We headed south in December for Steve to run the Cave Creek 50k and enjoy some sun and warmer temperatures. The race started at Lake Pleasant and we camped there for two nights at the Desert Tortoise Campground. Norah and I dropped off Steve at the starting line in the morning, then just before sunrise started a short hike up to Yavapai Point (3 miles round trip, 450 feet elevation gain). We loved the early start for the good light and solitude (we didn't see anyone else until we were most of the way back down). The variety of cacti on the trail was great and I was happy to see so many jumping cholla (one of my favorites for backlit photos).

After finishing our hike and breakfast, Norah and I drove to Cave Creek Regional Park where Steve would be finishing (the 50k was run on the Maricopa Trail). He came in a bit over 5 hours, which was good for 15th place. Nice job Steve! We stopped at the visitor's center, had lunch in Cave Creek, and headed back to Lake Pleasant. We stopped by the Discovery Center there and couldn't resist the adorable playground - definitely one of the best I have seen. The next morning we took a walk on the Wild Burro Trail before driving home. At one point we could hear a burro, but it took some time to spot it lurking among the saguaros, which gave us a laugh.