One of the best parts of the International Sportsmen’s Expo was the chance to try out some different sports. There was a fishing tank and an archery range. Sure, everything was miniature, including the participants, but that didn’t stop me from trying. I signed up for the chance to shoot an arrow for the first time. I arrived at my lesson with my little classmates and despite only having 8 or 9 years on them, nearly half had already used a bow and arrow. And many of those had their own at home. No worries. I had brute strength on my side! The lesson was quick and soon we were at the target...

The man behind me on the escalator was carrying a set of antlers. Several women had leopard print purses. There were wonderful aromas of candied almonds and cooking meat. Josh and I were making our way to the ground floor of the University of Phoenix Stadium. Usually the home turf for our NFC Champion Phoenix Cardinals, this weekend the stadium was transformed into the temporary playland of guns, fishing and adventure… Otherwise known as the International Sportsmen’s Expo. As we started to wander the aisles, something whizzed over our heads. We were passing the fly fishing demo area and...

Dale and I skipped out on a recent Friday afternoon to the McDowell Mountain Preserve. This is one of my favorite spring climbing spots in Arizona. It’s only 40 minutes away in North Scottsdale and amazingly protected from the development all around. As you drive through streets bordered by million dollar homes, the road suddenly turns to gravel. From there, it’s open space surrounded by granite slabs and beautiful views of Fountain Hills and the Four Peaks. This day we climbed Glass Dome – which I affectionately call the Glass Ceiling. It has four moderate routes and after one of...

There’s a big red ball in Scottsdale. It’s been floating around the city as part of a mobile public arts project. Kind of like the Gates in Central Park, or wrapping an island in pink cellophane, the Red Ball Project is an 8-foot inflatable red ball wedged into modern structures around town. It’s supposed to get us to look at the architecture of the city in new ways. I was kind of excited about it. In a strange way it reminded me of The Red Balloon, a photography storybook I had as a kid where a red balloon follows a boy through the streets of Paris. And for the first week, the Red Ball eluded...

Yesterday hinted at spring in Phoenix with mild temps matching our sunny skies after a few days of rain. I expected to make the most of it – maybe by hanging off the side of a rock in the McDowells, or hiking among boulders near Prescott. But an impromptu call for breakfast from Josh diverted those plans and in less than 90 minutes, we were off road and up a creek. We went east off Table Mesa Road and I-17, driving past weekenders shooting guns, riding ATVs, and jumping dirt bikes. It was like a Southwest amusement park complete with forests of Saguaros. We arrived just in time to catch the Jeep 101...