This was our first 4th of July in Arizona, and being new here we didn't know what to do (ie: where to go to see a good fireworks show). In Nashville, we always spent the 4th with friends and it became tradition to view the incredible downtown fireworks from somewhere in the city. In Mesa, AZ however, it seems like everyone we knew had plans to spend the day with their families. Since we're just about the only people without our families here, we were on our own. I was worried that it would be a bust this year, but we ended up having a really fun day and night!
We started with a hike to Wind Cave in Usery Park at 6am. This hike was perfect since most of the trail is on the West side of the mountain and is in the shade. We had a great hike/run up the trail and then stopped for breakfast at our favorite disgusting fast food joint. Afterwards, we went home to rest and prepare food for our yummy bbq dinner. Wade smoked ribs and we enjoyed all the traditional summer bbq fixin's to go with it. I was even able to squeeze in a family nap time so we could stay up late to see fireworks. We took the light rail into Tempe to see the Tempe Town Lake fireworks where we found a spot on the grass to sit and watch the show. It was fun and they did a good job with the fireworks. It was no Nashville, but certainly not a disappointment! We made it home on the light rail and were in bed by 11:30pm. Some of us were asleep before making it to our beds, but I won't name any names. :) All in all, it was a fun day to spend with our little family.
