often as I have a weakness for donuts.
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| Eating at The Beach House. |
3. Eating with the Riggses. One of the great pleasures of this trip was to meet with people that Kaitlyn worked with on her mission. One such duo was Brother and Sister Riggs, an elderly missionary couple who live in the area. They met us at The Beach House on Camelback Road, a quaint joint that serves tacos and slushies. The Riggses had no problem at all talking with us. They carried on as if we had been lifelong friends. Indeed we shared a common culture and heritage which helped give us an immediate connection. They were kind, gentle, down to earth and very personable. In the end they insisted on paying for our meals and gave us all hugs as we parted.
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| Top of Camelback Mountain. |
4. Camelback Mountain. Since the first time Kaitlyn wrote home after climbing Camelback Mountain, I knew it was a hike on which she wanted to take me. We almost didn't get to go because parking was full and law enforcement officers were turning cars away. This hike is probably the most popular in the Phoenix area. When we finally got our turn I was impressed with the scenic vistas, saguaro cacti and relentless uphill slope of the hike. Definitely not for the weak.
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| Arizona sunset. |
5. Sunsets. Need I say more? We hardly saw a single cloud, but watching the sun go down behind Arizona palm trees is enough to make me nostalgic.
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| Easter Pageant at the Mesa, Arizona Temple. |
6. Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant. On the north lawn of the Mesa Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is held the largest annual outdoor Easter Pageant in the world. I barely knew this existed until a couple weeks before we came, and we just happened to be there for Easter weekend. I will admit that it was bigger and more impressive than I expected. Thousands were gathered on chairs and blankets to watch the pageant. The musical, which lasted slightly over an hour, included 450 actors. The production is titled Jesus the Christ, and depicts the life of the Savior from before his birth until the time of his resurrection. It was a very pleasant evening under the warm Arizona air.
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| Town Lake in Tempe, Arizona. |
7. Chilling at Tempe Town Lake. This wasn't planned at all. In fact, we hoped to walk through the botanical gardens, but when we learned it was $39 per person just to enter, we said no way! So we drove down the road and ended up in Tempe. The town lake is the result of damming up the Salt River and creating a lake that looks like an even bigger river. There is a park along the shore called Tempe Beach Park. We enjoyed sitting at the edge of the water and watching the boats on the lake and people walking through the park.
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| Headstone of Waylon Jennings. |
8. Waylon Jennings' Grave. Our purpose of going to the Mesa City Cemetery was to visit the grave of my fourth great grandfather, Joseph Ellis Johnson. He is buried in the older section. But to my great surprise I learned that country music legend, Waylon Jennings, was buried a few sections away. I used this as a teaching experience for the kids. We got their picture with the headstone and then listened to the Dukes of Hazzard theme song on the way out.
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| Meeting the Juarez family. |
9. The Juarez Family. Our final day in Phoenix was a Sunday and we chose to attend a Spanish-speaking congregation for Sabbath worship. There we met several people who knew my daughter and spoke fondly of her. But it was Elvira Juarez and her two daughters who spent the most time with us. We sat in the pew just behind them and talked for several minutes before the meeting started. It delighted my soul to meet people that had such a loving connection with my daughter.
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| View of Table Mesa, north of Phoenix. |
10. Table Mesa Road. This was a location just north of Phoenix. We had to find a spot to change out of our Sunday clothes and I chose here, a location off the beaten path that would give us authentic scenery and privacy at the same time. We turned off the freeway onto this road and I will admit that I was a little hesitant. It looked eerily similar to the border with Mexico and I didn't want to get shot. Saguaro cactus dotted the arid hillside. Even if it was only brief, I was excited to be here.
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| Arizona Canal looking back toward Camelback Mountain. (photo by Nicholas Gerbis) |
Bonus: Canals. I was very surprised to see so many wide canals carrying water across the valley. How can such a hot and dry place have so much water? But the bigger intrigue came when I learned that many of these canals had ancient origins. When the first European settlers arrived in the Salt River Valley they found an extensive network of abandoned canals built over a thousand years ago by the Hohokam people. Much of this civilization remains a mystery, but archeologists now agree that it was the largest irrigation system in North America at the time. The original settlers built and expanded on this early canal system. In this manner, the Phoenix area has been an oasis for over a thousand years. ♠
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