Colorado and Utah trip

July 1, 2010 by taha 

Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Co.

Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Co.

In,  addition to hiking in our beautiful Sonoran Desert, we also like to adventure out to surrounding areas as well in the great Southwest! Then we get to tell you about our experiences. Well, we just returned from a fantastic whirlwind trip to Colorado and Utah!  Along the way we paid special attention to things we saw, experienced and liked and disliked knowing that this would be great information to share with you.  So, the plan is to share bits and pieces of the trip as it progressed each day in different blog postings over the next week. 

First off, just to let you know, our itinerary included the following “official” stops along the way:

  • Cortez, Colorado – Mesa Verde National Park
  • Durango, Colorado – the Million Dollar Highway
  • Silverton, Colorado – on the way to Ouray
  • Ouray, Colorado – Switzerland of North America
  • Ridgway, Colorado – Ridgway State Park
  • Telluride, Colorado – home of the free gondola!
  • Moab, Utah – Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Deadhorse Point State Park and Warner Lake

The plan was to stay one night in a hotel in both Cortez and Durango. Then from that point on, it was camping in a tent for us!  Overall, the trip was planned for 11 days, so we were set up to spend 9 nights in our tent as we moved from place to place on our route.

We started out from Scottsdale and headed in the Payson direction.  I had two sets of directions to get to Cortez. One set put us on Highway 17 North through Flagstaff where we could then pick up 40 and head east.  The route we chose was the one that took us out on Highway 87, the Beeline Highway, toward Payson and ultimately dropped us off in Holbrook where we then jumped on 40 heading east.  The difference in total mileage was only 10 miles with Payson being the shorter route, but the Payson route was estimated to actually take about 45 minutes longer due to lower speed limits and back road driving.  We decided on the Payson route just to see some new sights along the way versus driving up 17 North which we do quite often.   

So, day 1 was a lot of driving.  We did make some stops along the way to Cortez. One fun stop worth making (if you like rocks and petrified wood) is Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co. in Holbrook, AZ.  It is like rock heaven!  They also have some neat fossils of prehistoric turtles, dinosaurs and birds to check out inside the store. The kids will love it!  I did find the prices on some of the rocks to be a bit higher than what I am used to seeing at other rock shops, but the selection was amazing! Check them out at http://www.petrifiedwood.com to see what they have to offer before you make a trip up there.  Eventually, after a number of other stops, we made it up to Cortez, Colorado. I have fond memories of counting many cows and horses along the way.  So, stay tuned for more details on our adventures in Cortez and the Mesa Verde National Park!

If you have any suggestions or tidbits of information that you picked up on your travels to any of the areas listed on our itinerary, please feel free to share and I can include them in our postings!  Just  comment below on the blog or send us an email at info@takeahikearizona.com. Until next time!

Tonto Natural Bridge

June 9, 2010 by taha 

Inside the tunnel under the bridge

Inside the tunnel under the bridge

Just spent the weekend up in Payson camping with the kids and enjoying the somewhat cooler weather.  One of the main activities we planned for our trip was a visit to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  The park itself is located 12 miles north of Payson right off Highway 87.  It is very easy to find.  Due to state budget cuts,  the park is currently open 5 days a week – Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) and is scheduled to close as of September 27th!  Hopefully, a resolution (other than actually closing the park) can be found before September so we can continue to enjoy this beautiful area.

The natural bridge itself is thought to be the world’s largest natural travertine bridge.  Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs.  The precipiation of the mineral springs forms a coating on nearby surfaces such as plants, roots, rocks, etc and forms very interesting formations including stalactites and stalagmites in limestone caves.  Another great example of travertine forming over plants and roots are the Havasu Falls in the western part of the Grand Canyon on the Havasupai reservation. But, back to the Tonto Natural Bridge.  The bridge itself sits 183 feet up above the ground.  The tunnel below the bridge is 400 feet long and as wide as 150 feet in some places.  Both the views from above and looking up from below are amazing! 

Our favorite part of the trip was hiking down the Gowan Trail and entering the tunnel itself below the bridge.  We spent quite a bit of time inside the tunnel climbing around and hiking to the other end.  Some spots were a bit hazardous due to the slippery, wet surfaces.  With that said, keep in mind that it is a lot easier to climb up some of these slippery slopes than it is to come back down them.  So be sure to take a look at what you are contemplating climbing up and see if it is something you can manuever back down. 

heading down some slickrock

heading down some slickrock

In addition to the beautiful scenery the bridge provides, the other great thing about the tunnel is the cool air and refreshing water constantly dripping down from the ceiling above.  It is a great way to cool off on a hot day!

Also, you are allowed to enter the water to swim as long as you are not within the tunnel.  So as you come down the Gowan Trail, right before you step onto the man-made bridge that takes you to the entrance of the tunnel, veer off to the right and you can swim right there.  The water is very refreshing (meaning down right cold) and there are quite a few little critters that the kids will enjoy looking for around the swimming hole.  We found monster size crayfish (seriously, they looked like lobsters!), lots of fish and some interesting frogs.  There’s also a large number of swallows that nest in the tunnel and many other colorful birds flying in and out of the area.  So there is a lot to see.  We spent the better part of our day enjoying the park and we look forward to going back up again later this summer before the park closes in September.  For more information about the park visit the state park website and check out our photo gallery on our Facebook Fan page to see our photos from the trip.

Tranquility Trail Animal Sanctuary

June 1, 2010 by taha 

Tranquility Trail If you are looking for something fun and educational to do with the kids over the summer, check out Tranquility Trail Animal Sanctuary in Scottsdale.  It is a relatively new organization – a little over a year old located in a building in the Scottsdale Airpark.  Their exact location is:  7701 E. Gray Road, Suite 6, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.

The organization is committed to the preservation, protection and rehabilitation of companion animals.  As part of Phase One, the organization has established a sanctuary for domestic bunnies that have lost their home for one reason or another.  The group offers a number of programs including adoption, spay/neuter services, community outreach, classroom presentations, pet parenting classes, education and collaborative partnerships with other like-minded organizations.  What is really great (and this is the fun part for the kids) is you can visit their location and play with the bunnies!

The goal is to keep the bunnies accustomed to being handled and of course to make them feel loved!  What child doesn’t enjoy petting and playing with a bunny rabbit? Also in addition to having the chance to interact with the animals up close, the kids will receive some great information from the staff about how to treat and care for the animals.  You can also sign up as a volunteer and go through a short orientation on handling the bunnies and become part of a great group of animal lovers!  Check out the Trainquility Trail website for more information.

For those of  you wondering about what to do with a wild bunny you may find in your yard, check out the House Rabbit Society website.  There is an abundance of information about what to do and what not to do with our wild furry friends.  Probably one of the most important things to realize is if you find a baby bunnies in a nest, they have not necessarily been abandoned by their mother.  Mother rabbits do not attend to their babies as many other mammals do.  Did you know that rabbit moms only feed their young for about 5 minutes a day?!  So don’t rush to relocate the baby bunnies as more than likely their mom will return in the evening to feed them.  If you do happen to find a wild bunny that has obviously been injured or is in need of help, there are a number of people you can contact for guidance.  A few of the organizations/individuals in the Phoenix area that you can contact include:

  • Adobe Mountain 623-582-9806
  • Ginny – Fountain Hills 480-816-9095
  • Judy – Mesa 480-807-8355
  • Regina – Queen Creek 480-987-3544
  • Ruth – Paradise Valley 480-483-0130
  • Liberty Wildlife 480-995-5550

These people specialize in the treatment/rehabilitation of wild animals and can be of great assistance to you.  I hope you found this posting informative and I hope you find some time over the summer to visit the bunny sanctuary at Tranquility Trail in Scottsdale.  If you know of any other fun/different things to do in the Phoenix area during the hot months of the summer, just send us a note and tell us about it!! We’d love to hear from you.  You can post a comment here on the blog or just send us an email at info@takeahikearizona.com.

Hiking in the Rain

March 9, 2010 by taha 

Okay, so I’m sure you’ve heard the song “Singing in the rain” right?  Well, there should be one for Hiking in the rain!  Wow, we have had so much rain this year in the desert!! I have never seen the desert as green as it is right now.  There is so much ground cover and plenty of tiny wildflowers popping up everywhere.  If you haven’t been out there yet, you should try to make some time to do so.  We do not get great rainy seasons like this too often.

Speaking of which, we just did a hike this past Sunday (a very stormy day).  We started out (and finished the hike) with 17 people in an absolute downpour!  First of all, I have to say hats off to the hardy souls that joined us for what promised to be a very wet hike.  Fortunately, the rain did slow down and actually stopped for some time so we were not being rained on the whole hike. I have not had many opportunities to actually hike here in the desert during a rainstorm. It seems more often than not, that our rains are accompanied by thunder and lightning and we do not go out in that weather. But on Sunday, we were fortunate enough to have the rain minus the lightning which would have been a showstopper.  Anyway, as I was saying, this is one of the first times I’ve been out hiking in the desert mountains in the rain here in the valley.  I have to say it was absolutely beautiful!  The creosote bushes, which give our desert that great aroma when it rains, literally filled the air with their scent.  It kind of reminded me of when I used to hike in the pine forests back east and you couldn’t seem to breathe in enough of the beautiful scented air.

Not only did the desert smell fresh and the air felt crisp, but we were rewarded with some great views from within the clouds and above the clouds as we hiked up.  At some points during the hike it felt like we were walking out of the mist into a new world. It was very serene to say the least.  Then to top off the hike, the clouds cleared just enough to let the sun peak through and create an unbelievably bright, colorful rainbow as we were hiking back down to reality.  It really doesn’t get any better than that!  Anyway, I was just so in awe of the beauty of the desert on this hike, that I just had to mention it on our blog. And I wanted to highly recommend to those of you who haven’t done so yet, try to take advantage of some of the rainy days and get out there and hike!  Just don’t go if there is thunder and lightning in the forecast!  If you do get out there, let me know about your experience and send me some photos. I’d love to hear about it.

Lastly, you can go to our photo gallery on our site http://www.takeahikearizona.com and look at the gorgeous photos we took during this hike. They are included in the WM Symposium folder on our flickr page (which is linked to our photo gallery).  I also included a photo with this post of the rainbow we saw on our way back down.

Sonoran Desert Rainbow

Sonoran Desert Rainbow

Snag and Save excursions

March 9, 2010 by taha 

For those of you joining Take A Hike Arizona on our Snag and Save hikes, here are the directions to the trailheads that we will be starting from.

Piestewa Peak Park (Phoenix Mountains Preserve).  From Highway 51, take the Glendale Ave exit. Head east on Glendale Ave (which actually turns into Lincoln Ave as you head further east).  About 3/4 of a mile from Highway 51, you take a left turn at the traffic lights onto Squaw Peak Drive.  Follow this road straight into the park and stay on this road all the way to the far end where you come to a circular parking area and can drive no further.  This is where we will be meeting to start this hike.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve (Gateway Trailhead).  For those of you with GPS, the exact address for this location is 18333 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale.  We will be meeting at the main building area on the east side of the parking lot. For those of you who still drive around the old fashioned way (like me), here are the directions.

Heading North on Hwy 101, take the Frank Lloyd Wright exit.  This exit will drop you onto the service road that runs parallel to the highway (Pima Rd). Stay on this road through the first set of traffic lights (cross over Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd at the traffic lights). Go past the West World entrance. Stay straight until your next set of traffic lights at Bell Rd. Turn right onto Bell Rd.  Follow Bell Rd past the Ice Den skating rink and past the Basha’s shopping center. At Thompson Peak Parkway (major intersection) take a left.  Follow Thompson Peak Parkway for a few hundred yards. The entrance to the Gateway Trailhead parking area is on your right.  Follow the entrance into the parking area and park wherever you find a spot. We will all meet up by the main building.

Heading South on Highway 101, take the Pima Rd/Princess Rd exit.  From the exit ramp, stay straight through the first set of lights at Pima Rd. At the second set of lights, take a left onto Bell Rd.  Follow Bell Rd past the Ice Den skating rink and past the Basha’s shopping center. At Thompson Peak Parkway (major intersection) take a left.  Follow Thompson Peak Parkway for a few hundred yards. The entrance to the Gateway Trailhead parking area is on your right.  Follow the entrance into the parking area and park wherever you find a spot. We will all meet up by the main building.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@takeahikearizona.com. See you there!

Spring showers bring new flowers!

February 26, 2010 by taha 

Scottsdale and Phoenix hiking trails are starting to show off their colors!  I did a quick scouting trip to see what is going on out in the desert as far as our spring flower season.  The amount of rain we have had over the past month or so should definitely provide us with a much more colorful wildflower season than last year.  Anyway, just to give you a real quick update on what we are seeing out there right now….

The Chuparosa, always an early bloomer, is hitting its full stride right about now.  You will find the red blossoms on the plants especially abundant on the sunnier sides of the trail and along the warmer areas along the washes.  In particular, you can see these plants in full bloom along the sides of the road as you drive around town as well. The Chuparosa further up the slopes and on northern sides of slopes have yet to blossom.  For those of you who  may not already know this, you can eat the blossoms of the Chuparosa. You will even find them mixed in for color in salads you order from select restaurants around the valley.  So go find a blooming Chuparosa and pick a fresh red blossom and try tasting it (please make sure you know it is a Chuparosa before eating it!).  Let me know what you think it tastes like.

Other plants not yet blooming quite as spectacularly as the Chuparosa are the Creosote and Brittlebush.  Both of these bush-like plants produce pretty yellow flowers. The Creosote flowers are smaller and are accompanied by little white fuzz balls (I’m sure there is a technical name for those cute fuzz balls – if you know it – please tell me). The Brittlebush produces larger daisy-like flowers and can be found all over the desert in the Spring. I also noticed that the Buckhorn Cholla (not Staghorn which is not in this part of the desert) is starting to produce the very beginnings of its blossoms. As you hike along, check out the burgundy color shoots sprouting from the tips of the cholla branches on the Buckhorn.

We’ve also been seeing quite a few tiny little yellow and white flowers sprouting up here and there among the rocky slopes.  I’ve yet to see any poppies, lupine, owl’s clover, desert marigolds or any other cactus blooming.  As soon as those start popping up, I will be sure to let you know.  If you’d like to see what these flowers look like, just go to our photo gallery and head to the Flower folder. We have photos of all kinds of desert flora. If you have any questions about anything you see during your desert wanderings, please give us a shout at info@takeahikearizona.com and we’ll try to help you out or find someone who can!  Enjoy the Spring!

Geronimo’s Cave

January 19, 2010 by taha 

As promised previously, here is an update about our hiking exploration to Geronimo’s Cave in the Superstitions.  This particular route is one that I have not taken before so it was all new to me!  Based on sound advice received from one of expert hiking pals, we started our day by heading up the Peralta Trail.  First, I cannot say enough how beautiful the Peralta Trail is, which is why it is the most traveled trail in Arizona!  As I’ve mentioned (probably many times) before, it is one of my favorites. With that said, I didn’t think heading over to Geronimo’s Cave was going to be that much different. But, boy was it!

So for those of you not familiar with the area, head up the Peralta Trail up to the Freemont Saddle that overlooks Weaver’s Needle.  Do not try to hike up to the cave first. From the saddle, head up and over the rocks to your right where many people go to get an even better view of the Needle.  If you look towards the Needle (twelve o’clock), a little to the right (about 1-2 o’clock) is a lone pine tree (a little one).  You can’t miss it. As our friend told us, look for “the tree”. I was a little concerned at first until I saw that is is indeed the ONLY tree up there.  That tree is actually on the trail that you want to pick up to head toward Geronimo’s Cave. However, the tree is in the opposite direction of where you want to head.  So, start hiking on the trail to the right of the saddle that looks like it will take you toward the tree eventually, and you are on the right trail (just don’t bear left to head to the tree when that option appears).

Almost immediately you are in for a scenic treat. The minute you turn the corner and start heading back in the general direction of the trailhead, you have gorgeous views of the other side of the Superstitions that y0u don’t get to see while hiking up the Peralta Trail.  It’s nothing but wilderness. At this point, I wish I could tell you to just follow the trail from here on out but it is not so easy. The “trail” is not a clear path or marked in any manner. You may see cairns once in a while that you hope point you in the right direction, but that is about it.  The only thing I can tell you is stay parallel to the Peralta Canyon that you hiked up earlier and eventually you may find your way back to the trailhead. Seriously. This hike back via Geronimo’s Cave is not for the faint of heart nor the ill-prepared. You know the rule of thumb used at the Grand Canyon….it takes twice as long to hike a mile up than it does down? Well, reverse that for this hike.

Do not attempt to go back this way if you are running low on water or snacks. It takes some time to return by this route.  You should also be concerned about returning this way if you have anyone in your group that has even a minimal fear of heights.  There is quite a bit of scrambling over rocks and sliding down steep inclines – often close to the edge of large dropoffs. So take your time.

The cave itself will be off to the left side of the trail in the area where the landscape/rocks have a yellow tint.  The cave is quite large and pretty open so you really can’t miss it. You have to leave the trail for a few yards to hike up to the actual cave entrance, but you should see some paths that are worn down a bit from others that have gone there before you.  This is a great spot to hang out and enjoy the view for a bit and take lots of photos!  After this point, the trail gets a bit scarce. You have to pick your way through the boulders – while staying parallel to Peralta Canyon. You will also have to scramble quite a bit to get back to an area that feels like an actual trail again.

With all that said, my best advice is if you are going to Geronimo Cave for the first time, go with someone who has been there before and can help guide you back to the Peralta Trailhead.  Also, be sure to bring lots of water, snacks and really comfortable, sturdy shoes. Some of the descents are pretty steep and can be hard on your toes if you don’t have the right shoes on.  I would not recommend bringing younger kids as some of the rock scrambling may be difficult for them to get up and it is a long hike for little legs.

If you are curious about the hike, please feel free to check out the photos we took. They are in our photo gallery on our website under the Superstitions hiking folder. If you would like more information about the hike or would like a guided hike out into the area, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@takeahikearizona.com. We love to share our experiences with you and keep you safe out in the desert!

Hiking in the Superstitions

January 19, 2010 by taha 

Peralta TrailOne of our favorite hikes in the Superstitions is the ever popular Peralta Trail.  It is so popular that parking can be a problem on the weekends. But even on a busy weekend, the area is so large that you are not competing for space on the trail like you would on Pinnacle Peak, Camelback or Piestewa Peak. 

Right from the start, the Peralta Trail has beautiful scenery around every corner. The rock formations along the way are some of the most unique to be found in the valley and during the warmer months, we often see gorgeous collared lizards and blooming flowers of all kinds. From the Peralta Trail you can also find Geronimo’s Cave (if you know where to look).  We are heading out there tomorrow for a fun (day off) hike. We’ll be sure to take some more photos – especially of the cave – and post them to our blog. So stay tuned for some more info about the hike and a few other trails that you can find starting from the same trailhead.

Take A Hike Arizona, LLC is one of the very few companies/organizations that holds a commercial permit to hike in this area of the Superstitions.  If you’d like to learn more about the excursions we offer in the Superstitions Wilderness Area, just give us a holler at 480-634-8488 or email us at info@takeahikearizona.com. We’d love to take you out there and show you the beauty found in this special part of the Sonoran Desert.

Kids Camp Schedule

August 8, 2009 by taha 

Heading into the desert!

Heading into the desert!

Well, the summer has been fun so far. We’ve been keeping busy doing sunrise, sunset and night hikes during the hot desert season. Check out some of our beautiful photos from these excursions when you have a chance. The sunsets this summer have been amazing! One of the things we’ve really enjoyed this summer is our Parents’ Night Out kids camp. This is a night hiking camp for the kids which is about 4 hours long. During the summer it is a great opportunity for parents to get out for a night knowing their children are having a great evening themselves. This camp was so popular that we are offering several additional opportunities for parents to tell their kids to “Take A Hike“!

The next night hiking camp for kids will be held on Friday, August 28, 2009.  The kids will love this night hiking camp made just for them! We will take the kids out on a desert scavenger hunt for fluorescent gems, go on a scorpion hunt (we don’t get that close to them!), look for small desert critters that come out at night and we will get them actively involved in lots of fun desert themed activities and games!

For only $30 ($25 for each additional sibling) the Camp Adventure includes:  Guided hike, pizza, water, snacks, refreshments, use of backpack, an arts & crafts project, and lots of FUN!!! See below for our night hiking camp schedule.

Also, as we head into the Fall season and the weather cools, we will once again be offering our Kids’ Day Hiking Camp. We often schedule these camps to coincide with the Scottsdale School District calendar. Our day camps are 5 hours long and similar to the night camps include water, refreshments, snacks, lunch, an arts & crafts project, fun interactive desert themed games and a guided hike into the Sonoran Desert. The cost for this hiking camp is $40 per child ($35 for each additonal sibling). See the schedule below for our upcoming day hiking camps.

Please keep in mind that these camps do fill up quickly. If you would like more information or would like to reserve your child’s space, just give us a call at 480-634-8488.

Parents’ Night Out/Kids Night Hiking Camp

Dates: August 28, 2009, September 25, 2009, November 20, 2009

Time:  6:00pm – 10:00pm

Meeting Place:  McDowell Mountain Community Center, 10607 E. Paradise Lane, Scottsdale, AZ

Kids Day Hiking Camp Schedule

Dates:  Wednesday-November 11, 2009, Monday-December 21, 2009, Wednesday-December 23, 2009

Time:  10:00am – 3:00pm

Meeting Place: The Gateway Trailhead, 18333 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ

Casino Arizona Showstoppers

June 28, 2009 by taha 

Okay, so we are not always hiking at Take A Hike Arizona. We also have some down time of our own which oddly enough does include more hiking, but also includes all kinds of fun activities and sight seeing. We love to get out to see everything we can here in Arizona (and there is much to see and do)!  And the thought occurred to me that we could share some of the sights to see and things to do on our blog along with all our other hiking related stuff!  So here is our first post about stuff we have seen and done in the great state of Arizona!

A few weeks back we attended the Arizona Highways Travel Show at the Phoenix Convention Center.  At the show, we chatted with individuals from a number of hospitality related businesses, one of which was Casino Arizona. The staff at this booth were handing out complimentary passes to see the “Showstopper Live!” show. So, because they were free and being handed to me, I took them.  I’ve lived here in the valley for about 14 years and have never stepped foot into Casino Arizona. Not sure why, but it’s just something I’ve never done. Anyway, I took the tickets with a high level of doubt that I would ever use them.

So, to make a long story short, my mom came into town to visit. We did our annual camping trip up to Sedona with the kids and did a lot of local sightseeing of kid-friendly museums around Phoenix. Then one night, I just happened to remember that I had these free tickets. So I figured what the heck, it’s free, we have no plans for the evening, so let’s go! The show started at 7:00pm and the guest services said it was first come first serve as far as seating. Their recommendation was to arrive at 6:00pm. So we did.

We waited in line at the guest services counter which is located at the front door right when you come in. As we waited, we heard several announcements about getting complimentary tickets to the show. Apparently, anyone can just show up and receive the complimentary tickets, even though they have a retail value of $55. So my first word of advice is, don’t pay to see the show. The tickets appear to be free (at least during the week)!  Okay, no real surprise there I guess. The second thing I learned within the first 5 minutes of arriving is that, we did not need to wait in the long line but we could scoot around to the left side of the counter and pick up the tickets for the show and avoid the slower moving queue for all the other services provided at the guest counter.

Now we have our tickets in hand, which come with a 2 drink minimum per person purchase by the way. What is that saying…nothing is for free? hmmmmm. Well, the 2 drink minimum is actually pretty  minimal. You can just buy 2 fountain drinks for $2.50 each if you want and that will satisfy the requirement. We decided to go all out and buy 2 cocktails (on special) for $5 each plus tip. Oh and don’t be surprised when they tell you have to order your 2 drink minimum up front.  You have to decide which 2 drinks you want and then they are delivered to you at the same time.  I understand the logistics of doing it this way, but I didn’t really appreciate having my second drink sitting there getting warm while I drank my first one. Anyway, our total out of pocket for an evening of entertainment was $10 each plus tip. Then we waited. Don’t forget we had been advised to arrive early to get a seat, so we now had about 45 minutes to sit and drink and wait. So, we sipped slowly. Oh, and just as an FYI, they do not serve any kind of appetizers or snacks in the showroom to go along with your drinks. That was kind of disappointing.

Then the show began. The lineup for the evening was Elvis (what’s a tribute without Elvis?), Gloria Estefan, Reba McIntire, and The Four Tops. I have to say, I really wasn’t expecting much but, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the entertainment. Elvis was entertaining and had a great voice. The Reba impersonator was spot on. She looked, spoke and sang much like Reba. I had a hard time seeing a difference! But I really enjoyed the Four Tops – not my generation, however – they were excellent! They selected some great songs and really got the crowd going. The woman impersonating Gloria Estefan had a beautiful singing voice but was noticeably different than what you would expect Gloria Estefan to be like.  We did miss out on seeing Madonna though. I was looking forward to that tribute. Maybe she has a larger draw and only makes appearances on weekends. I’m not sure. We also got to see a knife throwing act mid-way through the show. They were quite funny and provided a nice break from the singing acts.

So, if you are looking for something fun and cheap to do in the Scottsdale area, you should check out this show.  It was quite fun and the entertainers really put their all into it. And after drinking my 2 required beverages in quick order before they got warm, I didn’t seem to mind having a 2 drink minimum purchase. The show is at Casino Arizona located at the Loop-101 and Mckellips. If you happen to go see it, let me know what you think!

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