As 2015 came to an end we headed toward the mountains to celebrate the holidays closer to nature.  It was another short hop between regional parks from Lake Pleasant to McDowell Mountains, where we transitioned from water to mountain views.  McDowell Mountains Regional Park is nestled in the lower Verde River and sits along the base of the McDowell Mountains.  We were excited to come here, as we’d heard many great reviews about it from other folks.  Sure enough, the moment we approached the park we were impressed by its beauty.

The Park, the Hiking – and the Birds!

Numerous mountain ranges and iconic peaks surround this campground, offering wide open spaces and a great backdrop for sunrises and sunsets.  We could see Four Peaks, Weavers Needle, Red Rock (officially Mount McDowell) and the McDowell Mountain range from our site.  We noted that most of the hiking trails, though not totally flat, had only slight elevation gains as they traversed the many desert washes.

The open space, mountain views, hiking trails and our ultra-spacious site made the 2-week stay here memorable.  We now know why this park gets high marks from all RV’rs who camp here, and why many of them return repeatedly.  The only downside for us was that there’s no laundromat in Fountain Hills and the nearest one was many miles away.  It was also unseasonably cold during our stay, but hey, other parts of the nation had it a lot worse than we did.

There are 27 trails of varying lengths to choose from here, and many of  the trailheads can be picked up from the campground.  Most hiking is around and through desert washes with little elevation gain.  We noticed the Saguaros are less prominent, but the Palo Verdes, Jojoba, Bursages and Velvet Mesquite are well developed and abundant.

Of the trails we followed, we enjoyed the Scenic Trail the most.  It’s short at 3.5 miles, but we extended our hike to 8 miles by starting from our campsite and adding on another trail. As it’s name implies, following this trail provides scenic views while walking along the ridge of Lousily Hills.

When we followed the Stoneman Wash Trail I saw a giant old Saguaro with many arms (I counted 21), the biggest I’ve seen so far.  I instantly thought of Sherry, my friend at In the directions of our Dreams, who hugs trees on her hikes.  So I stopped and hugged this one for you Sherry, and don’t worry – there were no spines at the bottom of this old cactus.

This stop provided many birds to perch on top of nearby Saguaros and Ocotillos, and to raid our feeders every day:

Loggerhead Shrike

Northern Flicker

Phainopepla

Luminarias

On one evening we drove into Phoenix to enjoy “Las Noches de las Luminarias“, a month-long holiday event at the Sonoran Desert Botanical Garden.  The trails were illuminated by small luminaria paper lanterns, each one stabilized with sand and containing a hand-lit candle.  They provided a soft glow along both sides of the paths throughout the gardens.  It must have taken a lot of volunteers to light those 8,000 luminaries every night!

A British artist named Bruce Munro showcased the gardens with eight large-scale lighting installations based on his interpretation of the Sonoran Desert.  The entire hillside of the Garden Butte was lighted with individual spheres of gently blooming lights that slowly changed color, creating a shimmering field of light.  It was really a mesmerizing display!

Holiday Gatherings

Since we were here at the most wonderful time of the year, we were very happy to enjoy several holiday gatherings.  Joseph and Randy, whom we first met at Cave Creek, pleasantly surprised us by arriving at the site right next to ours.  We enjoyed a wonderful candle-lit dinner in their beautiful coach.

After Christmas we met Jim and Gayle of Life’s little Adventure, who have returned to camp here for several years, as they love this park – who wouldn’t?  Our happy hour turned into several hours sharing stories about life on the road and the many adventures we’ve all enjoyed.  They too love to hike, and we have a date to tackle Tom’s Thumb Trail as soon as I recover from a dental procedure I had to take care of.

Finally, Dave and Faye drove all the way out from Cave Creek to meet us for dinner.  Steve had a hankering for a Honey Baked ham (or maybe he wanted a night off from cooking?), and Dave and Faye brought a side dish of scalloped potatoes that complemented it perfectly.  As always, we had a great evening laughing and partying with these fun folks.

Fountain Hills

From the campground we could see the centerpiece of the upscale town of Fountain Hills, a bedroom community of 30,000.  Of course, it’s all about the fountain!

One day we drove into Fountain Hills just to see the fountain up close.  It was installed in the 1970’s as a tourist attraction, and the town boasted it was the tallest in the world at the time.  It normally reaches 330 feet high with two pumps running, but on special occasions they turn on a third pump which sends the water to an impressive 560 feet!

While in town I was honored to have a chat with Ronald Reagan!

With the surrounding mountains as a backdrop, some of the sunrises and sunsets during our stay were spectacular:

Wow, how time flew as another year went by!

Steve and I wish all of our friends, readers and followers a great new year ahead, continued good health and lots of happy adventures.  Cheers!