Day 4 - A day in Sabino Canyon

One of my favorite days was walking down Sabino Canyon.   You take a tram into the canyon and walk back the 3.5 miles.   It was a gorgeous day, not too hot and we had a wonderful time.

This mountain formation is sometimes called "The Snoopy" rock.   See him lying on his doghouse?

We hiked a little ways on one of the trails coming off of the main road to show the children what real hiking was like.   The children were impressed by the hardness of the trail.   It was certainly different from hiking in the Rockies.   Here you definitely didn't want to trip and fall off of the trail!

We did a little boulder hopping along the river as well.

The sound of the river brought back hiking in the Rockies memories to me.   But the sight of cactus on the mountains was certainly very odd.

One of the bridges had water flowing over it.   The children were wondering (and I think even worrying a little) how we would get across.   They seemed a little surprised when I told them to take off their shoes and socks and wade across.   

It wasn't very deep on the road - only up to our ankles, but it was COLD!   As it should be since the water came from snow runoff.

But of course, once you have your feet wet, you might as well play in the water.

Now my dh decided that he was going to get across without taking off his shoes.   He wandered around a bit looking for the right place to cross.

Bingo!  Success!

A beautiful cottonwood growing by the river.   This is the first really green tree we've seen here yet.

The cactus even grow on top of boulders.

Here's proof that I actually exist and went on this vacation!

That night, we took the children to a Spanish restaurant and let them taste real Spanish Tapas.   They were thrilled.   They were also the only children in the restaurant.   The waiter was impressed that the children not only knew what tapas were but were willing to try all kinds.

We had 12 different kinds of tapas.   My dh liked every one.   I liked all but one and the children liked most of them.   And what did we have?   

1.   Potatoes with Romesco and Aoili

2.  Manchego Cheese and Grapes

3.  Mushrooms with Garlic, Wine, Salted Pork, and hot Pepper

4.  Shrimp in Spicy Wine and Garlic Sauce

5.  Batter fried Shrimp

6.  Chorizo Sausage with potatoes and apple cider sauce

7.  Croquettes de Jamon (ham and Bechamel croquettes)

8.  Potato and Cheese Omelette (a very traditional tapa)

9.  Sea Scallops with Fish Fume and Wine sauce

10. Asparagus with Eggs and Shrimp (wonderful!)

11.  Lamb Chops with Salt and Pepper (grilled to perfection)

12.  Pork Scallopini on Bread, Tomato, and Roasted Pepper 

And that is not all!   They had live music, singing, and dancing.   What a night!