A Return to Picacho Peak

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It’s just over a 90 mile drive from WestWorld in Scottsdale to Picacho Peak State Park for our next 4 nights. It’s a familiar place for us. We have stayed both in the park and in a private campground half a mile away. We generally have not stayed in the same place multiple times but we do enjoy the park and had the issue of a serious cold front coming thru the area so the idea of boondocking in a casino parking lot just wasn’t that appealing. When we were looking for a place to stay, we lucked into a site being available at the state park for the exact nights we would want to stay. The sites are electric only and they are having potable water issues so we needed to come in with enough water to last for our short stop. (Good thing we read the confirmation email!) But having electric should allow us to be more comfortable on those expected nights below freezing.

Picacho Peak is so named for the prominent peak on the south side of Interstate 10 that rises to nearly 3400 feet or about 1500 feet above the surrounding terrain between Casa Grande and Tucson. While it’s tall, there is actually a taller mountain just a mile or two on the north side of I-10. Newman Peak is over 1000 feet taller than Picacho Peak but it is part of a much larger mountain cluster and so it is much less distinctive. If the weather cooperates, Picacho Peak will be seen for twenty or more miles whether you’re heading east or west along I-10. It’s odd shape acts like a beacon for travelers along the interstate. We made it without incident, got set up and waited for the temperature to start to drop.

Our Site with Picacho Peak in Background

There isn’t a ton of hiking in Picacho Peak so we figured we would head out or first full day to explore elsewhere. We knew there was a nice mountain biking area at Tortolita Preserve and we were considering a return to check it out. But while investigating that area again, I noticed a large number of hiking trails just to the north of the Preserve. We identified the Alamo Springs Trail as a likely candidate for us. At 6 miles and about 1000 feet of elevation, it sounded ideal. It’s only a 32 mile drive but it wasn’t perfectly clear where the trailhead parking was. The area was a rather fancy and exclusive looking place. The parking area seemed to be near the Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain. We turned down a side road and got to a gated community with a large guard station. We figured we had taken a wrong turn, but the guard came out and was quite nice giving us directions to the parking lot that was only 1/2 a mile away. We geared up with our Camelbacks and lunch for a good hike. As we were studying the trail map at the start, a man walked up and started to talk with us. We was part of the Marana Parks crew that also does trail maintenance on the trails in this area. He gave us all sorts of good insights to the trails and what to expect.

Part of Ritz-Carlton

We started out and walked up a wash that goes right by what we assume to be part of the Ritz-Carlton.  Looks like a nice place in a beautiful setting. The Wild Burro Trail is fairly easy to start - either going up the wash or on a trail adjacent to it. There are several other trails, but they are well marked. The wash wasn’t so sandy to make hiking difficult. At the 1.8 mile point, we follow the Alamo Springs Spur trail. This is where we start to pick up some elevation. It’s a rocky trail but not so bad as to be treacherous. There were several geocaches along the way to distract us from the hike. One of them took us off the trail and up another wash a few hundred feet. After finding the cache, we decided it was a great lunch spot.

Lots of Saguaros

Well Marked Trails

Neat Boulder

At the far end of our loop, we were in Tortolita Mountain Park. There were even more trails and geocaches in this area. The Ridgeline Trail looked like it would be a really good trail with great views but it would add another 7 miles or so to the hike. We couldn’t figure out an easy way to get to these other trails since that park is rather remote without other entrance points.

When we get back to the Wild Burro Trail, there was an old well and other remnants from a former ranch. The views were nice from up here but it was time to head back down to the parking area. A mile or so before parking, we ran into the intersection with the Lower Javelina Trail. We opted to take this one to the south of the wash with the hopes of getting to another geocache but found it went up the hill much further than we were intending and other than a good workout, it really didn’t add joy to the hike and didn’t get us to the geocache either. With the multiple detours, our 6 mile hike turned out to be 8 miles but was quite enjoyable.

Old Dried Up Well

Looking Down Wash

Old Building Along Trail

Many Armed Saguaro

The temperature had dropped over night and we awoke to a chilly but sunny morning. We opted to do the one trail in the state park we hadn’t actually accomplished yet. There are two ways to get to the top of Picacho Peak. The Sunset Vista Trail comes up along the backside of the peak from a parking area at the far west end of the park. It is a 5.4 mile round trip hike with 1600 feet of elevation. We had tackled this one when we were here two years ago. The other trail comes up from the front of the peak. The Hunter Trail is only 2.7 miles round trip but gains 2000 feet. It might be clear why we had done the other option last time. Both trails intersect about a third of a mile from the actual peak. Since the Hunter trail is on the north side of the peak, it will be in shade pretty much the whole way up. With the cold weather and the shade, overheating won’t be an issue.

View from Short Distance Up Hunter Trail

The climb starts immediately from the parking area. It really gets the blood flowing quickly. We aren’t in a hurry, so we stop frequently to take in the impressive views that come into view well before the climb is over.  This is one of those hikes where it is really difficult to see where the trail will be taking us. There really doesn’t seem to be a plausible path up. There is what appears to be a sheer cliff that the trail will follow next to before reaching a saddle point. It’s only 0.8 mile to the saddle but we have gained 1100 feet in elevation making it a 26% average grade!

On the Way Up to Saddle Point

View at Saddle Point

Looking Down as Trail Continues

Once at the saddle point, we are back in the sunlight and can see to the other side of the peak. There is a bench here and Chris decides this is her stopping point. She gives me an hour to continue on and return. The next section of the trail actually drops 400 feet in two tenths of a mile for a 37% grade. The good news is there are plenty of cables mounted on metal posts to help with the steep descent. The bad news is needing to lose this much elevation to get around to the backside of the peak. It is slow going but I eventually get around and intersect with the Sunset Vista Trail. Only a third mile more to go but about 550 more feet to climb. I knew this stretch of the hike was the most challenging. There are lots of sections with cables to reduce the chances of falling off the side of the cliffs. I realized that I wouldn’t have nearly the time needed to make it up to the peak and back to the saddle point where Chris was waiting so I opted to turn back. Here is the link to the blog post from the time I actually made it to the top. It was one of my most memorable hikes.

Well Anchored Cables

Steps Need Some Work

Another Steep Section

Great View Near Intersection With Sunset Vista Trail

It was a slight challenge to climb back up the 400 feet to the saddle point. I definitely needed to use the cables to pull myself up and assist the legs. At least I can now say I have hiked all the trails in Picacho Peak State Park. The hike back down wasn’t too bad. Some sections have cables that we didn’t need to get up, but were helpful going down. We had a reason for cutting this hike short. There was entertainment in the park this afternoon and Chris wanted to see it. We went back to the rig to chance out of our damp clothes and bundle up for the event.

Climbing

And More Climbing

Pretty Skies on Hike Down from Saddle Point

Marty Davis is a musician that plays guitar and sings cowboy songs. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I’m not sure I could even name a cowboy song. He was setting up in a very small amphitheater area in the park. The park ranger had started a small generator in order for Marty to use his small sound system. The backdrop was very striking with a small peak behind him and Picacho Peak to the side.  He was rather entertaining. He sang about a dozen songs and there were one or two I had heard before. Many of the other visitors though seemed to know plenty of the songs and would sing along with him. It was rather cold sitting in the shade as the sun started to set but was still fun.

Marty Davis

Singing in the Cold Weather

Not a Bad Venue!

With two major hikes in our first two days here, we needed a break from physical activities. We headed into Casa Grande to check out the library, update apps and maybe upload a blog post. We found this library to have the fastest wi-fi we have come across in our travels. All our tasks seemed to finish quickly. When we returned, the weather was a bit warmer so I went for a short bike ride. A dirt road out of the campground loop led to the main frontage road along the interstate. The only trick was lifting the bike over a locked gate that was positioned over a cattle guard. There wasn’t much traffic on the road although it was rather noisy being right next to I-10. It was a short stop at Picacho Peak but a fun one. Our next stop is another Arizona State Park but one we haven’t visited before - Patagonia State Park, south of Tucson near the Mexican border.

Scottsdale Arizona

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With our windows repaired, we have a very short 35 mile drive from Mesa to Scottsdale. We really haven’t spent much time in the Phoenix area and figure we should give it a try. We have stayed in the general Phoenix just twice back in 2017. We went to an FMCA rally in Chandler and had a great stay at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction. Neither of those stops really gave us the opportunity to explore Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs. We hoped to make up for some of that with a stop at WestWorld in Scottsdale.

Entrance to WestWorld

This place is a very large multi-use event center situated on nearly 400 acres of land. They are definitely setup for equestrian events with hundreds of horse stalls and rings for all sorts of events. It had just recently hosted the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. This would have been a pretty fun thing to experience. Around 1800 vehicles are auctioned off with some of them going for over a million dollars. We were not coming here for any event, just to take advantage of their camping facility. It’s not your typical campground. They have water and electric utilities scattered all over the grounds, generally on the perimeter of some of the event facilities. When they aren’t hosting events, they offer camping sites to others.

We had read blogs of others that had stayed here and it sounded like we wanted to get a spot next to the polo fields. We headed to the RV office and talked with the manager. Turns out we could stay, but only for 7 nights because they have an Arabian Horse Show coming in after that. We probably would have stayed a few extra nights if we could have but we’ll take what we can get. They asked if we were here for the PGA golf tournament? We weren’t but apparently the golf course is just a few blocks away so many of the people staying are here for the nearly weeklong activities. I guess we are here for the events as well whether we want them or not!

Once we got situated in our spot overlooking the polo fields, we investigated what the schedule of events at the Phoenix Open were going to be. Neither of us are golfers, unless you count putt-putt and even then we aren’t very good. My dad used to play golf and I remember being his caddy once for one of his league nights. I was probably only 10 or so and had trouble just carrying his golf bag - this was well before golf carts were common. I just remember watching these “old guys” chasing the little white balls all over the place and deemed it as an “old man’s game”. I figured if I started to play golf it would make me an old man. Even though I’m in my late fifties, l am unwilling to become old!

We had another rig pull into the spot next to us. It was a rental rig and I figured they were likely just passing thru. We went over to chat with the couple to find out they lived in the area and volunteer at the golf tournament. Rather than dealing with the traffic each day, they just rented the camper and would spend the several days using it as their home. We got a good rundown on the tournament from them. The Waste Management Phoenix Open is sort of a cross between a golf tournament and a frat party. If the weather is nice on the Saturday of the event, we should expect between 200,000 to 250,000 people to attend! With close to half a million for the full event. Most of those people aren’t there to watch golf but to drink. If you check online, the WMPO is the top party spot on the PGA tour. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I was expecting.

It turned out they were having free admission for the two practice days before the real events started. Instead of rushing over for the first day, we would just make a day of it and head over on Tuesday. We figured out where to drive to a parking lot to catch a shuttle bus to the golf course. There was a long line of cars but there were plenty of staff directing traffic and it didn’t take too long to get parked. Next was the long line to catch one of the buses. They have metal detectors and all sorts of restrictions on what could be brought in but they do all the screening prior to getting on the never ending stream of buses. I was impressed with how quickly we managed to get thru security and onto a bus. It was a short drive to the event itself and the driver made sure everybody was aware of the spot we needed to return to if we wanted to get back to our parking lot.

Waiting in Line for Bus

Entrance at WMPO

Our neighbors at WestWorld are correct, the TPC Scottsdale course is a beautiful place and the weather was perfect to just walk around to see the various venues and just people watch. Since we aren’t into golf, we don’t know any of the “famous” golfers that might be in our midst. We would probably recognize Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, but neither are playing this tournament. There were lots of people, predominantly kids, with these autograph sheets waiting at the various putting or driving areas for another golfer to walk by and get their signature. Many of them seemed to have 15 to 20 signatures already.

Greenskeeper Building Overlooking Course

Putting Practice

We wandered all over the course, stopping occasionally to watch a group practicing on one of the holes. There are quite a few large structures that are setup to serve food and drinks and provide a great view of the nearby hole. It was busy the day we went but by no means crowded. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it will be like with 5 times more people here on Saturday.

Swirling Sand During Shot

Teeing Off at #7

Beautiful Mountain Backdrop

The most interesting hole is #16. It’s a par 3 that is completely surrounded by bleachers or huge covered lounge areas. It can hold 16,000 people. From the sounds of things, it can get rather rowdy here - not your typical golf etiquette. I suppose that’s what happens when you have that many well inebriated people in a confined space. From the looks of things, the lounge areas require some sort of admission fee but it sounds like it’s an open bar? I checked online after the fact. A Skybox at #16 will allow you and 33 of your friends to have complimentary breakfast, lunch and an open bar for a mere $53,000!

From General Admission Seats at #16 - Looking at Green

From General Admission Seats at #16 - Looking Back to Tee Area

We spent several hours wandering around and eventually got hungry. There are lots of food choices and actually had some decent Mexican food for lunch. There are numerous pro shops with all sorts of clothing and golf souvenirs. This will likely be our only PGA event, but we still weren’t inclined to buy anything. Later in the afternoon, we headed back to the area where our bus stop was - us and hundreds of others. Again, the wait was not too bad but our bus driver this time had been driving to one of the other lots all day but was reassigned to our lot due to the large volume of people needing to get there. With the help of the passengers, we eventually got back to our car.

Big Lake at TPC Scottsdale

Got Bored with Golf and Distracted by Cactus

When we got back to WestWorld, there was a lot of activity taking place on the polo fields just below us. At first we thought it might be another parking area for the tournament but the numerous orange cones and people directing incoming cars didn’t make much sense. It was then we realized this was the drop off and pick up spot for both Uber and Lyft.

A Cone Maze at Uber/Lyft Pickup/Dropoff Area Behind Our Rig

Helicopters Doing Flyover

We spent some time just walking the WestWorld grounds. There were several extremely large structures up in a fenced off area of the grounds. Based on their size, it’s hard to imagine these are temporary buildings but in talking with one of the security guards, these buildings are some of the ones put up each year for the car auction. We could still see probably hundreds of cars either still in the structures or sitting in the parking lots nearby. There seemed to be a continuous stream of enclosed car carriers that were coming to transport the vehicles to their new owners. I saw more than a few that would have been nice to take for a joy ride.

Oversized Structure for Cars

A few Nice Ones

A Few More

Wednesday was the Pro-Am day at the tournament and while watching the never ending stream of Uber and Lyft cars coming in, it was clear there was a pretty good turnout for the event. There are some bike trails that run right past WestWorld so we headed out on one to see where it took us. It started as a paved bike path but we veered off and took what appeared to be a rather well used dirt road/path. After about 5 miles, we had made it over to the base of Taliesin West. We had visited this on a prior trip since we are fans of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and this was his winter home. It would be worth the stop if you’re in the area.  Blog with Taliesin West Visit

Canal Along the Bike Trail Near Taliesin West

The following day we headed to Old Town Scottsdale to wander around, take in the sights and grab some lunch. It’s a very pretty area with the city hall and library adjacent to a very nice park with small ponds and fountains.

Fountains Near Scottsdale City Hall

Lots of Oranges in Those Trees

Welcome to Historic Old Town Scottsdale

There’s a small museum with all the information about the birth of Scottsdale and how it has grown over the years. It’s worth spending half an hour exploring here. We enjoyed exploring the area. We had to check out the Old Adobe Mission built in 1923 with its beautiful statues. We had a great lunch at Los Olives Mexican Patio. It was the perfect day to sit outside and people watch. The local pigeons were fairly bold but we kept them away from our food.

Kitchen Scene in Museum

Beautiful Old Organ

Another Fountain

Inside Old Adobe Mission

Main Altar

Mallard Chilling by Pond

On Saturday the weather was perfect for golf so we knew this area was going to be next to impossible to get out of or back into. We decided to stay put and just watch the thousands of Uber and Lyft cars coming and going. I setup my camera on a tripod and took photos every 15 seconds for just over 4 hours starting around 9 AM. I sat out in a lawn chair and just watched the people. It was clear that a vast majority of the people were kids in their twenties. Many of them seemed to arrive with a drink or two already under their belts. It made for an entertaining morning. At times the traffic trying to get out was at a complete standstill. This meant the unloading area was full of cars so passengers were getting out at the far end of the polo fields and walking to the entrance to go thru security and board the buses. I later took the 1000 pictures from the camera and mad a time lapse video to the morning rush.

Ride Share People Lined Up for Bus

Our last day at WestWorld was Super Bowl Sunday. I was expecting a repeat of the crowds from Saturday but it was much less busy in the ride share lots. I suspect most of the young crowd were skipping the golf tournament and going to a Super Bowl party instead. We took it easy and enjoyed the game. The glorious weather we have been enjoying here was about to change. Our original plan had been to drive to Tucson and boondock at a casino for 4 nights before heading to a reservation at a state park south of there. But the forecast called for below freezing for several of those nights. We could have survived but we had managed to find a site at Picacho Peak State Park for those four nights so that is where we will pick up in the next post.