Follow the Food

Before moving to the desert, we participated in a cross-country bicycle trip that put us up close and personal with some of our food sources. We saw the contrast between big farm corporations and smaller-scale farmers, and heard the stories of local and small town businesses and farmers being run out by larger corporations and chains. After our ride, we read Michael Pollan's book, Omnivore's Dilemma (discussed in a previous post), and started to become more intentional about sourcing our food.

We visited a few farms that were practicing small, local, sustainable agriculture. Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia (mentioned in Pollan's book) boasts a "beyond organic" label, where pigs till the forest, rabbits neutralize waste, and mobile chicken coops permit natural cycles of grass growth. Polyface Farm introduced techniques that have caught on with organic farmers, and we have been hot on the trail!

Despite the lack of water, the Phoenix valley sustains a year-long growing season, and we have been thrilled to find opportunities to support our local (and organic) farmers. Our first find was Bountiful Baskets, a volunteer cooperative that provides local produce and grains on a bi-weekly basis. This organization is run completely by volunteers, and has locations around the country. Their unique status ensures low costs for consumers and high returns for local farmers. We have loved contributing to Bountiful Baskets, and have learned a lot about food seasonality, recipes and cooking/preparation. Since you can never be 100% sure what will be in the next basket, we've discovered several new foods, too (Bok Choy, Fennel, Leeks, and more!), which always turns into a hunt for new recipes.

We'd love to read any comments about your local food options; please share below!

Check back for new recipes and ideas from our most recent basket bounty!

Around Town: Bartlett Lake

Before temperatures hit the triple digits, we wanted to explore some of the water recreation near the Phoenix area. Many newcomers to the desert are shocked to hear that there are multiple options for getting on a boat in the desert - Lake Pleasant, Lake Roosevelt, Canyon Lake, Saguaro Lake, Lake Bartlett - just to name a few. For this trip, we were looking for remote camping and Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP)... and you can't beat the price of National Forest camping (free)!

Despite some difficulty navigating the roads of Tonto National Forest, we found a secluded campsite under the cover of darkness. We pulled into a car camping spot and set up a tent on soft sand, within earshot of a gurgling stream.

The next morning, we broke camp and headed down the road toward Bartlett Lake.

We were outfitted with our SUP gear, and hit the water!

A few hours gave us enough time to tour the perimeter, beach up opposite the marina, and have a little fun in the wake of a few motor boats. We took turns using our GoPro to capture photos and video hands-free.

A quick Wikipedia search revealed that Bartlett Lake is technically a reservoir, which was created by damming the Verde River in the late 1930s. It's neighbor to the north is the Horseshoe Reservoir, also on Tonto National Forest land.

For those new to SUP, we decided to demonstrate the surprisingly stable nature of these boards:

We were pleasantly surprised by how empty the lake and marina were, despite it being Memorial Day weekend! Our theory is that most folks head to more well-known spots like Lake Pleasant. Bartlett Lake boasts that it is "Arizona's Best Kept Secret," and we'll have to agree!

Grand Canyon Revisited

You may recall a previous post about a scouting trip for a future potential field trip to the Grand Canyon. Our team of 4th grade teachers and an incredibly supportive principal were able to make it happen!

First, a recap by the numbers:

149 - 4th grade students and parents in attendance
6 - teachers/staff
3 - days spent at the Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)
2 - charter buses
4 - A.M. wake-up call to watch the sunrise on our final day

The field trip was a great success, but there are always lessons to learn and ways to improve. There are many things we will try to repeat for next year's trip, and there are a few things we'd change and recommend to others considering this field trip.

Successes:

• NPS Travelin' Trunk Program: We reserved a box of materials about Human History of the Grand Canyon before our trip. This piqued students' excitement, and gave them prior knowledge to access once we arrived.
• Keeping a full schedule (and opting not to include a quiet/nap time) - Any unstructured or idle time almost always guarantees mischief!
• Visiting other areas of interest on our way, including Sunset Crater (as mentioned in a previous blog post) and...

 Montezuma Castle.

• Watching sunrise on our final day - This was a controversial decision, mostly because the sun rises so early in May. We decided to make it optional, and were overwhelmed when nearly our entire group helped each other wake up, walk silently, and snuggle together to watch a glorious sunrise! 

• Reserving Ranger programs - The specific educational Ranger programs for school groups are FREE and align with state content standards. The Rangers are excellent teachers, too!
• We used colored handkerchiefs to identify each chaperone group. This was helpful for quick head-counts for both teachers and chaperones. Students could tie them anywhere that was visible, which also gave them a chance to express themselves in a fun way.
• Preparing student journals for the trip - We created activities/questions that had to be answered about our route and stops along the way. We also included the packet that was provided to accompany the Ranger programs.
• Scavenger Hunt - There is so much to see at the Grand Canyon, and it is nearly impossible to see it all in one short trip. We included all the various historical and educational sites along the South Rim (with questions and info from the NPS website) in student journals. Groups could then decide which locations were most interesting (and feasible). Some groups even got to every stop! Afterwards, students from different groups could discuss what they saw and learned with others.
• Chaperone committees - We couldn't have made the trip happen without lots of parent support. We had parents serve on committees for equipment, food, and safety to assist before, during, and after the trip.

Changes/recommendations:

• Talk with campers about quiet hours before arriving - It's important to keep our camp neighbors and Rangers happy when we are such a large and noticeable group.
• Call ahead to discuss any plans to use the free shuttle buses. The park personnel were incredibly accommodating as soon as they saw 150+ visitors crossing the street to catch a bus for sunset. They ran at least one extra bus every day we were there just for us! I'm sure they'd appreciate a little more advance notice next time.

The successes clearly outweigh the changes, and we received lots of positive feedback from students and parents alike. We saw our entire 4th grade community come a little closer together for this trip, and a lot of fun was had by all. As for the teachers/staff, we feel a lot more confident about planning next year's excursion!

Around Town: Camelback Mountain

To continue our meandering closer to home, I set out to hike the popular Camelback Mountain. A year and a half ago, we set out to hike the less intense Cholla Trail with family, but ran out of time and and had to turn back before reaching the summit. This time, I would be hiking the more intense (and more crowded) Echo Canyon Trail.

ClimbCamelback.com describes Echo Canyon pretty succinctly:
This trail is an intense and difficult anaerobic hike the entire 1.2 miles to the summit. It ascends 1,280 ft, from 1,424 ft above sea level to 2,704 ft.

It was a warm spring day, and many folks were eager to take advantage of it. If you're looking to drive to the trail head, I suggest arriving early. Otherwise, be prepared to do some circles around the small parking lot, as it is usually full by mid-morning. Easier parking can be found on the Cholla Trail entrance.

This is definitely not a secluded or quiet hike, but it has beautiful views of the valley the whole way. The Echo Canyon Trail was recently renovated, and re-opened earlier this year. This video shows a few of the changes, and highlights a few of the views:

A few of my photos from the hike:

Saguaros were already in bloom!

Ridge views looking east on the steep trail up

Looking north from a false summit

Red sandstone of the desert valley

Panoramic views from the summit (1 of 4)

2 of 4

3 of 4

4 of 4

On the way down, we found a few critters who agreed to pose for a photo shoot.

Around Town: Wildlife Park

The spring is a great time to be out and about in the Phoenix area. Cool mornings turn into "just right" warm days, lending to cool and calm evenings. Cacti are in bloom, as well as the rest of the desert's unique vegetation. What better time to check out the wildlife at the zoo?!

We visited the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium in the West Valley with a few kiddos, and were not disappointed. The zoo boasts over 600 species, including several interactive exhibits. The animals were very active during our visit, and we learned a thing or two from the live "Encounters" presentations.

A few photos of the zoo's inhabitants are sure to make you smile:

Many animals were brought in with injuries that prevent them from surviving in the wild.

Llamas and Alpacas... I always get them confused!

We were up close and personal with the big cats, and just missed a photo op. with the new White Tiger.

This guy's neighbor didn't finish her breakfast... waste not!

One of our favorite stops was being able to walk inside the tortoise exhibit with them!

Around Town: Fountain Hills

This year, we did some meandering a little closer to home. In February, we were drawn to the town of Fountain Hills for their annual "Love in the Hills" event to renew our vows on Valentine's Day. It's an adorable town with an interesting history.


Our first stop was the River of Time Museum, where we received a personal tour of the area's geologic and human history. It's a small museum, and easy to miss (tucked away behind the library). If you're ever in the area, we highly recommend a short visit! Our docent went into great detail about the role of water throughout Arizona's history, right up to the planned community of Fountain Hills in the 1970s.


  So, why name a desert town after a fountain in the desert? It was built as a tourist attraction, holding the record for tallest fountain in the world for over ten years, sending water 300-561 feet in the air (depending on how many of three 600 horsepower pumps are being used). You can watch it live for yourself on the town's fountain webcam.

Fountain Hills prides itself on the variety of art work displayed throughout the town.

After our tour, we celebrated our marriage and renewed our vows with hundreds of other couples (Click here to see the official video of the event).










We ended the evening with tapas at Sofrita. If you ever find yourself in Fountain Hills, we highly recommend the bruschetta!

Touring the Mothership

This spring we were able to spend a long weekend with friends in Fort Collins, Colorado. What a beautiful state! We also really loved the town of Fort Collins, particularly the downtown Main Street. 2014 happens to be Fort Collins' sesquicentennial celebration (try saying that 3 times fast!), and they've earned quite a few bragging rights.

Fort Collins tourism points out that it was named "best place to live" by Money Magazine. Add to that the number of craft breweries and opportunities for outdoor recreation, and Fort Collins wins a "cool town" label in my book! With the little time that we had to visit, our friends decided to take us to one of the town's most notable breweries...

Visiting New Belgium Brewery (AKA "The Mothership") is not your average brewery tour (and we've walked our fair share of breweries!). Touring New Belgium is a 90-minute stroll through multiple buildings...

a walk through history...

and a close-up look at beer production...

 ...always with a new [generously poured] sample in hand!


If I haven't won you over yet, just check out these photos:

Rumor has it that years of employment with New Belgium earn you perks... like a "fat tire" bicycle!

Wooden barrels are used to make sour beers, which are growing in popularity, and have become a curious favorite of ours!

New Belgium is committed to sustainability, and proves it with their solar power.

Always something interesting to see if you keep your eyes peeled on tour!

And YES, there is a SLIDE at the end of your tour (try spinning down that after 90-minutes of beer sampling)!

Home Again, Home Again

We've been doing a bit of traveling these past few months, but it's always nice to return home. Since Phoenicians spend much of summer break indoors (we liken it to snow days back east - you know, Netflix binges, scrapbook projects, blogging...) we are eagerly planning fall trips in the great outdoors. Until then, we'll revisit a beautiful hike we did in January in the Estrella Mountains:

These 4 wheels get us from our door to the trail head.

Estrella foothills - We took the Baseline Trail loop

to a short overlook trail to see what we could see...

 

Looking Northwest from the Estrella foothills, toward the White Tank Mountains

Looking Northeast over the Estrella foothills; Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) is in the distance (far right).

Close-up on PIR

Looking West: Tres Rios Golf Course (neighbor to Estrella Mountain Park)

Looking north back over our route to the park

Obligatory Saguaro picture... they just don't get old!

Gotta love winter in the desert!