1182. Go to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix

 When Spring Training is delayed, you start looking at what are hubby approved places on the bucket list. Museums are okay depending on the cost and the kind of museum. He is frugal.. okay so am I. Zoos and nature are really not his thing. I mentioned the botanical garden and he did say he would like to see them especially since we got a sneak peak the other year when we tried to go to the restaurant there for lunch and realized it was foo-foo, expensive, and totally not our kind of place. 

Luckily for us the second Tuesday of the month is community day at the Desert Botanical Gardens and admission is free. Currently the price is $40/adult because it's peak season and there's an Chihuly exhibit going on. As much as I would loved to have seen the Chihuly exhibit, there is no way I would pay $80 to see blown glass and cacti. Just saying. 

Due to COVID, you had to get tickets ahead of time for a certain. I think this is a great idea especially on a free day when it could get really crowded really quick. Hopefully they keep this going after the pandemic. I was initially worried because we have a Wisconsin address but that didn't matter. I got us two tickets for entry between 9 and 10 am. Even if baseball wasn't delayed, we would been able to do this. 

The botanical gardens were a lot of different cacti. Even though we got there right at nine, it was open for an hour already and there were still a lot of people.

We saw Pipe Organ Cacti

Joshua Trees

Barrel Cacti

A really cool green tree.. I'm sure it has a scientific name but green tree works for me

Pretty flowers

And more Saguaro Cacti

The best part of the Desert Botanical Gardens and the real reason I wanted to go was the Chihuly in the Desert Exhibit. Dale Chihuly is a world renown glass artist that creates impressive sculptures out of blown glass. These pieces are scattered throughout the botanical gardens adding a splash of color to the normally drab desert look.

There was also an inside exhibit which featured some of his artwork and more blown glass pieces.

We kind of just wandered aimlessly down whatever path we felt like. We did not have a map. Others did but we were not given one nor did we ask for one. It was really well signed though. We avoided the butterfly garden and other places I knew the hubby wasn't going to be overly interested in. He might have liked the butterfly garden but I saw enough butterfly gardens in Costa Rica. We probably spent about an hour there which is way less than most people but we saw what we wanted to see. 

The Desert Botanical Gardens are worth seeing at least once and if can go there on a free day it is even better. There is not a lot of parking and it is close to the Zoo, ASU Campus, and Tempe Diablo Stadium so you can plan your day accordingly. 

Just being able to see the Chihuly exhibit was worth the trip to the Botanical Gardens. Other than the it is a bunch of cacti and lots of people. It is one of those things that if we have nothing better to do and it's a free day, we might check out again but really have no desire to go back. Maybe I'd go back a bit later in spring when things are in bloom but again not much changes. 

AP US Mini Golf Tour 2022: Mesa, AZ

 Since we were staying in Chandler this year and spring training was cancelled, it did not make sense to drive all the way to north Phoenix to play mini golf at Castles and Coasters where we usually play. We still have 2 courses there to play. I found Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa which wasn't too far from where we were staying. It looked similar to Castles and Coasters so we checked it out.

Golfland Sunsplash has a water park, arcade, and mini golf. The signs weren't very clear where to go to play min golf. We went to the counter and they were like outside. It was $12/person to play golf and you could only play one of the three courses. A bit pricy but still cheap entertainment. They had a fun vending machine for balls.

The course itself was a mix of old school and new school. It looked to be fairly easy but it was not. I started out really well but got walloped. The hubby had at least two holes in one.

We played the first course we saw. It was not signed very well to find the different courses. I'm not sure I would want to play when the water park was open because you are under the slides at times and I have a feeling it would get wet. 

Overall it wasn't a bad course. I would play there again and maybe try a different course if we can find them. 

1240. Explore the Superior History Trail in Superior, AZ

 Because the hubby developed a fear of bridges of late, I had to drive over the ones outside of Globe. They weren't bad bridges but on the way back to Chandler, our options to switch drivers were limited. We ended up stopping at the first safe place to turn off. It turns out it was the US 60 Park - Caboose Visitor Center. 

The Visitor Center is an old caboose. It was not open but we peeked in the windows anyways. As we started to walk back towards the history trail, I spotted someone with a Carroll University shirt. The hubby strikes up a conversation and 45 minutes later we leave. It turns out, the hubby and this man knew each other once they started talking. Small world.

The history trail is an interpretive display of Superior's mining past. There is a replica mine entrance, steam powered elevator, and mine cars. 

I didn't have much time to explore the history trail since it would have been rude to just wander off while the hubby was talking to this couple. It would have been nice to stroll the path and learn about the mining in Superior. Maybe another day.

If you ever find yourself between Globe and Phoenix on US 60 and need a stretch break, this is a great spot. Learn a little history and stretch your legs. It is definitely worth the stop.

1239. Go to Roosevelt Dam in Roosevelt

 On our way to Tonto National Monument, the hubby asked if we could stop at the Roosevelt Dam afterwards. I said sure. The Roosevelt Dam is only about six miles from Tonto National Monument so it was not like it was out of the way.

The Theodore Roosevelt Dam spans the Salt River and was originally constructed between 1905-1911. It was later renovated in 1989-1996. Unlike the Hoover Dam, the Roosevelt Dam is not accessible to the public and there are no tours. However, there are several viewing areas of the dam.

Our first stop was the backside of the dam at Inspiration Point Interpretive Overlook. There is a nice parking lot that gives you a view of the dam from the back and the Roosevelt Lake Bridge. 

The hubby also spent some time talking to the Maricopa County Sherriff who was trying to take some training. The hubby likes to strike up conversations with law enforcement where ever we go.

We then continued to the main viewing area of the dam. There is a bigger parking lot which is also used for off road vehicles through the Apache Trail and Tonto National Forest. There is a walk way out to see the dam along with some placards about the history of the dam. Since we have been here when we did the Apache Trail it was a quick stop.

The Roosevelt Dam is always worth checking out. The views are spectacular. There is plenty of hiking and off-roading activities in the area as well. It's a quick stop when going from Payson to Globe. 

1238. Go to Tonto National Monument in Roosevelt

 Since Spring Training wasn't in the agenda, the one place I really wanted to check out was Tonto National Monument in Tonto which is near the Roosevelt Dam. We passed it when we came back from the Apache Trail a few years ago but due to time constraints, I opted not to stop. This year we had the park pass and plenty of time.

Tonto National Monument is focused on preserving cliff dwellings from the The Salado Phenomena that lived there 700 years ago. There is two sets of cliff dwellings accessible to visit -- the Upper and Lower. The Upper Dwellings is only by guided tour is about 3 miles round trip. The Lower dwellings is self guided and about a mile round trip.

I figured we could do a mile hike on a paved trail. They said it would take about an hour and was a 300 foot elevation gain. What they failed to mention was that this walk was at a 13 percent grade. So it was fairly steep. 300 feet does not seem like a lot but that's literally a football field. 

The hubby said he could handle it. He did for a while but about 3/4 of the way up he starting having issues and I led him back to a bench. I told him I'd be back in 20 minutes. I had continued to the top. I figured I made it that far.

The dwelling itself is 12 rooms but they are small rooms. You can walk around and get a feel to how they lived. It was cliffs and some wooden beams. It was nothing fancy but very ingenious. 

The views from up top were amazing as well.

After spending some time exploring the cliff dwelling I made my way back to the hubby and we continued our way back to the parking lot. We did see some more cactus and some flowers

Tonto National Monument did live up to my expectations. I am glad I was able to make it to the top. I wish the hubby could have as well but I get it. It is definitely worth checking out. It is about 2 hours from phoenix so a bit of drive but there is plenty of trails in the Tonto National Forest to hike and the Roosevelt Dam is always worth checking out. There are plenty of outdoor activities in the area so you can make a day of it.

2022 Baseball Stadium Tour -- Hi Corbett Field

 We were going to Arizona this year regardless if Spring Training happened or not. Baseball players were still locked out and spring training did not start on time. I had to come up with a whole new itinerary to keep us occupied for 3 days. I started exploring spending a day in Tucson. I thought Monday would be a good day since we weren't be rushed to get back to Phoenix. Well not a lot was open on Mondays that I wanted to see. Then I had an AHA moment. University of Arizona is in Tucson. They have a baseball team. Maybe they were home. Yup they were home.. on Sunday or Tuesday. We opted to go Sunday so we could go to a different game on Tuesday to maximize our baseball opportunities.

University of Arizona plays at Hi Corbett Field which is in a public park just off campus. Hi Corbett was built in 1937 and later renamed Hi Corbett Field after Hiram "Hi" Stevens Corbett who was influential in bringing spring training to Tucson. Hi Corbett field was home to the Cleveland Indians (1947-1992) and Colorado Rockies (1993-2010) spring training. Now they both play in the Phoenix area. Arizona started playing their in 2012.

The front of the stadium has been redone and no longer has a southwest flare to it. It still a nice stadium. 

We had general admission seats ($8/ticket) and sat along the first base side. We had a good view of the field. 

The game was a typical college game. Slow moving and bad pitching. Arizona played Texas State. Arizona was ranked yet Texas State was winning when we left. Lots of errors and a home run that was a called a home run but was clearly under the yellow line. 

It is a nice stadium. We would go back if we'd get a chance but are in no hurry. We'd rather see ASU play first. Tucson is 2 hours from Phoenix but when Spring Training is postponed and you need to find baseball for the hubby, you take what is out there.