Pleasant Lake and Sunset near the Cibola Resort

A trying day in some ways, a good day in others...

Martha and I rode Scarlett over to Lake Pleasant while the boys spent the morning with their grandfather as he pulled a volunteer shift at the MIM: Musical Instrument Museum.  He is one of the volunteer docents there, helping folks learn about the many varied musical instruments.

We parted ways around 9:30AM and by 10:30 or so, Martha and I were at Lake Pleasant which lies to the north of Phoenix and were doing some exploring.

There really wasn't that much to keep us at the lake and so we headed back into town early.  As their grandfather was apparently busy being a docent, we picked up the boys early at the MIM and got some fast food for lunch near the hotel.

We then went back to the hotel to relax for a bit as it was the afternoon of the football game between the Cardinals and the Packers.  We wanted to avoid all the rabid fans you see as the stadium was about five miles from the hotel.

So up to the room we go, only to find out neither of our hotel key cards were working.  Weird.

Martha went back down to the front desk and found there had been some mix up between her dad (who arranged the lodgings for us) and the hotel.  We thought we had another night there, but not according to their records.  Of course, the hotel was booked solid due to the game apparently.

So, luckily, they allowed us back into the room to get our stuff and without additional costs.  Martha then found us a room at the Cibola Resort and Spa about 18 minutes north and there we went.

Coincidentally, it was located along Pleasant Lake Parkway, the route one takes to Pleasant Lake, and it was easy to find and once the room was ready for us, to get settled in.

I went out for a ride to rid myself of the stress of the last minute hotel lodging displacement and saw hot air balloons to the north of the hotel!  I chased the nearest one and was there in time to see it land.  It was the first of several balloons which would follow the same path towards a local glider field.

 One of the balloons, reflected on the canal that is part of CAP:

Central Arizona Project

I didn't stick around for the following balloons, instead spent some time rushing about the area trying to find a good spot to catch the sunset, preferably with one of the local cactus in the foreground.

Several sites and attempts later, I think I got it:

Had an unusual UDF (Ural Delay Factor) moment while I shot the above sunset colors.  Not one but two Sheriff Deputies in their trucks pulled up to check on me.  They'd seen the rig and me kneeling down on the ground and were concerned apparently.

As the light and colors swiftly changed, I assured the deputy that all was OK and fielded his questions about Scarlett.  Thankfully, he wasn't too curious and let me capture some more shots before I lost the light.

I returned to the resort and the family and we went out for dinner.  Another day in Arizona done with, with one more to go.