Crystals in the Air: Forest Lakes

Before Michael and I had kids we were ASU Football season ticket holders. Michael and I are both graduates of Arizona State and this was a favorite past time for us. We had 4 seats which was allowed us the opportunity to invite friends to attend the games with us.

When we sold our home in Ahwatukee and moved to the Northeast Valley we decided to give up our tickets. Tara and Lily were young and it was hard to take them to the games; neither of them liked the sound of the fireworks after a touchdown.

We were disappointed to give up our tickets for various reasons, but one of the saddest reasons for me is I would not get to see my good friend Mr. H. My friend Mr. H was also a season ticket holder and has owned his seats for many years. Mr. H is 82 years old. I always looked forward to going to the games, but I also looked forward to seeing my friend Mr. H. It was like sitting next to my Grandpa, we visited about everything. He was so proud of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and shared many stories. Some of his great grandchildren were students at ASU and would always come over to our seats to say hello.

Mr. H is on our Christmas list and I look forward to sending him a card each year and giving him an update on our family. We look forward to his Christmas card as well. However; this year we had a pleasant surprise in our Christmas card; a gift certificate for a 2 night stay in Forest Lakes Lodge in Forest Lakes, Arizona. Forest Lakes is about 40 minutes East of Payson. Mr. H is the owner of the lodge and we have had the privilege of staying there before. We decided to use our certificate during Spring Break.

The week of Spring Break the temperatures in the valley were in the mid 80s, sun was shining and the kids even jumped in our pool. I checked the weather in Forest Lakes and the temperatures were in the low 70s, but the forecast still called for sunshine. Perfect! I used the internet to locate some easy trails we could hike, I packed an ice chest full of food and we loaded up the van. What I did not consider was the elevation of Forest Lakes (7700 feet) and technically it was still winter. Yes the temperatures would be in the 70s and the sun would be shining…but the 5 feet of snow on the ground had not yet melted.

Wow! What a wonderful surprise, thank goodness I was prepared with some warm clothes. The girls were so excited to see snow and our plans for hiking, scooters, roasting marshmallows and nature walks were turned into snowball fights, building snowmen, drinking hot chocolate and playing lots of board games.

Fortunately we still had the opportunity to do some hiking. We visited Tonto Natural Bridge in Payson. The State Park is scheduled to close in June due to limited funding; however the town of Payson will assist financially to keep the park open until September of 2010. We really enjoyed our day visiting this park and enjoyed the trails, picnicking and spending time as a family. I would highly recommend this park as a place to visit.