Anderson Arizona Adventures: Mt. Graham Weekend Adventure

Last year, at this time, Matt and I were in Frankenmuth celebrating my birthday, and discussing what we would do if something transpired with one of the positions he had interviewed for. A year later, we are in Arizona, celebrating my 35th birthday with a weekend getaway to Mt. Graham. Never in a million years did I think God would bring us to the desert! It is different from anything we have ever known, but more and more we are making it our own.

We initially thought we would go to an orchard. When we discovered that the nearest orchard was two hours from Tucson, we decided to make a weekend out of it. We looked to see what else was nearby and discovered Mt. Graham and the Swift Trail, noted as one of the most scenic drives in Arizona. We packed for an overnight and set out the next morning for Mt. Graham. Along the way, we discovered Texas Canyon. We stopped to stretch our legs and take in the stunning rock formations rising out of the desert floor. We were then back on the road in search of Swift Trail. We began our climb up the Pinaleno Mountains on what would be a breathtaking adventure. We experienced the climate zones we would if driving from Mexico to Canada. The drive was full of switchbacks and the last 13 miles turned to dirt and narrowed. Matt will tell you I freaked out a time or two over how close I felt we were to the edge, and he would be right. A guardrail would have been awesome. However, everything we saw that day made it worth it! We experienced God's creation like never before! Our journey, filled with spectacular views, led us past creeks and even a waterfall before ending at Riggs Flat Lake where we enjoyed a picnic lunch! It had been overcast that morning, but while at the lake, the sun came out and the water began to glisten! We began our descent down the mountain, which would prove to be the most exciting part of the day. We rounded a bend to find a black bear crossing the road in front of us! How incredible! We had never seen a bear in the wild until that day! Earlier, I had missed an opportunity to snap a picture of a Mt. Graham red squirrel. I thought to myself, I could make up for it with a picture of a bear or mountain lion, never thinking I'd actually get that chance! After a day of exploring on the mountain, we found our hotel in Safford. Matt and Caleb had fun splashing in the pool. It was cold, but it didn't bother Caleb. We seem to have a knack for finding cold pools and lukewarm hot tubs. The next morning we were off to Wilcox in search of Apple Annie's. After driving through several miles of open cattle range, we found the orchard bustling with activity. It wasn't the experience we would have in Michigan, but we had a blast! We picked apples, purchased apple cider doughnuts and had a picnic among the trees. Another great weekend with my family exploring the great state of Arizona!

All smiles and ready to go