Ducks in the Desert

We didn't just go to temples while we were in Arizona, we also did things like eat a lot of food (you can look forward to a post about that later), laze in the lazy river at our hotel, and hike Piestewa/Squaw Peak. The hike is a lot harder than it looks because it is mostly straight up, on rough terrain, and is like climbing a very steep staircase. As with most things, I figured that if kids could do it then I could too. 

Halfway through, we were still smiling, despite the sweat:

The view of Phoenix was amazing!

This gives you a little idea of what the hike was like (very rough!):

The "stairs":

Josh had an unfortunate encounter with a prickly friend:

But it turned out he was a Duck fan too:

 Because Piestewa Peak is so popular, we had to park pretty far away. Sadly, in the time that we got to the peak, parked, hiked, and got back to the car, this happened. We spent much of the next few days watching the news.

 Then we went to a little event...

... where we got to dress up...

... and watch the team we love...

... and the marching band...

... come REALLY CLOSE to winning a National Championship!

The experience was totally worth it, even though I thought Josh might cry.