Avoid Scottsdale. Take a hike instead.

The city of Scottsdale claims to be a western town. Well, maybe it is if you consider it a 21st Century Western town. Not much of the Old West to be seen. There was a fountain surrounded by statues of horses and a wooden cowboy and Indian standing beside a souvenier shop.

wood cowboy wood In dian

So I decided to go back to my Airbnb neighborhood in northern Phoenix and go for a hike. It was a good choice for my last day in Phoenix.

Hiking trail on Squaw Mt. in Phoenix
The name of this area is ‘Dreamy Draw Recreation Area’. It’s only a couple of minutes from the freeway offramp.
flowers blooming on Squaw Mountain in Phoenix March 2019
Flowers blooming on Squaw Mountain in Phoenix, March 2019.
California poppy on Arizona trail
This tiny California poppy was on the Dreamy Draw trail. I took it as a good sign as I was planning to return to L.A. to regroup.

While I was back in Los Angeles I had the best clam chowder I’ve ever had at the only floating restaurant in the Los Angeles Harbor. You can see the review here on my LACityPix blog.