One thing we have really enjoyed about blogging is how close the community of RV travel bloggers is. So when we were contacted by Faye and Dave of the blog The Wandering Camels about trying to meet up we were excited for the opportunity to do so. Our paths have been close on many occasions yet we’ve never been able to meet in person.
Since they were north of Phoenix we chose a spot closer to them and also close to a nice hike. We figured a good hike would also justify the craft beers we will enjoy during our visit with Faye and Dave.
After doing some trail research I found a nice 4.2 mile hike we hadn’t done before which promised awesome views and beautiful cacti. My choice was the Gateway Loop in the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. When we pulled into the visitors parking lot we we pleased to see that there were no fees to park. There were bathrooms at the trailhead and maps are available at the welcome center. We also noticed a 1/2 mile nature trail we plan to do another day.
There was a short hike to where the loop began and after reading a lot about the trail we chose to hike counter clockwise to get the steepest part out of the way first. The trail was well marked and our loop began with a modest incline until we topped out at the Gateway Saddle. The the trail continued on looping around McDowell Mountain which is one of Scottdale’s most prominant features.
It was a great hike with some great views of the city of Phoenix in the valley below. After the hike we had a bit of time to kill before meeting Faye and Dave at the O.H.S.O. brewery and Distillery.We stopped at the Scottsdale Trader Joes and picked up some of our favorite items from there. Then we drove over to the brewery and nestled up to the bar for a brew while we waited for our blogger friends.
It wasn’t long before Faye and Dave showed up so we moved over to a small table to engage in some friendly banter. We really had fun getting to know each other better . Time flew by and happily we plan to meet at least one more time before we leave in March.
Another great day on The Road of Retirement…
NOTE: We are currently in Mesa Arizona until March 11th 2020, then over to Tucson for a few days.
That's a nice hike over uneven trails, glad your knee is feeling better!
ReplyDeleteThat last cortisone shot has lasted longer than my first one... making me a happy hiker!
DeleteFun! What a great day. How fun to meet up with new friends you know by blogging. Looks like a great place for a hike!
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a nice hike!
DeleteIt's always fun to meet fellow RVers and especially fellow bloggers!! Glad you all had such a great time chatting!!
ReplyDeleteYes it is always great to finally meet up with bloggers we follow...
DeleteGorgeous cactus. Love the hiking skirt Sharon. How great to meet up with fellow bloggers. Amazing that we were never able to meet for all the years we were both in Florida over winter.
ReplyDeleteWe came close so many times to meeting up with you.
DeleteHow cool to meet Faye and Dave. I've wanted to do the same and narrowly missed them I believe about two years ago. I've been following their blog for a long time.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of meeting bloggers that we follow is how much you already know about each other making friendships very easy!
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