The other night, I dreamed I rode my bike from McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale to the 202 Freeway in Tempe. When I woke up the next morning, that’s exactly what I did.

The main north-south bike path in Scottsdale runs from about Shea Boulevard south to Tempe Town Lake.  I rode straight down to the freeway and when I got there, decided I might as well go all the way to the lake, since it was only a couple hundred more yards.

Riding under the freeway was interesting. The light was bouncing around, and it felt kind of like a cave, except for how bright it was and the noise overhead.

Just south of the underpass, the path turns west and runs along the lake, toward ASU. With temperatures well into the 100’s, just looking at this much water felt cooler.

Heading north, I took a few more pics to share. The Tempe portion of the path goes through a natural desert area and has a few lights near the freeway  underpass.

A mile or so north, you can see the back side of Big Surf Waterpark.

And in Scottsdale, the bike path runs through several parks, most with water. 

There’s a Frisbee golf course next to the path in South Scottsdale, and further north, you’ll find the Eldorado Skate Park.

Another view of the “2-lane” path, running along a public golf course.

And then a quick view of the lake at Chaparral Park.

The bike path is flat, except to and from the underpasses. With the newest underpass at Chaparral Road, it’s now possible to get from Indian Bend Road to Roosevelt without crossing any roads.

For a map of this Scottsdale bike path, you can view the Indian Bend Wash Shared-Use Path, and here’s more info on Biking in Scottsdale.

For an overview of bike paths and lanes in Metro Phoenix, see the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Bike Map 2008

Yelp reviews of the Scottsdale Green Belt

More about biking in Scottsdale:

• Getting Around Scottsdale on a Bike Might be Easier than You Think
• Earn a free bike in Scottsdale – really!
• Save some gas? Ride a bike.

Did you know that the City of Scottsdale has:

• 41 public parks encompassing 941 acres
• 4 public swimming pools
• 105 miles of bike lanes
• 67 miles of paved paths
• 143 miles of non-preserve trails.

Learn more about Scottsdale here Scottsdale Parks and Recreation:

• City of Scottsdale Parks & Recreation Classes: Lots of choices, great instructors
• Mountain Biking in Scottsdale
• Eldorado Skate Park in South Scottsdale
• Save some gas? Ride a bike.

I love this little (5 acre!) xeriscape garden in central Scottsdale. I discovered it last year and make a point to stop in every once in a while.  Like this morning.

Grabbed a few photos as I was riding through.

The garden is tucked in east of the Dog Park on the southwest corner of Hayden and McDonald.

More about Scottsdale Parks & Recreation:

• City of Scottsdale Parks & Recreation Classes: Lots of choices, great instructors
• Mountain Biking in Scottsdale
• Eldorado Skate Park in South Scottsdale

I’ve taken family photos for years, and when I got into real estate, expanded into housing a little bit, always using a Point and Shoot.  Last year, I bought a DSLR, and was immediately overwhelmed by all the technical details of this new camera.

I signed up for a Photography class from the City of Scottsdale Parks & Recreation. Four classes later, I’m so glad I did. I’ve had two instructors, each with a different focus on photography.

My current instructor, Joshua White, a graduate student as ASU, has stretched me at an artist, while giving me the tools and techniques to understand and effectively use my camera.  Some of the first assignments that he gave were fun and excruciating at the same time.  I learned so much.

Josh is graduating in a few months, and moving to Pennsylvania.  He got married last week, and I was delighted to be invited to the ceremony and celebration at WestWorld.  I took my camera, of course!

Our homework for this past week was “Love, in black and white”, and I shared these two photos for critique in class.  Above, the post-ceremony antics, with the best man and woman overseeing the wedding photographer.  Below, I was able to sneak in a little closer and catch Josh and Liz – totally in love!

Thank you, Josh, for being a photographer, an artist, and a teacher who has made a huge impact on me.

Thank you, City of Scottsdale, for hiring Josh.  We are so going to miss him, while wishing him well on his next journey of life!

The year has started off with a bang, and it’s been a full-speed week.

I caught this video today, courtesy of the Scottsdale Visitors and Convention Bureau.  The intent was to tout Scottsdale as a golf destination. 

Watch it, and you will see that it’s much more than that!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the video:

Scottsdale “people are doers, not watchers.”

“lifestyle”

“camaraderie”

“boutique” community

“very vibrant”

“wouldn’t trade it for anything”

“everywhere you look it’s beautiful”

and

Why wouldn’t you want to live in Scottsdale?

“It’s paradise.”

I have to agree with them all.  Scottsdale is a hugely vibrant and very beautiful city. I’m so glad to call it home.

Crossing the finish line of the Runner’s Den / Fiesta Bowl 5K in Scottsdale last Sunday.

My somewhat jaded 19 year old looked at her picture, and said, “Now, that’s cool!”

Yes, and then some. Just in time for some New Year’s motivation.  Right?

She’s a regular on the runner’s race circuit. She’s also 83, uses a walker, and finishes a 5K (3.2 miles) in just over an hour. Think about it. That’s amazing, wonderful, and so much more.  I love her style, her grace, and her motivation. She’s my hero!

It had been many years since I’d visited the Science Center, so it was a good refresher.  The building is currently undergoing major renovations, but there was still more than enough to see, even though we skipped the featured exhibit (The Science of Fear!), the planetarium,  and the IMAX theatre.

On the first floor, the home construction exhibit, “Many Hands Make a Home”, is always a hit with both kids and adults.  It is fun to see how a home is put together step by step.

Moving upstairs, we spent a bit of time on the “Music Landing” playing with sound, and then headed over to the Get Charged Up Gallery, another one of the many hands-on exhibits. In here, I laid on a bed of nails. It was prickly, but not painful at all. Actually, it felt pretty cool.

On the third floor, the “My Digital World” was new to me.  Fun! I had to pull my camera out for one of the exhibits (see the show below).  Still don’t know quite how the technology works on this one, but totally enjoyed watching everyone play with the light!

The Forces of Nature exhibits on this floor were interesting, too. My favorite was the short movie about weather, complete with wind, heat, and rain showers.

SRP sponsored a solar exhibit, “Solarville”, in the fourth floor hallway. Small, but definitely educational.  It’s so much easier to understand a concept when you have a chance to play or get a hands-on experience.

The Arizona Science Center is located at 600 E. Washington in downtown Phoenix, just north of Chase Field.  We parked in the garage just north of the Science Center, and with validation, the charge was only a buck (even though there was a Diamondbacks game going on at the same time).  Exhibit hours are usually 10-5, seven days a week, but you will want to check the center’s web site to make sure.

Helpful Arizona Science Center Links:

• Location, Maps, and Hours
• Exhibits
• Featured Exhibits