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10:07 pm - Vacation -
Day 2
 We
slept in late adjusting to the time change from East to West coast (though,
you would think we would be awakened at the explosion of first daylight). I
ask Beth what she wants to do today (the ever-looming "agenda.")
"Let's go for a Hike!" she says. "Great," say I. And did
we ever. Checking with the concierge, we discovered that a number of hiking
trails cross directly through the hotel's grounds. Choosing to walk the easy
trail with the intention of connecting to a more difficult trail later on, we
start off at a (probably excessively) brisk pace. Finding the trail near the
tennis courts, we walk under Highway 17 and almost immediately find ourselves
in the desert. We learned very quickly that you can leave civilization in an
instant and you must always be prepared with the following articles: water
(yep, we had some), proper clothing (which of course, we neglected to pack –
perhaps more on that later) and good hiking shoes (which I always possess and
Beth, fortunately, had just purchased before we departed).
 We
followed the trail and proceeded to ascend a rather imposing bluff (the name
of which I have forgotten – will have to check that some time). We met a
number of invariable friendly fellow hikers on the way up who were headed
down and some others at various rest stops. Spectacular views of the Phoenix
area surrounded us. I made it most of the way to the top (some 2,100 feet up
from our starting point) and Beth was close behind.  I
took a few photographs some of which are posted here. The trip back down was
more arduous and we really had a good workout. We managed to wonder off the
trail at one point and wondered if we would, indeed, be lost in the desert sands.
We managed to backtrack and pick up the rather poorly marked trail and headed
for the hotel.
Later that evening we had a wonderful dinner (for which we were
properly dressed) at Vincent
Guerithault on Camelback (no, the owner doesn't ride a
dromedary…Camelback is the name of the road on which the restaurant is
located). Vincent is a French chef who applies the culinary artistry of his
native land to the gastronomic bounty of the American Southwest. The eatery
was suggested by our friends Harry and Alicia and we must remember to thank
them for a terrific ending of a splendid first full day in the sun.
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