Tag: desert

Hipster coffee in Scottsdale

As a Seattle transplant to The Valley of Sun I have found nearly everything to be a welcomed change of pace. Less traffic, faster drivers, more sun, etc.

But one thing that Seattle wins at is (not surprisingly) coffee. Plop yourself on nearly any city street of Seattle and you will find yourself in the nearby radius of a turbo cool, small business coffee shop that takes their beans (and themselves) very, very seriously.

Now, I’m not against big box coffee shops per se. But I do love supporting small businesses and I do love a hipster coffee shop where the foam is light and the roast is dark.

So if you find yourself in the Scottsdale area and on the hunt for a good cup of joe, here are two places to try.

1) Mythical Coffee: 10269 N Scottsdale Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85253

Mythical coffee was the first hidden gem I discovered in Scottsdale. Started in Gilbert, this northern location uses their own roasted beans and even offers a monthly roasters box delivered right to your door.

For those looking for decaf, they offer an organic Honduran roast that is Swiss water processed. The coffee shop itself is HUGE, complete with plenty of work tables and couches to hang out on. Lovely.

2) Street Brew Coffee: 10634 N 71st Pl, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

I found this place killing time while running an errand in the neighborhood l, and find myself stopping back in time and time again. While they do not roast their own, they partner with a local roaster who provides them their beans.

They have a simple menu, homemade pastries, and a nitro brew on tap. The space is small but offers a few tables and a nice couch set up for those who work remote or just want to get out of the house.

Kayaking in the Desert

When I moved to the desert, I thought I would be letting go of one of my favorite things: the water. It cannot be overstated: I. Love. The. Water. I swim, and when I’m not swimming I’m paddleboarding, and when I’m not paddleboarding, I’m kayaking. Give me any activity on or near the water and I am a happy, happy girl.

So imagine my surprise when I found two of my favorite things, adventure and water, in the desert!

Less than an hour from Phoenix, nestled in the Tonto National Forest, sits Saguaro (pronounced Sah-wah-ro) Lake, which is actually a reservoir created in 1930 from the Stewart Mountain Dam, the last of which to be built off the Salt River. The lake itself has 22 miles of shoreline, making it a popular spot for boating, sailing, jet-skiing, and, yes, kayaking.

For my inaugural paddle, I turned to Saguaro Lake Ranch. For $50, they outfitted me with a kayak, a life vest, a paddle for two hours, and some tips on where to look for Big Horn Sheep and other wildlife, like Bald Eagles. They also transported us from to and from their ranch to the launch site, and they even put the boats in the water for us. It was the easiest launch I have ever had!

We were midweek in the middle of winter, so we had the lake pretty much to ourselves. Two hours on the water in the land of eternal sunshine was a dream: we found our way down a slot canyon, saw osprey and herons, and enjoyed the many canyon rock formations that surrounded us.

If you do plan to self-launch with your own gear, there are a few things to note. There is an $8 daily pass needed for parking in the Tonto National Forest , plus $4 for each watercraft you are launching, and Saguaro del Norte is where you will want to park and launch.

Or, turn to Saguaro Lake Ranch for a kayak rental – they will not let you down!

And as always with any kind of outdoor activity, a little PSA…remember to LYP:

Don’t LITTER.
YIELD to hikers that are climbing.
PACK in/PACK out.