Sunday, March 5, 2017

The morning was overcast when we left Payson after breakfast (I had ordered the Kiddies plate and could not finish. it…), but it cleared and the temperature got higher as we got closer to Phoenix. A full 74 degrees Fahrenheit!

If I did recommend highway 89 and 89A from Sedona, going North, I also recommend Highway 87 from Payson, going South. What a beautiful route and what a stunning scenery! Up and down the mountains we went, turning left and right, all the way to Phoenix. It was interesting to see the vegetation and the mountain range change so drastically.

You know you have left the peaceful countryside when… 1) you share the road with many other drivers; 2) finding a parking spot becomes a challenge; 3) the surrounding noise level is noticeably higher. We are back to modern civilization…

When we picked Scottsdale as the last leg of our trip, we decided to try AirBnB because any decent hotel in this neighbourhood was really expensive and because we wanted to try a change of venue. If you have some experience with B&Bs, you know it often is a “hit or miss” scenario, and this one was more of a “miss”. On the positive side, our hosts are friendly and hospitable; the house is located in a nice and secure neighbourhood (gated community with entry access code) and the heart of town is only 10 minutes away. On the not-so-positive side, the place is a small unit and so is the guest room. The hosts are still perfecting the art of hospitality in terms of amenities offered and many details still need refining. The big let down is that breakfast is not included (this should be an AirB and not an AirBnB, then!). Nonetheless, we do have a safe place to spend two nights, and it will be alright.

As for Scottsdale, once you are in the Historic Old Town and have parked your car, walking around is quite interesting! For starters, the baseball Spring training of the San Francisco Giants was alive and well this afternoon, with some really loud hot spots! We picked up a walking tour guide, and will give it a try tomorrow.

We stopped at Bandera for a delicious dinner. The place was bubbling with music and people. I was so impressed that they had warmed the milk for my coffee (I noticed that in Arizona, Half & Half – half cream, half milk – is automatically provided with coffee. Should you want milk instead, a small container of cold milk is served on the side after you requested it).

Time to retire… The hosts’ cat, Bella, was all curled up on our bed… I guess we have been deemed worthy to stay, then. :)))