First Hike of the Year

Whew, we have been busy little snowbirds the last few days.

Yesterday, after the Church service in our ballroom, we headed over to the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet.

We spent nearly four hours there, and Teresa bought some dresses and tops, while I found a t-shirt and some things for the motorhome.

When we got home, we were excited to see that our friends David and Lise had invited us to go on a hike with them today !!

We met these wonderful folks last year, and hit it off right away.

They are Canadian fulltimers, whom spend most of their time in Ontario, but make frequent trips across Canada to visit their family.

Excitedly, we met at the trail head, where hugs and handshakes were exchanged.

Beginning of our hike

Even though it was only a little after 9 am, the heat was on.

We started out on the path, and soon we were chatting and getting up to date on all our news.

We were laughing and talking, and when we met some hikers coming down the slopes, they said they could hear us long before they could see us ...

David, me and Lise

We really worked up a sweat, and there was a couple of times we were huffing and puffing.

It was a near perfect day for a hike, and we felt great getting some much needed exercise outdoors.

Hey, does anyone remember where we
parked the cars ??

After a rest including more water and snacks, we began the descent.

There are lots of loose rocks which required some concentration, but nothing too bad.

We made it back to the parking area after three and a half hours. 

We decided to go out for a coffee and lunch, but first, since we were going right past their resort, we popped in to see the upgrades they made to their motorhome.

Nice ... new flooring, and two very comfortable reclining chairs to replace a couch.  I really struggled to get out of those chairs after our long hike !!

Soon we were enjoying coffee, bagels, and muffins while sitting outside, where we spent more time catching up.

Reluctantly, we eventually said our good-byes, and promised to do something like this again.

This is where I kind of got in the dog-house with Teresa.  I told her I had brought a change of shoes for her, knowing we were going out for coffee and running into Walmart.

I tore the car apart looking for them, but they were not to be found.

She sure looked cute tromping through the store in her hiking boots ... LOL.