Balloons and the Pipeline Canyon Trail

After the Fiesta Bowl Parade last weekend, we took the boys to see Grudge Match (which was pretty good), and on the way home we started to see colorful balloons in the sky over the desert.

Just down the road from our park is a small airport in the middle of the desert, and we see hot air balloons almost every day.  On this night, though, there seemed to be a higher than usual number of balloons around.

They also rent these parasailing contraptions powered by fan motors (they sound like an airboat in the sky!), and on this night they were all over the place!

We pulled over on the side of the road so we could out and watch for awhile.  A couple of them kept buzzing right over our heads!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky was alive with colorful hot air balloons and parasails buzzing around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at home, we finished up the evening with another beautiful sunset.

On Sunday afternoon, the boys were taking the bikes to the north end of the park to ride the Pipeline Canyon Trail, so I went along with them to walk part of the trail.

 

The trail follows the rim of the canyon, with the first half-mile pretty much all downhill to where the river meets the lake.

 

The guys like to ride fast downhill, so I told them to go on ahead and that I’d meet them at the bridge at the bottom.

I carefully made my way along the cactus-lined, rocky trail,

 

 

and down to the bridge that crosses the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicolas said that the water is higher now than it was the last time they were here – it was only up to this tree before.

 

The boys continued across the bridge and back up to the top of the canyon on the north side of the river.

 

 

 

 

 

After taking a few pictures, I went back the way I had come from.

 

 

The wild donkeys like to hang out in this less-populated area of the park, and the boys have seen them on the trail in the past.  As I walked back toward the truck, I heard them braying, not too far away, but they did a good job of staying hidden in the brush and the shadows.

 

I made my way pack to the parking area, and took a few pictures of the lake while I waited for the boys to get back on the bikes.

Before too long, the boys were back and we loaded the bikes into the truck and headed back to the campground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great afternoon for a hike and bike ride!