Above open desert
Arizona is one of the few states that eschew daylight savings time. The last thing desert dwellers want is an extra hour of sunshine separating them from the cool of the evening. That means the sun rises a clock-hour earlier than back home. The Hot Air Expeditions’ van arrives at a bleary-eyed 4:45 a.m. A half-hour’s drive and a Starbucks stop
later, we join nine others at the launch site. Pilot Patrick Stevens hits the propane, and the 11-story-tall craft rises. We fl oat over housing communities where every backyard sports a pool and above open desert where quail, coy- otes and rabbits scurry about. “Jackrabbit ears are so big because the animal
uses them to dissipate heat,” Patrick explains. “So if you’ve got a friend with big ears, he’s a really cool guy.” An hour of shared wisdom and corny jokes
later, we land in the desert. After a champagne brunch, it’s back to the Four Seasons. Dianne grabs her book and disappears into the plunge pool enclosure. I brew a cup of in-room espres- so and head for the patio. A light breeze carries the land’s clean, earthy
fragrance. Green-barked paloverdes stand near- by, and every few minutes, a vivid red cardinal alights on one of their nearly leafl ess branches. The white-winged doves, on the other hand, seem to prefer the crown of a blooming saguaro. More birds chirp away, sight unseen. Near patio’s edge, a beetle crawls across the sand while a lizard stands atop a rock and does reptile push- ups. I’m always amazed how the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the desert up close make this harsh environment seem so soft. I down my caffeine and walk over to the
plunge pool enclosure. Much to my amaze- ment, I fi nd Dianne lying in the sun. “I took a dip, but it was too cold,” she sheep-
ishly admits. “The heat now feels pretty good.” For lunch at the resort’s Crescent Moon res-
taurant, we have two seating choices. We can go inside and eat in air conditioned comfort, or we can dine al fresco at canopied tables. To my shock, Dianne opts for outside. “The thing I’m fi nding about desert heat,” she
observes, “is that it’s almost cool in the shade.” The old cliché is true. It’s a dry heat down
here with summertime humidity generally under 25 percent. Instead of drenching bodies, evaporating perspiration cools the skin. Even triple digit temperatures can feel pleasant to folks relaxing in breeze-whispered shade.
Dan Leeth (
www.lookingfortheworld.com) is a freelance writer and photographer based in Aurora.
EnCompass May/June 2012 41
After lunch, we decide to visit the MIM,
Scottsdale’s famed Music Instrument Museum. The valet fetches our car. ”Would you like some water to take?” he asks, handing me the keys.
Cactus country hike
For outdoor enthusiasts like us, no anniversary trip would be complete without a hike in cactus country. Ours will be a group jaunt up nearby Pinnacle Peak led by Four Seasons’ guide Marla Walberg. We meet at 6 a.m. “Generally we get to the highest point
on the trail at 2,889 feet. That’s a 300-foot climb from here,” she explains. “The entire trail is 3½ miles round trip. If you want to do the whole thing, feel free. “Now, does everyone have water?” It’s a quarter mile hike from the resort
to the actual trail. From there, the pathway zigs and zags up a route that is wide and well maintained. Even though it’s early, the path streams with Sunday hikers. Marla and most of the group turn
around at the highpoint, but feeling energetic, Dianne and I continue on. The crowds thin, allowing us to enjoy the buzz of bees, the bouquet of blossoms and the site of soaring raptors. By the time we return to our room, Dianne admits she’s hot. The next thing I hear is a splash in the plunge pool. Like Wall Street bailout bandits, we
spend the rest of the day luxuriating in a private poolside cabana, then indulging at the spa with sensuous hot stone massages, all at discounted summer rates. Eventually it’s time to turn in our keys and
settle the bill. Our car awaits. “Would you like some water?” the valet asks. “No thanks, we’re fi ne,” my wife answers.
Saguaro cactus blossoms at Pinnacle Peak Park, Scottsdale, Ariz.
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