I recently attended the Handgun Safety I course over at Shooter's World in Peoria, AZ.
The Handgun Safety I course is a four-hour, instructor-led course about gun safety and basic shooting marksmanship.
My intent is to write a blog post about my experience attending the class at Shooter's World.
As always, there is more to follow.
A few months ago, I applied to have Google Ad-Sense place advertisements here on my blog at Blogger.
Since I need an income stream, I thought that adding advertisements to my blog would be a good move.
After all, I thought, I had been putting in an ENORMOUS AMOUNT of effort into my blog at the time. I was blogging at least an hour per day, writing about topics that interested me.
Other people were earning money either from advertisements or from having affiliate links on their blog.
Thus, having advertisements on my blog seemed to be a natural fit.
Well, I was apparently wrong.
The feedback I received from Google Ad-Sense was that my blog featured minimal content. Since I couldn't find a definition of what minimal content meant on Gooogle Ad-Sense's own website, I inferred that my posts contained too many photos and not enough "content." My guess is that my posts did not contain lengthy word counts for Google's algorithm to scan in order to generate advertisements on my blog. That's my guess.
As a result, I lost my motivation to regularly work on posts on my blog.
Then, that may have changed.
While going through my email account, I noticed that I recently received an email from Google Ad-Sense that my account would be suspended in 30 days if I didn't re-activate my account.
Well, that was certainly a surprise to read that.
I guess I will be sending a request to re-activate my account with Google Ad-Sense and see what happens next.
Meanwhile, I am looking at other ways to generate money. I recently came across a graphic on my Pinterest account about making money with ChatGPT. That was certainly interesting. It's certainly something worth exploring as I doubt that I am employable anymore.
That's a topic for another post.
Anyway, I need to consistently work on my blog.
I also need to push the envelope and incorporate more complex techniques in HTML here on my blog.
More to follow.
This past week, I FINALLY completed renewing my A+ IT certification from CompTIA. It took a VERY L-O-N-G TIME to renew my A+ certification. Probably too long. Ultimately, my A+ IT certification got renewed.
I was in the middle of studying for Cisco's CCNA IT certification, when I realized that it had been almost three years since I renewed my A+ IT certification the first time. I was reading and taking notes on Chapter 8 in the first volume of Wendell Odom's CCNA textbook when I SUDDENLY realized that I needed to renew my A+ IT certification. The realization hit me like a lightning bolt.
As a result, I quickly logged into CompTIA's website to check for the date in which my A+ certification expired. It wasn't easy logging into CompTIA, mind you, as I had to use two or three different passwords to access the website. However, once I logged into CompTIA's website, I quickly went to the section where I look up the status of my certification. There it was. According to CompTIA's records, my A+ certification was set to expire on July 25, 2025.
Despite the time being 2:30AM, I quickly searched CompTIA's website for how to renew my A+ certification. When I renewed my A+ certification the first time three years ago, I took advantage of CompTIA's new online feature on how to renew your IT certifications that have been earned from CompTIA.
Of course, there will be more to follow about this recent development.
Meanwhile, as I take a short break from studying IT subjects, I am planning on WORKING on my blog here at Blogger!!!
UPDATE: Did I renew my A+ certification? That is the question. I thought I did. According to CompTIA, I did not. Of course, I disputed what they said. The whole situation is a complete mess. As a result, I will have to re-write this post.
More to follow.
On Saturday, June 7, 2025, I made the long drive up to the Cave Creek, AZ area to go hiking on the Go John Trail at Cave Creek Regional Park.
Like previous hiking trips, I took A LOT of photos!!!
I also had an encounter with wildlife on my hike.
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| Park Map of Cave Creek Regional Park |
Like my two other hiking posts that I am currently working on, there are a lot of things that I want to do with this post.
As a result, I need to sit down and plan out this post, so it doesn't become impossible to finish in a reasonable amount of time.
Yes, I know. I am really bad at that.
Unfortunately, I also get REALLY BUSY!!!
More to follow.
After hiking two times at White Tanks Preservation Park near Surprise, AZ, (For my post about hiking at White Tanks Preservation Park, click on this link.) I started thinking about other areas of Maricopa County that I haven't visited.
After recently watching a locally produced TV show called "Trail Mix'd" on the the local PBS affiliate in the Phoenix, AZ area about the Tom's Thumb Trail, I thought that I would make the long drive from to Scottsdale, AZ from Sun City-Peoria, AZ to visit the trailhead.
This post will be about my visit to the trailhead for Tom's Thumb Trail in the McDowell-Sonora Wilderness Preserve near Scottsdale, AZ.
After visiting the Tom's Thumb trailhead, I also visited Cave Creek, AZ.
Like all of my other posts about hiking, there are quite a few tasks that I need to accomplish for this post.
In no particular order, here are some ideas that I have:
As per usual, I need to set up a two-page spread in my bullet journal for this post and brainstorm some ideas on what I want to do with this post.
More to follow.
For two consecutive Saturdays in May 2025, May 10th and May 17th, to be exact, I went hiking at White Tank Mountain Regional Park near Surprise, AZ. On each occasion, I attempted to hike the 8.3-mile long Mesquite Canyon Trail. My intent is to combine both hikes into one post here on my blog.
The White Tank Mountains are a mountain range that form the natural western boundary of the Greater Phoenix, AZ Metropolitan Area. If you live in what is locally referred to as the West Valley, you can see the White Tank Mountains just about everywhere you go. The mountains are a prominent natural landmark. If you look to the west, or northwest, depending upon your position in the West Valley, you can easily see the White Tank Mountains. When the West Valley is referred to in local media, the term tends to group the following cities together:
Maricopa County Parks and Recreation is the organization responsible for managing White Tank Mountains Regional Park. Maricopa County Parks and Recreation currently manages 12 parks that are largely scattered throughout the periphery of Maricopa County. Here is a comprehensive list of parks managed by Maricopa Parks and Recreation:
| Name | Address | City | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Dam Regional Park | 23280 N. 43rd Avenue | Glendale, AZ | 1,526 Acres |
| Buckeye Hills Regional Park | 26700 W. Buckeye Hills Drive | Buckeye, AZ | 4,453 Acres |
| Cave Creek Regional Park | 37019 N. Lava Lane | Cave Creek, AZ | 2,922 Acres |
| Estrella Mountain Regional Park | 14805 W. Vineyard Ave | Goodyear, AZ | 19,840 Acres |
| Hassayampa River Preserve | 49614 U.S. Hwy. 60 89 | Wickenburg, AZ | Not Available |
| Lake Pleasant Regional Park | 41835 N. Castle Hot Springs Rd | Morristown, AZ | 23,362 Acres |
| McDowell Mountain Regional Park | 16300 McDowell Mountain Park Dr | Fountain Hills, AZ | 21,099 Acres |
| San Tan Mountain Regional Park | 6533 W. Phillips Road | Queen Creek, AZ | 10,000 Acres |
| Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area | 44000 N. Spur Cross Road | Cave Creek, AZ | 2,154 Acres |
| Usery Mountain Regional Park | 3939 N. Usery Pass Rd | Mesa, AZ | 3,648 Acres |
| Vulture Mountains Regional Park | 43801 N. Vulture Mine Rd | Wickenburg, AZ | Not Available |
| White Tank Mountain Regional Park | 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Road | Waddell, AZ | 30,000 Acres |
White Tank Mountain Regional Park is located near Waddell, AZ, which is an unincorporated community roughly located south of Surprise, AZ and west of Glendale, AZ. White Tank Mountain Regional Park has a land area of approximately 30,000 acres. This makes the park the largest in the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation system. Here is how Maricopa County Parks and Recreation describe White Tank Mountain Regional Park:
The range, deeply serrated with ridges and canyons, rises sharply from its base to peak at over 4,000 feet. Infrequent heavy rains cause flash floodwaters to plunge through the canyons and pour onto the plain. These torrential flows, pouring down chutes and dropping off ledges, have scoured out a series of depressions, or tanks, in the white granite rock below, thus giving the mountains their name.
Here is a map that I created displaying the location of White Tank Mountain Regional park within the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation park system.
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| Maricopa County Regional Parks |
According to a short article from Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, there are 11 archaeological sites within the boundaries of White Tank Mountain Regional Park. The sites were occupied by the Hohokam Indians roughly between A.D. 500 to A.D. 1100. Due to the ruggedness of the terrain and the scarcity of water, the Hohokam Indians established seven villages within what is now White Tank Mountain Regional Park. The villages tended to be located inside large canyons that led out of the mountains. These villages varied in size from as small as one acre to as large as 75 acres. Archaeologists have also discovered the remains of a rock shelter on a steep cliff overlooking a white tank and several pottery sherd areas. In addition to pottery sherds, numerous petroglyphs have been discovered within the White Tank Mountains. Some of the petroglyphs have been dated as far back as 10,000 years. Several petroglyphs can be seen while hiking the Waterfall Canyon Trail. On a personal note, I have yet to hike the Waterfall Canyon Trail. It’s a short trail, about one mile long, that has a trail rating of Easiest. Maricopa County Parks and Recreation have an informative 5-page PDF document about the Waterfall Canyon Trail which can be downloaded and printed out prior to hiking the trail.
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| Petroglyph at White Tank Mountain Regional Park (Source: Maricopa County) |
Since I am currently based in Sun City, getting to White Tank Mountain Regional Park is actually quite simple. From Sun City, I drove west on Bell Road for several miles. After driving over Highway 60/Grand Ave, I made a left turn on Litchfield Road and then headed south. After several miles on Litchfield Road, I made a right turn on Olive Ave and headed west. At the intersection of Litchfield Road and Olive Ave, look for the sign pointing toward the White Tank Library. When you see the sign, you know that you are on the correct road. Then, keep driving west. After passing under Highway 303, keep driving west toward the White Tank Mountains. Eventually, Olive Ave will change over to White Tank Mountain Road. You will then see the White Tank Library on your right and the main entrance to White Tank Mountain Regional Park on your left. The White Tank Library is free to visit. More about that later on in the post.
Alternatively, to get to White Tank Mountain Regional Park from Sun City, you could get on Highway 303 at El Mirage Road, for example, and drive south before taking the Peoria Ave exit. After driving west on Peoria Ave, make a left turn on Cotton Lane and head south toward Olive Ave. Once you reach Olive Ave, make a right turn and drive west toward the main entrance of the park.
Maricopa County Parks and Recreation charges an entry fee of $7.00 to enter the park for the day. The website for Maricopa County Parks and Recreation also lists a $2.00 Hike/Bike/Equestrian fee. Maricopa County Parks and Recreation charges several different fees for overnight camping. For the complete list of fees, see the following list here.
Alternatively, you could pay $85 at the park entrance for an Annual Day-Use Entry Pass, which will get you into all of the parks managed by Maricopa County Parks and Recreation for the day. Honestly, I don't know why I just didn't fork over the $85 to get an Annual Day-Use Entry Pass, especially since I would go on to hike at Cave Creek Regional Park a couple of weeks later.
After I paid the $7.00 entry fee, I picked up the following park map from the friendly and helpful Maricopa County Parks and Recreation employee. Even though I was planning on using the AllTrails app for my hike, the paper map of White Tanks Mountain Regional Park was actually quite useful during my hike for when I just wanted a quick overview of the trail.
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| Park Map of White Tank Mountain Regional Park |
My original intention for both hikes at the White Tank Regional Mountain Park was to hike the so-called "Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop". Consisting of the entirety of both the Mesquite Canyon Trail and the Willow Canyon Trail as well as a short segment of the Ford Canyon Trail, the Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop has a total length of approximately 8.1 miles. The Mesquite Canyon Trail itself has a one-way length of approx. five miles. The Willow Canyon Trail has a one-way length of approx. 1.6 miles. Lastly, the short segment of the much longer Ford Canyon Trail is approx. 0.7 miles in length.
I don't know what exactly came over me thinking that I could hike the 8.1 mile length of the Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop as daily temperatures in Maricopa County started to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but I was willing to see how far I could go.
For trail ratings and difficulty, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation gives the Mesquite Canyon Trail a Difficult (black diamond) trail rating. The Willow Canyon Trail receives a Moderate-Difficult (clear diamond) trail rating. Lastly, the Ford Canyon Trail receives an Extremely Difficult (double black diamond) trail rating. However, I have doubts about the Extremely Difficult trail rating for the segment of the Ford Canyon Trail utilized by the Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop. Why? Well, according to the park map, the Ford Canyon Trail has a two-mile segment consisting of large rocks and narrow passageways near an abandoned dam that had been built in the White Tank Mountains.
Here is a handy table:
| Trail Name | Length (Approx.) | Trail Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Mesquite Canyon Trail | 5.0 Miles | Difficult |
| Ford Canyon Trail | 0.7 Miles | Extremely Difficult |
| Willow Canyon Trail | 1.6 Miles | Moderate - Difficult |
Please note that the length for each trail is approximate and for one-way. If you used the distances given by Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, the total lenght of the Mesquite Canyon Loop Trail is in the neighborhood of 7.3 miles total. In contrast, AllTrails.com states that the total distance for the Mesquite Trail Loop is at 8.3 miles. That's a difference of one mile. To get a more accurate measurement, I suppose you could use a GPS navigation device during your hike. During my first hike at White Tanks Mountain Regional Park, I used the AllTrails app to assist with land navigation. More about that later.
On the morning of Saturday, May 10, 2025, I woke up at around 4:30am. I quickly got dressed, brushed my teeth, and shaved. I then quickly gathered all of the things that I would need for hiking that morning at White Tank Mountain Regional Park, such as sunscreen, a scarf to protect my neck, an emergency flashlight, a pocket knife, things to eat while hiking, and my old pair of trekking poles, among other items. I also filled up my Gregory 3-liter hydration pack full of water. After a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee or two, I gathered my hiking boots and wide brimmed hat, I moved everything I needed for hiking to the trunk of my car. I quickly conducted a final inventory to make sure that I wasn't forgetting anything. It's never fun to realize that I forgot something important after arriving at the trailhead.
After starting my car, I did a quick check of the weather forecast on my cellphone. The predicted high for the day was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with clear, sunny skies. Since it was early May, the main topic of conversation in the Phoenix, AZ area was the arrival of summer and the inevitable high temperatures it brings. According to my watch, the time was now 6:00am. It was time to hit the road. "Time is not your friend," I muttered to myself and then started the car.
Like I mentioned previously, I took the easy way to get to White Tank Mountain Regional Park. In Sun City, AZ, I drove west along Bell Road. Since it was early Saturday morning, the streets were largely empty. Before I knew it, I arrived at the intersection of Bell Road and Litchfield Road. I then made a left turn and then headed south. The streets were still largely empty. Once I reached the intersection of Olive Ave and Litchfield Road, I made a right turn onto Olive Ave. The White Tank Mountains began to loom large in my field of view. After about 10 minutes, Olive Ave changed over to White Tank Mountain Road. For long stretches of time, I was the only car heading west. After passing by the White Tank Library, I arrived at the entrance gate to the park. I paid the $7 entry fee, got my free park map, and drove to the trailhead.
Since this was my first time visiting White Tank Mountain Regional Park, I did have some difficulty in locating the parking area for the Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop. After paying the entry fee, you drive north on White Tank Mountain Park Road. I missed making a left turn onto Waterfall Canyon Road to get to the parking lot. I ended up making a left-hand turn onto Ford Canyon Road. Fortunately for me, Ford Canyon Road changed over to Waterfall Canyon Road. I quickly saw the ramada (#7) that was located near the parking lot for the Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop.
As I turned into the parking lot, I quickly noticed that there were probably no more than half a dozen parked cars. There was even a bathroom near the parking lot. Looking at my watch, I noticed that the time was 6:45am. It was time to get ready to go hiking. As is common whenever I go hiking, I go through something of an elaborate ritual. I searched through my Gregory hydration pack for my sunscreen. After applying sunscreen all over my face, ears, and neck, I took off my shoes and socks. I then put on my hiking socks before putting on and lacing up my Zamberlan GTX hiking boots. Then, it was time to put on both sets of knee braces. I then opened up a 1.5-liter bottle of water and began to fill up the water bladder in Gregory pack full of water. After that, I then slung my Gregory hydration pack over both shoulders. Then, I put on a pair of workgloves for my hands. After wrapping a scarf around my neck, I put on my wide-brimmed hat that I bought at REI. I put a pocket knife in one of my cargo pockets. Just in case. After taking out my old pair of trekking poles out of the trunk, I did one last search of the trunk of my car for anything else.
As I was getting ready, I noticed that two women had parked their car in a parking spot close to mine. They got out of the car, put on their gear, and walked over to the trailhead. After locking my car, I also headed over to the trailhead at the west end of the parking lot. The sun had already risen above the horizon in the east. It was going to be a hot day out on the hiking trail. In the west, the moon hung low over the White Tank Mountains in a deep blue sky. It was a really cool image. The visual was right out of Frank Herbert's "Dune" books.
After taking a look at the trail map for White Tank Mountain Regional Park, I activated the workout feature for hiking on my Samsung 7 watch. After waiting for the countdown to complete, it was time to start hiking. As it happened, the two women from the parking lot weren't too far ahead on the trail. As I began my hike, I made the decision to turn on the AllTrails app on my cellphone. I just wanted to see where I was as I hiked along the trail. Even though I had looked at the map for the Mesquite Canyon Trail Loop over at the AllTrails website several times prior to the day of my hike, I was still a little apprehensive about the trail. I did my map reconnaissance of the hike, but I still didn't really know what to expect during the hike. Just as an aside, and I'm sure I have written about this here on my blog on previous occasions, the AllTrails app is a real battery drainer if you use the app during your hike. Plus, to me, using the AllTrails app is a big hassle if you want to take photos during your hike. I found out that if I wanted to take photos during my hike, I had to stop hiking, pause the AllTrails app, take a photo, and then unpause the AllTrails app in order to save battery life. Now, can you have the AllTrails app running in the background while you are taking photos? Absolutely. It's all a matter of personal preference, I suppose. Moreover, do you even need to use the AllTrails app? It depends on the trail and the terrain that you are hiking on. It also depends on your comfort level of always knowing where you are. More on that later.
UPDATE: There are quite a few things that I would like to add to my post about hiking the Mesquite Trail at White Tanks Preservation Park. In no particular order, here are some tasks for myself:
I just need to sit down with a pen and a two-page spread in my bullet journal and start brainstorming ideas for this post.
More to follow.
My original intent for this post was to be about attending the Opening Day of the 2024 Cactus League season at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, AZ. The game was played between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
I will have to spend some time on planning out this and all subsequent posts about the Cactus League games that I attended.
Meanwhile, you can read my previous post about the Cactus League at the following link. Think of that post as more of an introduction about the Cactus League.
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| Welcome to Spring Training 2025. (Photo by me.) |
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| Map of the Peoria Sports Complex |
In no particular order, here is an info dump about the Peoria Sports Complex. (Note: I have wracked my brain over the past several weeks trying to come up with a way to structure and organize all of this information. I can't seem to figure out a way to do either. For now, it is what it is.)
.jpg "Welcome to Peoria Stadium. (Photo by me.)") |
| Welcome to Peoria Stadium. (Photo by me.) |
As I mentioned in my previous post about the Cactus League in Arizona, the San Diego Padres of the National League and the Seattle Mariners of the American League are the two main joint tenants of the Peoria Sports Complex. Based upon my research, both teams have an agreement with the City of Peoria, AZ to use the Peoria Sports Complex for Spring Training games until the year 2034. As a result, if you a fan of either team or you live in the Sun City/Peoria/Glendale, AZ area, you can relax.
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| San Diego Padres Team Logo |
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| Seattle Mariners Team Logo |
The Peoria Sports Complex is the main venue for Spring Training games for Major League Baseball in Peoria, AZ. While the Padres and the Mariners share the use of the stadium for games, including playing each other, each team has their own separate administrative offices, training facilities, practice fields, and clubhouses at the Peoria Sports Complex. In fact, they even have their own separate parking lots for the public to use.
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| Padres and Mariners logos on road barriers. (Photo by me.) |
In addition to the Padres and the Mariners, there are other tenants of the Peoria Sports Complex. They include the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League. Previous tenants have included the Peoria Saguaros (Note: The Peoria Saguaros are now known as the Surprise Saguaros.), the Sun City Solar Fox (Note: The Sun City Solar Fox are now known as the Mesa Solar Fox), and professional soccer team Phoenix Rising FC in the USL Championship. When the Phoenix Rising were playing at the Peoria Sports Complex, they were known as Arizona United SC.
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| Peoria Javelinas Team Logo |
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| Surprise Saguaros Team Logo |
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| Arizona United SC Team Logo |
Curiously, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japanese Professional Baseball used the Peoria Sports Complex for Spring Training during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, while Shohei Ohtani was still with the team.
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| Nippon-Ham Fighters Team Logo |
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| Nippon-Ham Fighters participating in a practice game at Peoria Sports Complex. |
With Cactus League baseball games typically ending in late March, the City of Peoria does hold other events throughout the year at the Peoria Sports Complex in addition to sporting events. For additional information, I would recommend visiting the website for the Peoria Sports Complex itself.
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| Seattle Mariners banner. (Photo by me.) |
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| San Diego Padres banner. (Photo by me.) |
Architecture firm Populous Holdings, Inc. designed the Peoria Sports Complex. The facility was formally opened on February 26, 1994. The complex cost a total of $32 million to build. The construction cost of the stadium itself was $7.7 million. The stadium at the Peoria Sports Complex seats a total of 11,333 spectators.
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| Map of the Baseball Stadium at the Peoria Sports Complex. |
The Peoria Sports Complex seats a total 12,518 spectators. I am not too sure if that number refers to the total number of seats available as spectators are allowed to sit on the grass along the outfield fence. According to the Peoria Sports Complex website, sitting on the grass is considered its own seating area separate from the main seating area. Just be aware of this distinction should you decide to order tickets for a game online at either the website for the Peoria Sports Complex or the website for Major League Baseball. Once you order your ticket(s) online, you will have to download the MLS app onto your cellphone to access your ticket(s) on game day.
Here is a further breakdown for seating at the Peoria Sports Complex:
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| Looking out from behind home plate. (Photo by me.) |
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| The view toward home plate from The Pavilion. (Photo by me.) |
The Peoria Sports Complex is located at 16101 N 83rd Ave, Peoria, AZ 85382. The stadium is close to boundary line Peoria shares with nearby Glendale, AZ. The Peoria Sports Complex is located in what is known as P83, which stands for Peoria and 83rd Ave. P83 is designed to be an entertainment area. P83 consists of numerous national chain restaurants, a 14-screen movie theatre, and several mid-budget hotels. The P83 area bleeds over to the Arrowhead Towne Center shopping area in Glendale. The boundaries for Peoria and Glendale in the P83 are definitely murky. It really is one of those situations where you could be standing in, say, Glendale, cross the street, and then you would be in Peoria without even realizing it.
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| Map of the Peoria Sports Complex Area and the P83 Entertainment District. |
For parking your car at the stadium, there are two parking lots. The west parking lot (aka the Mariners Lot) is right along North 83rd Ave. The parking lot is roughly located between the intersections of Bell Road and North 83rd Ave in the north and Thunderbird Ave and North 83rd Ave in the south. The west parking lot (aka the Padres Lot) is located east of the stadium along West Paradise Lane. It's located just east of the intersection for North 83rd Ave and West Paradise Lane. Of the two parking lots, the Mariners Lot has more parking spaces than the Padres Lot. Additionally, there are three entrances for the Peoria Sports Complex available from the Mariners Lot. If you park your car at the Padres Lot, there is only one entrance into the stadium, which is located behind center field. The first time I went to a baseball game at Peoria Sports Complex, I didn't do my research before getting in the car, so I ended up parking over at the P83 entertainment district and walking across North 83rd Ave to get to the stadium. On subsequent visits to the Peoria Sports Complex, I have parked my car in either the Mariners Lot or the Padres Lot without too much trouble. Since the Padres Lot is the smaller parking lot of the two, parking can be a little tight depending on who is playing.
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| Parking Lots at Peoria Sports Complex |
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| Walking through the Mariners Lot to the main entrance. (Photo by me.) |
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| At the main entrance to the Peoria Sports Complex. (Photo by me.) |
For food and drink during Cactus League baseball games, the City of Peoria has obviously put some effort into serving more than just your typical American food that has been standard culinary fare at baseball stadiums around the United States for decades. If typical baseball park food is what you crave, you can most certainly get hot dogs, hamburgers, salted or unsalted pretzels with cheese, popcorn, ice cream, and various kinds of candy. On the other hand, there are some intriguing options to try out. For example, you could try getting the Padres Dog, which is a variation of the Sonoran Hot Dog with ground up chorizo sausage, chopped Jalapeno pieces, cotija cheese, and salsa verde on a foot long hot dog. I managed to get my hands on a Padres Dog on my very first visit to the Peoria Sports Complex. I was impressed. Just know that the Padres Dog goes fast when it's available. If the Padres Dog isn't available, then you might want to ask the people working at the concession stand. However, if the Padres Dog isn't available, you can also try the Mariner Dog, which consists of cream cheese, bell peppers, and onions. However, like the Padres Dog, the Mariner Dog is a popular food item to get. I have eaten both hot dogs. Of the two, I prefer the Padres Dog. Hands down. If either the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog aren't available (or you don't want to wait), then you can always get the plain foot long hot dog. While not as exciting as either the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog, it's still really good. You can get the Padres Dog or the Mariners Dog at any of the concession stands as you pass through the three main entrances next to the Mariners Lot.
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| The Padres Dog in all its glory. (Photo by me.) |
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| Bratwurst from a seller near the center field entrance. (Photo by me.) |
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| Unsalted pretzel with cheese. (Photo by me.) |
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| Standing in the concession stand line with Mariners fans. (Photo by me.) |
If you aren't in mood for typical baseball stadium food, well, guess what? You are in luck. The City of Peoria also invites a variety of local food vendors to sell all kinds of food not sold at the three big concession stands. I suppose you could say that these food vendors are the Peoria equivalent to street food. These food vendors are located at the following places around the stadium:
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| Blanco Cocina + Cantina (Photo by me.) |
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| Postino Peoria (Photo by me.) |
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| North Italia (Photo by me.) |
Now, for a very important matter: BEER. For beer connoisseurs like me, there is A LOT to like about the selection of beer available at the Peoria Sports Complex during Cactus League games. Yes, you can get beer from the big brewers, such as Michelob Ultra and Coors Light. However, if you like craft beer, then there is definitely A LOT to like. Some of the beers available during Cactus League games at the Peoria Sports Complex are from breweries local to Maricopa County, such as Hop Knot IPA, Kilt Lifter, and WOW Wheat by Four Peaks Brewing in Tempe, AZ. All three beers are excellent. The Hop Knot IPA and Kilt Lifter are personal favorites. Other beers available throughout the stadium that I remember include 805 by Firestone Walker Brewing, Kona Big Wave by Kona Brewing, and Dos Equis Lager Especial. There are several other beers available. As if that wasn't enough, there is the Samuel Adams beer garden, called Sammy's on Third Terrace, located on the upper deck along the third base side. The beer garden primarily serves the Samuel Adams' American Light beer. Then, there are two additional beer gardens in the left and right field areas in the outfield. The Pavilion is located behind left field near the scoreboard. It has a big tent, so you can't miss it. The staff at the Pavilion serves the beer available elsewhere throughout the stadium. Meanwhile, in the right field area, there is The Deck, another beer garden. The Deck is quite smaller than the Pavillion and doesn't have a tent. However, The Deck does provide shade. The Deck offered two beers from Pizza Port Brewing in San Diego, CA, California Honey Blonde Ale and Chronic Ale Amber Ale. While I don't remember if I ever tried the California Honey Blonde Ale, I could DEFINITELY say that the Chronic Ale Amber Ale is a GREAT beer. The Deck also served a couple of beers from Stone Brewing, a famous brewery from the Escondido, CA area. Depending on the beer that you buy, beer prices range anywhere from $13 to $18 per beer. Beers at the Peoria Sports Complex tend to be large, 22-25 ounces per can, so you get your money's worth.
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| Pizza Port Brewing Company at The Deck. (Photo by me.) |
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| Chronic Ale from Pizza Port Brewing. (Photo by me.) |
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| Sammy's on Third after a game. (Photo by me.) |
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| A 22oz can of Wow Wheat Beer from Four Peaks Brewing. |
The Team Store is basically the souvenir shop for both the Mariners and the Padres. Its located just inside the main entrance if you park in the Mariners Lot along North 83rd Ave. Inside the Team Store, you can find all kinds of Spring Training souvenirs for both teams, such as baseball caps, replica jerseys, lanyards, polo shirts, key chains, toothbrushes, and a whole lot more. Depending on what you buy, prices can be expensive. This year, I bought a replica Padres hat and a Cactus League T-shirt. The price of the replica hat was close to $40, while the price for the Cactus League T-shirt had to be at least $50. I thought about getting either a Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis replica jersey. I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that the price for a replica jersey was over $100. I wanted to buy an official Padres Cactus League 2025 hat for $45. The hats looked great, a pale yellow with brown details. Unfortunately, my head was too big, despite trying on a 7 5/8 hat size. Just note that the Team Store can get rather crowded prior to the start of a game. I have seen long lines of people waiting to get into the Team Store. If you want to buy a souvenir but don't want to wait in line to get in, then you can buy souvenirs elsewhere around the stadium. In fact, there is another souvenir store near the center field entrance behind the scoreboard. The is also a much smaller souvenir stand just past the concession stands on the first base side of the stadium.
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| Souvenir Padres hat and Cactus League shirt. (Photo by me.) |
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| Padres Spring Training 2025 souvenir shirt. (Photo by me.) |
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| Souvenir stand near center field entrance. (Photo by me.) |
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| Limited edition San Diego Padres gear for St Patrick's Day. (Photo by me.) |
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| Limited edition San Diego Padres baseball cap for Spring Training 2025. (Photo by me.) |
Out of the 15 Major League Baseball teams that play Cactus League games in Maricopa County, which team attracts the most spectators? Well, I was surprised by the results. According to attendance statistics from 2024, the Chicago Cubs are the most popular Cactus League team with a total of 241,215 spectators. According to a statistic I found, the Chicago Cubs have had the highest attendance in the Cactus League for the past eleven years. Maricopa County's own Major League Baseball franchise, the Arizona Diamondbacks, had the second highest attendance with a total of 199,781 spectators. In third place were the San Francisco Giants with a total of 130,868 spectators. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the fourth highest attendance with 121,638 spectators. And where were the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres in terms of attendance? The Seattle Mariners were the seventh most popular team to watch in the Cactus League with a total 2024 attendance of 102,209 spectators. As for the San Diego Padres, they finished last with a total of 62,450 spectators. That statistic was a definite surprise. Why the San Diego Padres have the lowest attendance in the Cactus League is beyond me.
As mentioned above, Kansas City, MO-based architecture firm Populous Architects designed the Peoria Sports Complex. Going through their corporate webpage, you quickly realize that Populous Architects have carved out a niche in designing sports stadiums around the world. They have definitely set the standard in designing sports stadiums. Populous Architects have also designed some rather famous concert arenas, such as the Sphere in Las Vegas, NV.
As a former Baltimore area resident for nearly six years, I did not know that Populous designed BOTH the critically acclaimed Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M and T Bank Stadium for the Baltimore Ravens. Populous also designed the new Yankee Stadium in New York City, Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., PETCO Park in San Diego, CA, and Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA, among various other completed sports stadiums. Recent projects of note designed by Populous include the ultra-modern Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and the iconic Sphere performance venue in Las Vegas, NV.
Not only has Populous Architects designed other Cactus League stadiums in Maricopa County, they have also designed several notable buildings in the Phoenix, AZ area that aren't sports stadiums.
UPDATE #1: For whatever reason, I seem to have hit a bad case of writer's block for this post. I will have to re-read and decide on how to repair this post.
UPDATE #2: I am not happy with how this post is turning out. Too much stream-of-thought and not enough planning. There should be a bulleted list in the post. The section about the Populous architecture firm should include a table. Oh, well. It's back to the drawing board.
UPDATE #3: This morning, I sat down at my desk and brainstormed some ideas on how to redesign and restructure this post. I think I have found a way forward. Let's see how I can save this post.
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| Brainstorming on how to rewrite this post. |
