Musical Instrument Museum (Again) and Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

On Wednesday, February 12^th, we drove over to have breakfast at Butterfield’s Pancake House—okay, but nothing to write home about.

Then we went to the Musical Instrument Museum again, and wandered around all morning—what an amazing place!

We had lunch again at the museum’s café, but this time inside.  It was a little cool to eat outside—it had rained heavily for a while overnight.

The first time we had been there, Mary Joy had been talking with one of the women serving in the cafeteria line.  She had suggested a not-difficult but very scenic walk in a place we had never heard of—the Apache Wash Trail in the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, a park at the far north of town, beyond the 101 belt highway, off of Cave Creek Road, not far from Cave Creek.  So that’s where we headed now.

The walk was on a high plains area, where you could see many miles across obstructionless ground.  Since it was getting to be late in the afternoon. We took the shortened route (less than three miles) instead of the full six-mile-plus trail.  At one point, we could apparently see all the way to Cave Creek and Carefree.  We even saw a jackrabbit!  The next time we’re in Phoenix, we’ll have to go there again and spend more time.

We went back to our apartment, arriving as the sun was setting, with all the red, blue and yellow of the Arizona state flag.

For dinner, we decided to go to a recommended vegetarian restaurant, Fresh Mint, but it turned out that it was too late to sit down and eat there, so we got takeout and took it back to our apartment.  Very good.