McDowell Sonoran Preserve

This is my new favorite place to hike in the valley.  It's in Scottsdale so a bit of a drive, but totally worth it!  The have a fabulous trail system with a variety of lengths perfect for little legs and grown-up legs.  The trails are well marked and maintained.

Our stake is having a stake hike next weekend and since Gil and I are on the team that plans these, we decided we should check it out first.  We woke up to rain and cooler temperatures.  We didn't mind the former and were beyond ready for the latter so we headed out.

We did a short mile or so hike which is about the limit for the kids.  I can't wait to go next weekend, and the one after that, and the one after that to explore this new spot.

Conference and Joshua Tree

We headed to southern California this past weekend to watch Conference with Gil's cousin and her family.  We were able to go to his Aunt and Uncle's on Sunday and spend the day with more cousins there too.  It is always wonderful to get together with family!

Gil took an extra day off and we camped in Joshua Tree on the way home.  It hadn't cooled that much but that meant we kept the rain fly off the tent and got to look at the stars at night through the Joshua tree arms.  It also meant we had the campground almost entirely to ourselves which was really nice.

We did a hike in the morning before it got too hot, worked on Junior Ranger badges, and did some sightseeing from the car as it got too hot to be out.  Wesley loves having a map even though he can't quite read it yet.  Lauren likes having a map because her brother has one.

I love this place.  Definitely planning another trip for more exploring but in cooler weather.