Shark Bait's First Getaway

After Shark Bait's arrival, Bruce had two and a half weeks off work for paternity leave. Since our summer consisted of staying right here in the steaming hot valley as I was too far along to do any traveling, we decided we had to make the most of his time off. We toyed with the idea of an overnight stay somewhere cold (relatively speaking, of course!), but ultimately decided to do a one day trip to Prescott. We knew we'd have cooler temps and there is a great little lake up there where the girls could try fishing, plus they recently opened a Panera Bread in Prescott and I was dying for a Panera soufflé. All around win!

We loaded up the car early on a Friday morning and began the drive north. The drive to Prescott is about as pretty as it gets here in the desert. I love saguaro cacti and the drive is full of them. Our first stop when we arrived in town was Panera where we all enjoyed our favourite breakfast treats. Once we had eaten our fill, we headed to Lynx Lake where we unloaded all our gear, both baby and fishing, and set out to find a spot. We ended up at a little sandbar where Man Cub could dig in the dirt and throw rocks in the lake while Bruce taught the girls to fish. No one caught anything, but they all had fun. Beebs was especially good at casting off. After about an hour of fishing, we packed everything up and went for an easy little hike through the forest. It was green and beautiful and I really enjoyed the chance to stretch my legs and get in a little light exercise. Shark Bait was a dream through it all. He was peaceful and content when awake but spent much of our time in Prescott fast asleep.

After fishing we headed into the downtown area to walk around a few of the little shops. We stopped at the candy store to stock up on our favourite tropical flavoured salt water taffy and at a little western store so Bruce could buy a picture he'd had his eye on for quite some time. We spent a good amount of time sitting inside a little ice cream shop so Man Cub could watch the toy train that ran around a track up near the ceiling of the shop. We wandered the pretty courthouse square and enjoyed the shade of the gigantic old trees that surround the area. Dinner at The Office, one of our Prescott favourites, finished off the day. We loaded everyone back into the car and headed home.

As we approached the valley, we decided to make one final stop at a well known pie shop in Black Canyon City. We bought an apple pie for the family, which Bruce ended up eating practically by himself, and a slice of pecan for me. Then we drove the final stretch of our drive, arriving home just in time for bed.

It was really nice to take a day of Bruce's time off to run away. We were desperately in need of some time outdoors to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine after weeks and weeks of being cooped up inside. And Shark Bait was a dream to travel with, making our first getaway as a family of six a huge success.