Next Day

February 23, 2020: Jacob, Mary, and Sarah at Riverview Park in Mesa.

After spending most of Saturday traveling and attending my niece Emma's wedding, luncheon, and reception, we were able to relax a bit on Sunday before driving back home in the afternoon. Jacob made us Egg McMuffins for breakfast--yes, I confess, Sarah and I did each have our eggs and sausage on a 100% whole grain English muffin--and then we headed over to spend a little time at Riverview Park.

Jacob and Sarah pose with their dad, Mark, at Riverview Park's lake.

We'd spent some time at this same park when we traveled to the Valley back on January 16-17, to take Jacob his Christmas presents and to attend Clair Ryann Crosby's concert. The kids enjoyed it so much then that they suggested we do it again.

Jacob, Mark, and Sarah check out one of Mesa's urban lakes.

The urban lake that now sits at the heart of the park is a huge, cement-framed body of water that is stocked for local fisherman with catfish and trout. It's very different from what it used to be when I still lived in Mesa, from March 1980 to July 1990.

One arm of the lake at Riverview Park. It's stocked with trout and catfish.

My brothers used to play baseball at Riverview Park's playing fields. We called it "Sewer-view Park" back then. Located near a water treatment plant, the odors that often wafted toward us when the breeze blew the wrong direction was, to say the least, putrid.

Now Riverview Park is the home of Sloan Field, the Cubs' Spring Training Facility!

The spillway at the eastern edge of Riverview Park.

When Mark and I were dating in 1988, we used to go to this lake together in the evenings. I would spread out a blanket and read a book while he fished. At first I thought this was romantic, but eventually I realized it was simply boring and, after the first hour, uncomfortable. I tried fishing with him a couple of times, but quickly decided it must be an acquired taste. Sitting there for literally hours with, most of the time, nothing at all going on is what Mark finds relaxing. I get that same benefit from spending hours reading, writing, or sketching. As they say, different strokes...

In those days, the lake at Riverview was more of a large pond without the cement sides, fancy bridges, and decorative fountains. The muddy little beach around it slanted right down into the water. I kind of miss that. It was more "real," like the lakes, streams, and ponds in the mountains and forests where we now live.

Photos from our January 17th visit:

Mark, Jacob, and Sarah play in the Splashpad for a while.

January 17, 2020

Today, Riverview Park is modernized and filled with fun things to do. It's quite large. In fact, you can rent a motorized scooter to get you around the park in style. 

On our last visit, my knee and especially my hip were causing me a great deal of pain, to the extent that I was walking somewhat like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. When the kids and Mark decided to walk all the way around the park, I told them to go on without me. They were gone a very long time. While I waited at a picnic table and enjoyed the quiet, I kept expecting to see them appear at the far side of the lake at any minute. Eventually I got up and wandered around, taking pictures and watching the ducks congregate. At last, they came back into view, but I still had to wait almost as long again until they made it back to the side of the lake where I waited!

Jacob started to climb this tower (white shirt, red shorts), but 

he gave up when he realized flip-flops are the wrong footwear.

There are many types of playgrounds on the park grounds. Sarah and Jacob had a good time at the Splashpad during both of our visits, trying to push each other and their dad into the spray. Jacob tried to climb the tower in January, but forgot to bring sturdier shoes for our second visit. Flip-flops and bare feet just won't cut it on those narrow lines.

Mark, Sarah, and Jacob on the last half of their long walk.

Fishermen are found all over the lake, and Mark can't seem to stop himself from pausing beside each one to ask if they've had any luck, how long they've been there, what bait they're using, and so on. Trading fishing stories can go on forever. No wonder it took them so long to circle the lake!

This weekend, my knee and hip were doing okay, so we all walked around the lake together this time, although we took a slightly shorter route. No sense pressing my luck!

These ducks had swarmed all around a little boy they'd hoped had food.

Disappointed, they were heading back into the lake when I took the picture.

After an hour or so, we returned to Jacob's place and loaded up the car for our return trip. We stopped for lunch at Carl's Jr (Super Star lettuce wrap, yeah baby!) and then started the climb toward home at 2:30. Thankfully, the roads were clear and dry despite the previous day's heavy rains, and we pulled into my driveway before 5:30.

The Mogollon Rim is straight ahead after we leave Payson.

That's where we live, up there beyond the edge of the Rim.

For this latest trip, we ended up traveling to and from the Valley via Hwy 77 SW from Show Low to Globe-Miami, and then west on Hwy 60 to Gilbert and Mesa. That takes you through the stark, striking beauty of Salt River Canyon, along a heavily curving and slow-going road.

These final two pictures, though, are from our last trip, in January. For that trip, we drove both down and back up via Hwy 87 NE (aka, Beeline Highway) from Mesa to Payson, and then east on 260 from Payson to Show Low. I thought it would be fun to share some views of the roads we drive so often for the friends and family who've never been to this part of Arizona. The 3-hour drive (by either route) seems long and we never look forward to it, but at least the views range from interesting to beautiful to spectacular!

Charred remnants left behind by the Rodeo-Chediski Fire of 2002,

along the highway between Heber-Overgaard and Show Low.