The Waterfall Trail

Among the things to do in Phoenix, is to hike the trails of the county park system. Paul and Mary took us to the Waterfall Trail, which is located in White Tanks County park. Basically its a pouroff/waterfall with beautiful flowers, Teddy Bear Cactus, Petroglyphs, and tanks, which are pools of water at the bottom of the waterfall.
As we hiked the trail Paul pointed out the many different cactus and Mary named the flowers. We stepped off trail to see a bird's nest built in a cactus and I discovered that Teddy Bear Cactus seems to jump at you and embed itself in your body,(I just lightly brushed it with my leg). New lesson, how to get cactus out of your body! The easiest way is to pull it out with a cheap comb. No problem, oops no one brought a comb! Step two is to use sticks, which can break as the cactus is quite firmly attached. Method three is to use two rocks and pull it off being careful not to touch it with your hands. Step four is to have someone else pull it from your hands. Amazing cactus! All four of us got it on our shoes and we spent some time removing spines when we regained the trail.
We continued up the trail enjoying the flowers, cactus, petroglyphs, and birds,(We got a new bird a phainopepla!) arriving at the watertank. The water was surprisingly cold. The area was in the shade and decidedly cooler. After taking some pics we headed back down the trail. We didn't see a gila woodpecker so some more desert time is in order.
After leaving the park Paul and Mary took us out to eat at a Mexican grocery store and deli. They served everything including tripitas, intestine! The food was great, very inexpensive, and is a must eat place in Phoenix! Clear skies.