We enjoyed the rushing waters of Bridalveil Fall (it really is singular- both in letters and as a view!).  Walking up a short path in the May-June time period, you can find it hard to keep your footing, there is so much rushing water – and that it is a challenge to keep from getting a camera wet.  We wore waterproof jackets, but expect to get wet if you go that time of year.

Lower and Upper Yosemite Fall are both visible from many vantage points and, since they are accessible from the main shuttle bus route (free) that travels around the Visitor Center area, you might have a lot of company.  They are still worth seeing.

Another popular view, but also dangerous if you get too close, is the Mist Trail, which leads to the Vernal Fall and other hiking trails.  Vernal Fall’s trail is accessed by taking the bus to the Nature Center at Happy Isles, then go over a small bridge and follow the trail.  Early on, the trail is level, but later it becomes very steep.  We were told in one travel book that the trail was easy – no way!  By the top of the ascent before even reaching the bridge that overlooks Vernal Fall, most people are red-faced and puffing.  We asked a Park Ranger how difficult they consider that trail.  His response – “strenuous!”

So take travel books’ assessments of trail difficulty with a grain of salt.

By late in the year, the falls have a lot less water and are a lot less spectacular to view.  But go and enjoy the view if you can – nature surpasses herself in Yosemite!

On a recent trip to Wilmington, North Carolina, we took our time exploring the sites from the boardwalk that looked out over the Intracoastal Waterway.  Putting one foot in front of the other, we received the benefits of an energetic walk as we saw the USS North Carolina, numerous boats, and many shops and restaurants.

One of the many historic homes in Wilmington

Wilmington has a historic charm, which we were able to enjoy as we saw the riverboats that ply the river offering dinner cruises and sightseeing tours.

One of the many small malls in Wilmington

Riverboats ply on the Intracoastal Waterway on Wilmington

So, hiking can be a hike in the wilds, but a stroll on the boardwalk can also meet your requirement for energy use.

Daytime temperatures get into the 70ºs (Fahrenheit) and the sun is shining. Soon, we’ll have a profusion of flowers – yes, it really can flower in the desert!

So, on a day when most of the country was socked in with snow, I’ll show you where I hiked.  With a jacket that I wound up taking off since I became too warm while hiking, I headed out on a trail that gave me views of downtown Phoenix, Camelback Mountain and a panorama of the whole surrounding area.

Take a look – South Mountain Park – the largest city park in the USA.   These pictures show the Javelina Canyon Trail (Easy to moderate difficulty) that you can enter from 46^th Street (south off Baseline Road).

Beginning of the trail - Javelina Canyon Trail in South Mountain Park

Camelback Mountain in the distance

The trail

Phoenix downtown (in the distance) from South Mountain Park

I’ve been offline for a bit because I’ve been concentrating on getting Hiking for the Couch Potato out to the world!  If you take a look at http://hiking.forthecouchpotato.com, then come back for details, I’ll explain what image number 3 at the top of my new blog is about.

Okay, so  - did you go look at the other web site?

If you did, then let me share with you that the image is from Hawaii, Wailoa River State Park, a park on the Big Island.  This is a gorgeous place to meander that provides many vantage points for photography. A local park, there is no admission fee.  You can climb down to be near the water or see the falls from higher up.

It’s peaceful and we had almost no one else to bother us, unlike many more known sites in Hawaii, where everyone seems to be jockeying for a place to take photos.

Sometimes, it is just a good idea to relax, take a walk and enjoy nature.

If you are visiting the desert, it is surprising to find that there are actually spots with water and ducks.

Ducks, ducks, ducks!

Riverview Park - a small park with water, picnic areas and playground

(Riverview Park is located in Mesa at Dobson Road and 8^th Street.)

And, if birds are your thing, head to see another park that has an even greater area and an abundance of birds, the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona.

See more on my other website,

http://hiking.forthecouchpotato.com/hiking/

(We have had some “technical difficulties” and the website is not quite as complete as we had hoped, but you can check this link and see three great images.)

So, take a peek at the site and look at the second image near the top.  When you do, you’ll see an almost other-worldly location where the rocks have encircled a watery, breathtakingly beautiful lake.  If you look really carefully, you’ll even see a mountain with snow on it off in the distance.

Where is it?

The shot is of Granite Dells, just north of Prescott, Arizona at Watson Lake.  It’s a park, a picnic place and a fabulous place to hike.  There is a small entrance fee, but just sharing the view is worth it!

Take a look at our previous blog on this site that tells you more.  http://traveltipsandadventures.com/?p=1687

Enjoy!  We certainly have and we’ve been back several times.

Since I did not post a new blog this week, I wanted  you to know that I have not forgotten you!

I have just launched my new book, Hiking for the Couch Potato: A Guide for the Exercise-Challenged

and was caught up in details and preparations.

I invite you all to visit my new website – http://hiking.forthecouchpotato.com and see the great new details. We will be posting new places to visit on that site.  We’re encouraging everyone to get up and active by hiking or walking.

Also, you will see some images to travel at the top of the new site – (See numbers 1-4) –  I will share with you in future weeks what the images are about.

Please let me know on the new site what you think!

Thanks for visiting!

Traveling up Scottsdale Road, you see other major retailers like Crate & Barrel, restaurants like Cheesecake Factory, and several shopping plazas.  Although it might seem counterintuitive with Arizona’s months of extreme heat, most of the newer shopping locations are open air centers  where you travel outside from shop to shop.

A street in Kierland Commons

Banana Republic in Kierland Commons

Take Kierland Commons.  It is an extremely upscale shopping area that resembles a small city with multiple blocks of shops and restaurants.  Called a “mixed use” center, it also has some pricey places for people to reside (not just live, note, but “reside”) so they are just above or down the street from the retail locations of their choice.  Kierland Commons has retail establishments not found just anywhere like Restoration Hardware; Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant, Bar and Store;  7 for All Mankind; and other unique brands – plus a few people would know like White House/Black Market, Sur La Table, and Morton’s, the Steakhouse.  In other words, bring plastic and lots of it!

There are some even newer centers recovering from the economic boom that slowed down occupancy like the Scottsdale Quarter that was a sensation when H & M moved in with their trendy and reasonably priced fashion.  There is a large Apple Store and a unique Williams Sonoma Home.  We were surprised to walk in and find furnishings – couches and other furniture galore in room arrangements – instead of the kitchen gadgets and cookbooks we had expected.   The staff were obviously used to that reaction as they explained that their more traditional store was at Scottsdale Fashion Square.  Scottsdale Quarter bills itself as an “open air urban lifestyle center.”

H & M's trendy store in Scottsdale Quarter

Even the grocery store is not the ordinary convenience store married with catering.  The Oakville Grocery has high-end nibbles, a bakery, wine selections and a small deli with a few tables for someone who might like to grab something with friends.  A “coming soon” eatery is “True Food Kitchen” which is in the Phoenix Biltmore area and features regional sourced food and elegant presentations in a trendy, ultramodern eatery.

With all this talk of food, I’m getting hungry, so I’m off to make dinner.  Needless to say, I’ve barely touched on all of the shopping locations in Scottsdale Arizona.  However, next week I’ll be back to shamelessly promote my new book —–

Come back next week and I’ll share more as I’m just days away from launching – Hiking for the Couch Potato: A Guide for the Exercise Challenged. It is a humorous book suitable for gift-giving!  Get ready to join the community!

Horses and the Wild West are still very much part of Old Scottsdale

Get your cowboy on

Visit Old Town Scottsdale and you almost feel like you should be purchasing a cowboy hat and boots.  The theme is horses and the Wild West.  Native American shops also show some really gorgeous craft items from pottery to jewelry.

Even the street signs are western in Old Town

Next door to Old Town you’ll see 5^th Avenue Shops.  The streets remind you of Boca and Palm Beach with many small, unique shops and eateries that pride themselves on having the right vibes to attract the crowds of Scottsdale.

Fifth Avenue Shops

More shops in Fifth Avenue

Nearby, you’ll also find the several blocks of the Scottsdale Arts District, with galleries waiting to tout the newest artiste.

Hop in your vehicle and head up the road

Travel up Scottsdale Road and your “shop ‘til you drop adventure” really begins. Scottsdale’s Fashion Square is the location for Nordstrom’s, Anthropologie, an array of other stores, both on the street and inside the mall.

Marquis for Scottsdale Fashion Square

If you’ve never been in an Anthropologie, it is a very unusual store that features clothing, but also has dishes, cookbooks and other eclectic gadgets.  The floors are rough wood and some of the displays are hard to describe, so I won’t.  I didn’t dare take a photo, because I got the distinct feeling that it wouldn’t have been appreciated!  The owner/buyer, I read in an article, travels the world to find the items for the stores and he does snag some of the most unusual finds.

A courtyard at The Borgata

An arcade at The Borgata

Next up, several miles up the street, stop at The Borgata.  Fountains splashing and a courtyard that makes you want to explore all the nooks and crannies leads you to probably my favorite shop of the day: Two Plates Full.  A gift shop, Two Plates Full has a colorful array of gift items.  And, color is the operative word here!  Such a profusion of colorful gadgets, doodads and gift items is a joy!  My special favorites were the funny mugs equating the months of the year with Jewish food, like a Chinese calendar (the Year of the Ram, etc.) but with bagels, knishes, and the like! Hilarious! Cards, fused glass, woven items, pottery, you name it!  I had to restrain myself or I would have bought out the place.  Terri, the owner has a real eye for the special and irresistible.  Twoplatesfull.com

Two Plates Full - a great gift shop

(The above was an unpaid endorsement – I just viscerally loved that shop!)

Come back next week and we’ll finish our short shopping tour of Scottsdale.

When you arrive, you pay your admission fee ($15 per person for adults) and are handed a set of headphones with a transmitter.  Unlike some museums, the music follows you.  No need to turn the receiver on or off if you arrive at a display and your timing is off.

Gorgeous inlaid floor with the continents - entrance to a Mim gallery

The customer service people suggest that you start with the first floor display, which has an array of guitars, a massive chime –(see last week’s blog for an image of the giant boat-like gong).

Next, head upstairs where the exhibit halls are arranged by continent.  The United States and Canada displays are housed in one large area and contain exhibits, screens with music that repeat with the performances heard through your headphones, and displays that show everything from a piano being skillfully constructed by Steinway craftspeople to Bluegrass music being energetically performed.

Amazing craftsmanship goes into constructing every piano (Steinway)

It is a dizzying and convincing parade of musical instruments that does convey the sense that music is truly the one unifying concept of the human race.

Many countries have their own versions of bagpipes

Take bagpipes.  You might think that they’d be in a display in the Scottish area.  They are, but it appears that many different cultures and countries have their own versions of bagpipes, too.

Every country has an exhibit of musical instruments, augmented with a performance that you can see on screen and hear with your headphones.   The color and array is exhausting and exhilarating to behold.  Junkanoo in the Bahamas and all manner of colorful and well-crafted instruments catch your attention.

Junkanoo in the Bahamas is a colorful pageant with steel drums

Downstairs – The modern masters

In addition to live performances, MIM has a hall with some pop, rock, jazz and other favorites on loan.  See the piano that John Lennon composed “Imagine” on, along with a video of him singing  “Imagine” and breaking out of the melodic line to editorially intone – in a deeper voice – “and I’m not the only one” (referring to  the desire for peace).  It gave me shivers!

John Lennon's piano on which he composed "Imagine" and a video of him playing

Eric Clapton performs several songs on video and you can see his instruments while you listen.  Carlos Santana, the Jonas Brothers, the Black-Eyed Peas, Paul Simon, George Benson and many others are all represented.  George Benson’s Platinum record for “Breezin’” is on display, along with Eric Clapton’s Fender – his “Brownie.”

Carlos Santana highlighted

Although we were tired after about three hours, we could have stayed twice as long.  There was so much to see and hear!

Transport yourself to MIM and you’ll spend an exciting and inspiring time.  All ages can enjoy the museum and there’s even a room to try the instruments.  Adults and children were banging on the drums and trying out the chimes.

Joey Wan enjoyed trying out the Gamelan, a xylophone

Note: There are video screens in most galleries that, using the headphones every visitor is loaned, start playing in the headphone when a visitor is near that particular exhibit.

MIM – the Musical Instrument Museum has a gift shop, a café (which prides itself on using “fresh local ingredients”), a coffee shop, and spaces for performances.  A great place to visit!