Scottsdale Exudes Visual Aplenty

As my wife and I entered the “Valley of the Sun” in early afternoon on our next road trip destination, we noticed a unique presence of towering saguaros and intriguing architecture. We were surprised that our affordable room rental through Airbnb was conveniently close to the environs of beautiful Scottsdale. In fact the tourist center, “Old Town Scottsdale”, would lie within one mile of our present location.

Venturing out as the sun slowly set over a blue sky horizon, we searched for cafes of interest in “Old Town Scottsdale.” Noticing that the beloved San Francisco Giants fans were flocking to Spring Training baseball there, the effort to find a leisurely meal in our price range would not be easy. Yet our patience paid off as our delayed dinner would enable us to slow down and experience the “Old Town”atmosphere with a more close-up view.

As my wife makes and sells her own own jewelry, she has an eye for decorative detail. As for me, I love to collect natural rocks of any shape or form.With traditional/modern art and mineral collections luring us to enter shop after shop, we would satisfy both of our interests in ambling through this enticing display of “visual heaven” in “Old Town”.

Our free day in Scottsdale tomorrow would enable us to stock up on provisions in the morning for the next leg of our road trip. It would also allow us to spend “quality time” in early afternoon to enjoy the area. With temperatures only reaching the low 80s, we next decided to head north toward the mountains for a short walk along the “Lost Dog Trail.” Using an app called “All Trails”, we wholeheartedly accepted the challenge of hiking uphill in this austere desert environment of prickly cacti vegetation and giant saguaro colossi.

On the way out of Scottsdale the next morning we decided to visit the gallery and studio of Paolo Soleri, famed architect of “Arcosanti ” an experimental town in the Arizona desert. As wind bells of every shape and size rang throughout our outdoor walk , we marveled at an amazing sight of terraced landscaping integrated with experimental, earth-formed designs.

The presence of exquisite indoor/outdoor beauty and practical ecology/architecture integration makes Scottsdale a must place for us to return. Imagining it as an oasis in the “Old West” surrounded by vividly desert colors, Scottsdale has won us over as a place to both lose and find ourselves in the present mind.