20. November 2009 by Teri Ellis.

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Our day trip on the Light Rail from Mesa to Phoenix and Back was such a kick! On November 11, Veterans’ Day, we boarded the Light Rail in Mesa at Dobson and Main. I love to take day trips to better appreciate the beautiful Phoenix Valley. I wanted to stop by the Tempe Farmer’s Market, walk along Mill Avenue in Tempe, and enjoy the sights all of the way to the end of the line and back.

The price of an all-day ticket is so reasonable.  We purchased them at Safeway in East Mesa. There were very few people traveling today, and we witnessed ongoing Veterans’ Day parades in Tempe and in Central Phoenix. It was so cool! The trip took about 30-40 minutes to the end of the line at the Metro Center - 19th Avenue. We changed trains and headed back!

Since I grew up in Phoenix, I loved traveling through downtown Phoenix and being able to see how “modern” Phoenix has become. The Light Rail route is so nicely designed and maintained, there is a feeling that I could get off at any of the stations and feel “safe.” We passed by the Westward Ho, a skyscraper hotel located on Central Avenue built in 1928 that was famous in the “day” and the tallest building in Phoenix until the year 1960. Anyone who has seen Al

fred Hitchcock’s movie, Pschyo, will remember that it was filmed in Phoenix in 1960. As a child, my mom would drop us off in downtown Phoenix to watch movies, and we got in for a quarter. ;-)Then, there’s my high school, Phoenix Union, which has been torn down now, but the memories are still there of the “good old days! Very nostalgic for me. The City has certainly “grown” up.

There is more to this story - I’ll share photos of Mill Avenue, where we ate, and more photos in another post.

Be sure to stop by my new Blog Site: AzLadyInRedRealEstateBlog.com for photos and more!

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13. September 2009 by Teri Ellis.

For those of you having never been to Slide Rock Park in Northern Arizona - I thought I would share some of the photos of Slide Rock and Jerome, right outside of Sedona. It’s only a couple of hours from Mesa, but there are plenty of reasonable places to stay overnight - including camping in Oak Creek Canyon.

Here is a link for Slide Rock Park for those of you hoping to make a trip there. Be sure and check the water situation before you go up.

As a child, my family would go camping for two weeks in Oak Creek Canyon just one mile beyond Slide Rock. Now it is a State Park, but not in the “old” days. Everyday, we would all cram into the   station wagon (eight of us) and drive the mile to Slide Rock. We would literally wear out our levis because we would go back and forth so frequently, burning holes into the seats and the knees. As a kid, I don’t remember as much moss as there is now, and it’s a bit difficult to maneuver around - at least it seems so to me now. Don’t think I noticed as a kid. This trip I stayed on the edge just taking photos - no water for me. It’s ice cold, running off of the mountain. This is definitely worth the drive to see and enjoy this area.

I hope you will all enjoy - the area is a beautiful place to visit - just about 100 miles from Mesa.

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