Thursday, February 13, 2014

Thankful Thursday

Absolutely gorgeous day for a hike.  Luckily, I had made plans to meet my friend, Cody, for a hike at 32nd and Lincoln.  I told her that I would meet her at the Starbuck's and then we would begin the hike.  Of course, I was late.  Stupid traffic in Tempe.  It took me about ten minutes to get to the 202 and another fifteen to make it to the 51 north.  I arrived frustrated.  Coffee helped calm me down.
Cody and I began the hike.  It's leisurely.  A nice mix of switchbacks and beautiful scenery.  We got to the spot where you can go up the trail and or down.  I have never went down and so I chose to go that direction.  We went further into the canyon and encountered a few people.  Eventually we reached a high point and I suggested turning back.  We started back and came to a spot where we could go to the right or left.  I didn't remember coming from the left and so we went right.  I suppose this is where I realized we were completely uncertain of the whereabouts.  Still, there were two of us and we could figure it out.
We turned and headed a different direction.  There was a house that appeared and I didn't remember seeing it on the way down.  We kept going and found a road with a gate.  Again, this was new and we reassessed our path back.  We remained calm until I saw a coyote up ahead.  Yes, it was a coyote on a hike as it continued to be ahead of us until we made a bunch of noise and tried to appear large.  The last thing I wanted was to get attacked by a coyote on a trail that we could not figure out how to get out of.
We saw signs for 40th street which I felt would be the smart thing to do.  We started at 32nd and Lincoln and even if we made it to the lot on 40th St, I would be up for walking the mile back to the parking lot.
So, we finally reach a lot.  It says 40th St and we head out of the designated parking area to the street.  We walk several blocks before reaching a major intersection. I didn't recognize any of the streets but felt we were heading towards Lincoln.  We get to the stoplight and it reads Shea.
Complete opposite direction of where we were parked.  In order to get back to our cars, we would need to hike back through the trail that we couldn't figure out, call a cab or someone to fetch us.  Thankfully, Cody's husband picked us up and dropped us off at our respective cars.
It made for a fantastic journey.  I completed my day with a noon yoga class.  Afterwards, I was tired.  I felt beat up and wanted a burrito.  This guy that worked with me at my most recent job mentioned some place at 16th and Thomas that had awesome breakfast burritos. I headed that way and hoped to find the spot.  I gave up, flipped around, and spotted the joint, mid turn of the intersection.  I corrected and entered the restaurant.  I was hoping for a drive through as I reeked from yoga and hike.
That burrito was delicious!  I am so grateful to have found the spot.  It was a lovely conclusion to an active day.  I am off to a massage to complete the day of relaxation.  It's been amazing!

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