Arizona – Day 6

April 2019

We began day 6 with more craziness. After we were showered and dressed, our room phone rang again with more angry hang-up calls. I guess the same "neighbor" thought he was waking us up. He was about an hour late for that as the Gattis start the day early when on vacation! When you think of olive oil, you think of Italy or maybe Greece. However, as it turns out, it's produced in Arizona too. We began our day with a tour of the Queen Creek Olive Mill. They grow their own olives and press them into delicious olive oil. Our tour guide, Wolfgang, taught us all the intricacies of oil making and tasting. It was a lot of fun. We then headed up some precarious roads to Canyon Lake for a steamboat ride before heading back down to Scottsdale to have dinner at a restaurant whose other location we had previously enjoyed in Socorro, New Mexico. We ended the evening with the "neighbor" pounding on our hotel room door and running away. I may not be young anymore, but I managed to chase him down the hall and corner him in an elevator! That was followed by him following me back to the room and trying to push his way in. We declined to call Tempe Police just because it might have meant travelling back to Arizona to testify if they arrested him. We let hotel security deal with it and now we have a fun story to tell!

06-001 View from Tempe Hotel
Despite the craziness that we experienced at our hotel in Tempe, we certainly cannot complain about the view!
06-002 View from Tempe Hotel
Despite the craziness that we experienced at our hotel in Tempe, we certainly cannot complain about the view!
06-004 View from Tempe Hotel
Despite the craziness that we experienced at our hotel in Tempe, we certainly cannot complain about the view!
06-006 Palm Tree Cell Towers
I'm not sure who these palm tree cell towers are supposed to fool.
06-008 Clocks
We are in one of these 4 olive producing regions. I'll let you guess which one!
06-009 Olive Oil 101 Sign
Waiting for our class on olive oil production to begin
06-010 Olive Press
This is how olive oil used to be made
06-011 Bird
This guy appears to be waiting for the class as well
06-012 Olive Flowers
Some of the olive trees are in bloom
06-013 Olive Trees
Queen Creek has no shortage of olive trees
06-014 Olive Press
This is how olives are pressed in modern times
06-015 Olive Oil Tank
That's a lot of olive oil and this is one of many tanks
06-016 Olive Oil Sample
We really know how to party. Doing shots of olive oil in the tasting room.
06-018 Queen Creek Olive Mill Store
I could easily buy everything in Queen Creek's store. I didn't quite buy it all, but FedEx did have to take my purchase home for me.
06-019 Dark Chocolate Olive Oil
Yes, they even make chocolate olive oil. Yes, we did buy some.
06-020 Olive Tree Grove
Sitting out in the olive grove enjoying lunch is incredibly peaceful
06-022 Queen Creek Olive Mill Sign
Wrapping up our morning at Queen Creek Olive Mill
06-023 Bird
Watching the wildlife in the olive grove
06-025 Arizona Flag
The flag of the state of Arizona
06-026 Queen Creek Sign
Driving through the town of Queen Creek on our way to our next destination
06-027 Curvy Sidewalk
The sidewalks here are definitely different
06-028 Mountains
Our next stop is in the mountains
06-029 Tonto National Forest Sign
Entering Tonto National Forest
06-030 Apache Trail
Driving the Apache Trail up into the mountains
06-031 Apache Trail
Driving the Apache Trail up into the mountains
06-033 Apache Trail
Unfortunately, there were storms ahead
06-035 Apache Trail & Canyon Lake
We knew we were getting close, at last, when we started seeing Canyon Lake
06-036 One Lane Bridge
Apache Trail is not for the faint of heart, nor are its one lane bridges
06-037 Apache Trail and Canyon Lake
We knew we were getting close, at last, when we started seeing Canyon Lake
06-041 Dolly Steamboat
This is what we're here for, a ride on the Dolly Steamboat
06-042 Dolly Steamboat
This is what we're here for, a ride on the Dolly Steamboat
06-043 Dolly Steamboat
This is what we're here for, a ride on the Dolly Steamboat
06-044 Storm Clouds
Those storm clouds did not want to go away but it could have been worse.
06-045 Canyon Lake
Those storm clouds did not want to go away but it could have been worse.
06-046 Bald Eagle
A bald eagle tends to its nest upon the top of a rock pillar
06-048 Mountain Goats
Mountain goats are amazing animals
06-049 Mountain Goats
Mountain goats are amazing animals
06-050 Canyon Lake
We explored every corner of Canyon Lake
06-052 Saguaro Cacti & Turkey Vulture
A turkey vulture hangs out among the saguaro cacti
06-053 Petrified Logs
Those are petrified logs embedded in that mountain
06-054 Petrified Logs
Those are petrified logs embedded in that mountain
06-055 Desert Varnish
The black stuff is desert varnish. It can take thousands of years to form.
06-056 Canyon Lake
We explored every corner of Canyon Lake
06-058 Saguaro Cacti
Saguaro cacti grow along the edge of the lake
06-059 Cave
I don't know what's inside that cave but it's probably best that we didn't find out!
06-062 Bald Eagle
A bald eagle sits in its nest
06-063 One Lane Bridge
That's the one lane bridge that we traversed on the way up
06-064 Canyon Lake
We explored every corner of Canyon Lake
06-065 Apache Trail
Back on Apache Trail headed down the mountain
06-066 View from Apache Trail
The views from the Apache Trail are pretty spectacular
06-067 Apache Trail
Back on Apache Trail headed down the mountain
06-068 View from Apache Trail
There are no guard rails on the Apache Trail
06-070 Yellow Tree
A surprising pop of yellow in the desert
06-071 Apache Junction Sign
Headed through the town of Apache Junction
06-072 Saguaro Cactus
That saguaro cactus is massive. It has to be a few hundred years old!
06-074 Highway Decoration
The highways here are a lot fancier than back east
06-075 Highway Decoration
The highways here are a lot fancier than back east
06-076 Frank & Lupe's Old Mexico
We had to try Frank & Lupe's Old Mexico restaurant in Scottsdale, because we enjoyed their other location in New Mexico a few years ago.
06-078 Frank & Lupe's Old Mexico Dining Room
We had to try Frank & Lupe's Old Mexico restaurant in Scottsdale, because we enjoyed their other location in New Mexico a few years ago.
06-079 Margarita
The margarita wasn't as good as it could've been, but the food was delicious.
06-080 Old Town Scottsdale
Checking out Old Town Scottsdale before heading back to Tempe for the night
06-082 Old Town Scottsdale Sign
Checking out Old Town Scottsdale before heading back to Tempe for the night