Cactus League Opening Day 2024...

Cactus League Opening Day 2024

This will be a post 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.

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 this post as more of an introduction about the Cactus League.

The Peoria Sports Complex

In my previous post about the Cactus League, I created a map depicting the locations of the various Cactus League stadiums around Maricopa County, AZ. Since I currently live in the Sun City-Peoria, AZ area, the closest Cactus League stadium to me is the Peoria Sports Complex. 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. Based on the information that I found during my research, the Peoria Sports Complex opened in 1994. The architects who designed the Peoria Sports Complex were architecture firm Populous.

A Quick Word about Populous

Haven't heard of the architecure firm Populous? Until I started writing this post, neither have I. It turns out that Populous have designed quite a few famous buildings in their corporate history. The architecture firm seems to have made a specialty of designing sports stadiums and concert arenas. As a former Baltimore area resident for six years, I did not know that Populous designed BOTH Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M and T Bank Stadium for the Baltimore Ravens. Due to the critical acclaim received from designing Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 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.

Incidentally, Populous has designed other Cactus League stadiums in Maricopa County.

UPDATE: 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.

Opening Day of the Cactus League...

Introduction

Originially envisioned as a single post, this will be a series of posts about Cactus League baseball in the Phoenix, AZ area. Unfortunately, there is just too much information that I would like to cover about this subject. Plus, I took a TON of photos at all of the Cactus League games that I have attended. As a result, I would not be surprised if I end up writing four or five posts about the Cactus League.

Jack Edwards and the Cactus League

Whenever someone talks about Cactus League baseball, I always think of the following quote that sportscaster Jack Edwards once said while co-hosting ESPN's SportsCenter TV program sometime during the 1990s. 

"Some are grapefruit, some are cactus. These games don't count. They're just for practice." 

- TV sportscaster Jack Edwards on ESPN

 

Former ESPN TV Sportscaster Jack Edwards

I'm not sure if Jack Edwards actually sat down and wrote those lines before going before the cameras or if he improvised them on-air. Either way, I just remember laughing out loud when he said those words. The short nursery rhyme has stayed with me ever since. Jack Edwards' short nursery rhyme perfectly encapsulates what the Cactus League and the Grapefruit League are all about.  

The Beginnings of Spring Training

According to an informative article by Matt Monagan over at Cut4, Spring Training for Major League Baseball started in 1886. At the time most of the professional baseball teams were located in either the Midwest or in the Northeast. In February and March, cities like Chicago and New York were still struggling with snow and cold temperatures, forcing teams to practice for the upcoming season inside gymnasiums. Albert Spalding, the president of the old Chicago White Stockings, wanted a location warm enough for his players to practice outdoors. After a preliminary search, Albert Spalding decided to move the Chicago White Stockings to Hot Springs, Arkansas for Spring Training. Hot Springs, AR had a favorable climate for practicing outdoors and, more importantly, it had a local hot spring for players to relax in after practice. The idea of professional baseball teams relocating to warmer climates for Spring Training quickly caught on. Professional baseball teams established training camps in California and Florida. In the case of Florida, the mayor of Tampa had a vision of professional baseball teams using Florida as a base for Spring Training and offered to pay the travel expenses of the Chicago Cubs. The concept worked and the Grapefruit League in Florida was born.   

What is the Cactus League?

Cactus League Annual Supplement from Sun City Independent newspaper.

What is the Cactus League? That is a good question. The Cactus League refers to the pre-season practice games that are played in the Phoenix, AZ metropolitan area by professional baseball teams from Major League Baseball. The pre-season practice games typically start in late February and last for about one month. For 2025, Cactus League games started play on Friday, February 21st. Teams from both the American League and the National League both participate in Cactus League play. While Cactus League games are for practice, the games allow teams to get their star players back into playing shape prior to the official start of the new baseball season after a layoff of a couple of months. Likewise, Cactus League games are also a chance for young players to make an impression on team management before being sent down to the minor leagues.  Lastly, Cactus League games also allow recently traded players and newly acquired free agents to get better acquainted with their new teams. As a result, team management can experiment with starting lineups and starting pitchers. For fans, Cactus League games allow fans to get closer to their favorite team and favorite players in a more intimate setting than you would be allowed to during a regular season game.  

Origins of the Cactus League

According to a second article by Matt Monagan over at MLB.com, the Cactus League got its start in 1946. At the time, a businessman named Bill Veeck had just bought the Cleveland Indians (now known as the Cleveland Guardians). Since he owned a ranch near Tucson, AZ, he felt that the Cleveland Indians should hold their Spring Training in Arizona. Bill Veeck had also just signed the American League's first black player, Larry Doby, for the Cleveland Indians and did not want to subject the player to the realities of the American South at that time. The was a problem with moving the Cleveland Indians to Arizona for Spring Training, however. There weren't any other teams for the Indians to play against. Bill Veeck then convinced the owner of the New York Giants, Horace Stoneham, who also had a home in the Tucson area, to move the New York Giants to Arizona for Spring Training. It worked. When the New York Giants relocated to San Francisco, the Giants kept coming to Arizona for Spring Training. Another key figure in the history of the Cactus League was Dwight Patterson, who is credited with luring the Chicago Cubs to the Mesa, AZ area for Spring Training in 1949. For more information about Dwight Patterson, see this article. 

Current State of the Cactus League

As of 2025, there are 15 professional baseball teams that play in the Cactus League. Eight teams are from the National League, while seven teams are from the American League. The teams from the National League are the following: 

• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Chicago Cubs
• Cincinnati Reds 
• Colorado Rockies
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Milwaukee Brewers
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants

The teams from the American League include: 

• Chicago White Sox
• Cleveland Guardians
• Las Vegas Athletics
• Los Angeles Angels
• Kansas City Royals
• Seattle Mariners
• Texas Rangers

Those 15 teams play at 10 stadiums located across Maricopa County, AZ. Most of the stadiums are shared by two teams. That is, the teams alternate use of the stadium for home games. One team will use the stadium for a home game, while the other team will play at another stadium in the Phoenix area for their Spring Training game. Only five teams are the exclusive occupants of their stadium. Those teams are the Milwaukee Brewers, the Las Vegas Athletics, the Chicago Cubs, the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Angels. Interestingly, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are the hometown team, share their Spring Training stadium with the Colorado Rockies. Based on the information that I could find, the stadium with the highest capacity for spectators is Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ, the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs. Sloan Park has a seating capacity of 15,000. The oldest Cactus League stadium currently in use is the Tempe Diablo Stadium located in Tempe, AZ. The newest Cactus League stadium is Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, AZ, which was built in 2011. 

Here is a map that I created displaying all of the locations of Cactus League stadiums throughout the Phoenix, AZ area. 

Location of Cactus League Stadiums around Maricopa County, AZ.

As you can see, the Cactus League stadiums are scattered across Maricopa County. Five of the stadiums are located in what is locally referred to as the East Valley, which consists of southeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Mesa.  The other five Cactus League stadiums are located in what is known locally as the West Valley, which consists of Glendale, Goodyear, Surprise, and Peoria. 

Based on data that I took from the A Spring Tradition: A Look at Baseball in the Valley produced by the Sun City Independent newspaper, here is a table I constructed in HTML containing information about each Cactus League stadium.

Stadiums in the Cactus League

Stadium	Address	Seating Capacity	Year Opened	Team(s)
American Family Fields of Phoenix	3805 N. 53rd Ave, Phoenix	7,000	1998	Milwaukee Brewers
Camelback Ranch	10710 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix	13,000	2009	Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox
Goodyear Ballpark	1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear	8,000	2009	Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds
Hohokam Stadium	1235 N. Center St, Mesa	10,000	1997	Las Vegas Athletics
Peoria Sports Complex	16101 N. 83rd Ave, Peoria	12,518	1994	San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners
Sloan Park	2330 W. Rio Salado Pkwy, Mesa	15,000	2014	Chicago Cubs
Salt River Fields	7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale	11,000	2011	Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies
Scottsdale Stadium	7408 E. Osborn Road, Scottsdale	12,000	1992	San Francisco Giants
Surprise Stadium	15850 N. Bullard Ave, Surprise	10,000	2003	Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers
Tempe Diablo Stadium	2200 W. Alameda Drive, Tempe	9,558	1968	Los Angeles Angels

Cactus League Stadiums Near Me

The Cactus League stadium that I am most familiar with is the Peoria Sports Complex, which is located in Peoria, AZ. It is the Cactus League stadium that is closest to where I currently live. I will go into greater detail about the Peoria Sports Complex in a future post. The other Cactus League stadiums that are a short drive away, in Maricopa County terms, are Camelback Ranch, where the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox play, in Glendale, AZ and Surprise Stadium, where the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals play, in Surprise, AZ.

Setting Up the Sea Sucker Bike Rack...

Setting Up the Sea Sucker Bike Rack

In a previous post, I wrote about all of the problems that I have encountered with my Trek Hybrid 7.2 FX bike after my bike sat in the garage of my mom's house for a couple of years. I also wrote about taking my bike over to Southwest Bicycles in Peoria, AZ for maintenance. Furthermore, I also wrote about buying the Sea Sucker Talon rooftop bike rack from REI. 

This past Saturday, I F-I-N-A-L-L-Y got around to setting up the Sea Sucker Talon bike rack on my car.

After watering the plants in the backyard, sweeping off the patio, and cleaning out the garage at my mom's house, I went ahead and took the opportunity to set up the Sea Sucker Talon bike rack on the roof of my car. Since it was a H-O-T afternoon (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Sun City, AZ area, I was already sweating like crazy. Since I had nothing else planned for the afternoon, it was the perfect opportunity to set up the bike rack.

I had already completed most of the preparation work before mounting the bike rack to the roof of my car.

• I had already watched a couple of videos on Sea Sucker's own website on how to set up the Talon bike rack.
• I also sat down and actually read through the instructions.
• Lastly, I had already tried mounting the front of my Trek Hybrid 7.2 FX bike on the Talon bike rack on the floor of my mom's garage.

With all of that work completed, it was now time to actually set up the Sea Sucker Talon bike rack on the roof of my car. I was motivated to set up the bike rack for two reasons. First, I am starting to get incredibly bored with using the elliptical trainer at the gym. Spending longer than 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer no longer appeals to me. I start to get incredibly BORED. Second, since my failed attempt at mounting my brand new rear tire to the bike frame ended in disaster back in May, my Trek Hybrid bike has been collecting dust in my mom's garage.

Thus, it was a now or never type of moment.

As the videos from Sea Sucker made clear, setting up the Talon bike was actually fairly easy to do.

Here are the steps that I followed to set up the Talon 1-Bike Rack:

1. I securely mounted the the HUSKE QR Fork Mount onto the front rack body.
2. I then wiped clean the area on the roof of my car where I was going to place the front rack body.
3. I then removed the protective covers for the suction cups on the front rack body.
4. While holding down the front rack body, I then pressed the pump for each suction cup repeatedly until the orange indicator band was no longer visible.
5. I then inserted the skewer into the opening of the HUSKE QR Fork Mount with the QR Washer next to the Cam Lever.
6. I then attached the Adjustment Nut to the skewer.
7. I then removed the front tire from my bike.
8. I then lifted my bike onto the roof of my car.
9. I then mounted the front tire dropouts of my bike onto the skewer.
10. I then tightened the Adjustment Nut on the skewer as tight as possible against the bike fork.
11. I then loosened the Adjustment Nut until I was able to close the Cam Lever.
12. After removing the the protective cover for the suction cup, I then placed the rear rack body under the rear tire of my bike.
13. Again, I then pressed the pump for the suction cup until the orange indicator band was no longer visibile.
14. I then wrapped the velcro strap to secure the tire to the rear rack body.
15. To prevent the pedals from moving around during travel, I then used the orange velcro strap to secure the pedal to the bike frame.

Before I knew it, I had mounted my bike to the Sea Sucker Talon bike rack on the roof of my car. It was pretty easy.

The most difficult part of setting up the Talon bike rack was mounting the bike to the forward base.

My bike successfully mounted to the Sea Sucker bike rack. 

Close up of the suction cups used in the Sea Sucker bike rack.

The Sea Sucker Talon bike rack on the roof of my car. 

Rear view of the Sea Sucker Talon bike rack. 

I then started my car and cautiously left the parking lot at my mom's house. I then drove around the neighborhood for a little bit. My bike appeared to be securely mounted to the Sea Sucker bike rack. Additionally, the Sea Sucker bike rack appeared to be securely mounted to the roof of my car. I then decided to drive over to Southwest Bicycles in nearby Peoria, AZ. Despite all of the potholes and bumps in the road, I managed to drive my car to the parking lot for Southwest Bicycles without incident. It was an easy task to remove my bike from the Talon bike rack, so I could remount the front tire. Removing the front and rear racks was easy. I just pressed the rubber tab for each suction cup. I then removed both racks and placed them into my trunk for storage. An important point to remember is that the Sea Sucker bike rack is not secure. There is no way to lock the Sea Sucker Talon bike rack to prevent someone from stealing it. 

Arriving at the parking lot for Southwest Bicycles in Peoria, AZ.

In Conclusion

Thus far, I have been impressed with the Talon bike rack from Sea Sucker. This particular bike rack saved me from having to spend several hundreds of dollars on a roof rack for my car. Eventually, I would like to use the Talon bike rack to take my bike down to, say, downtown Phoenix for a bike ride. We'll see if it passes that test. 

New Sea Sucker Bike Rack...

A Bike in Need of Repair

Back in May of this year, at the start of a 20 mile bike ride on a late Saturday morning, the inflatable tube in the rear tire of my Trek Bikes Hybrid FX 2.0 bike exploded. Not only did the inflatable tube explode, there was a long gash in the rear tire. As a result, I had to walk back to my mother's house while pushing the bike. I was disappointed, but I wasn't exactly angry. I knew that my bike was a ticking time bomb. It was just a matter of time before I needed to make a major repair of some kind.

Some Background

The Bike Lane of Reston, VA

I originally bought the hybrid bike from a bike shop known as The Bike Lane that used to be located at the Reston Town Center in Reston, VA, during the summer of 2014. The Bike Lane used to be a short walk down the street from the infamous Jackson's Mighty Fine Food and Lucky Lounge. The Bike Lane is now located at 11150 Sunset Hills Drive near Wiehle Metro station. The Bike Lane was a pretty good store to just walk and look around. I knew nothing about Trek Bikes, but I liked what I saw. One Sunday afternoon in July 2014, I was walking around Reston Town Center and noticed that The Bike Lane was having a sale. Moreover, there were people inside and outside the store, which was unusual. Curious, I walked into the store for the first time. I discovered that The Bike Lane had reduced their prices on all of the Trek Bikes they had in stock. For some time, I was thinking about buying a hybrid bike, so I could ride the bike trails in Reston and Herndon since I developed osteoarthritis in both knees and could no longer go jogging. I gave my driver's license to the store manager and took the bike for a test ride around Reston Town Center. I had a fun time riding the bike. The regular price for the Hybrid FX 2.0 bike was $650. However, with the promotion, the bike was on sale for $500. Plus, the store manager reduced the price of the bike by $50 since the bike already had some scratches on the frame. I ended up buying both the bike and a bike helmet. I then rode the bike along the Washington and Old Dominion Trail through Reston to Herndon, VA and on to Ashburn, VA. Due to a fortunate series of events, most of the parts on my hybrid bike never needed maintenance of any kind. When I rode my bike on the bike trails around the Reston-Herndon-Ashburn, VA area, I never had any problems. Not even a flat tire. When I moved Columbia, MD, in 2016, I still didn't have any problems with my bike. However, when the lease on my apartment next to Columbia Mall expired in June 2017, I had the moving company ship my bike to my mother's house in Sun City, AZ. For several years, my Trek Hybrid FX 2.0 bike collected dust in the garage, while getting baked by the Arizona heat.

Presta Valve versus Schrader Valve

Southwest Bicycles of Peoria, AZ

When I moved back to Arizona from living in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, MD area for 13 years this past November, one of my goals was to get my bike back up and running. One of the first things I did was go over to the nearest bike shop, Southwest Bicycles in nearby Peoria, AZ, and buy two new inflatable bike tubes for the tires. When I went to buy the new inflatable bike tubes, I had a decision to make. Was I going to buy inflatable bike tubes with a Presta valve or inflatable tubes with a Schrader valve? Not really understanding the difference between the two different valves, I went with the Presta valves. After all, inflatable bike tubes are inflatable bike tubes, right? Big mistake. There are big differences between the two bike tube types. My Trek Hybrid bike originally came with inflatable tubes that had Schrader valves. I should have bought two inflatable bike tubes with Schrader valves. That's probably a good rule of thumb to remember when buying replacement parts for your bike. When you buy replacement parts for your bike, try to stay with what your bike originally came with.

Bike Tube with Presta Valve

After buying two inflatable bike tubes with Presta valves, a brand new Trek hand pump, and some other miscellaneous items for my bike, I took everything back to my mother's house to get to work. After some difficulty, I managed to replace the old inflatable bike tubes with Schrader valves with the new inflatable bike tubes with the Presta valves. I then inflated both tubes with my brand new Trek hand pump. Something didn't seem quite right. There was an issue with the inflatable bike tubes. Knowing that my hybrid bike had never received any kind of maintenance, I went ahead and made an appointment with Southwest Bicycles to perform a tune-up on my bike.

Bike Tube with Schrader Valve

On the day I picked up my bike from South West Bikes, I took my bike for a ride on the New River Trail that is literaly right next to Southwest Bicycles. After riding as far north as Happy Valley Road in northern Peoria (or is it Glendale?), I heard a loud PSSSSHHHHH!!!!!! sound come from my bike as I was heading south near Beardsley Road on the New River Trail. The front tire was completely flat. I tried using a CO2 cartridge to inflate the front tube. No luck. After taking a short break, I walked my bike all the way back to Southwest Bicycles. After explaining what happened, Southwest Bicycles explained to me that several customers had similar experiences to mine. The apparent cause was the Presta valve in the inflatable tube of the front tire. One of the repair technicians replaced the inflatable tube with the Presta valve with an inflatable tube with a Schrader valve. The repair technician even inserted a thorn guard between the inflatable tube and the tire. The repair technician also inflated the tires to the appropriate level. Belive it or not, Southwest Bicycles performed this repair for FREE. I was surprised. I was prepared to pay for the replacement inflatable bike tube, but they turned me down. For the next couple of months, I didn't have any problems with my Trek Hybrid FX 2.0 bike, riding on the New River Trail and on roads in Sun City. Then, the inflatable tube in the rear tire exploded on a Saturday in May 2024. The reason? You guessed it, the inflatable tube had a Presta valve.

Another Problem

I removed the rear tire from the bike and took it back to Southwest Bicycles. Since it was already after 4:00 PM on a Saturday afternoon, I was told that the repair technicians would not be able to take a look at my bike's tire until Monday at the earliest. Not a problem, I said. Then, on Sunday afternoon, I received a phone call from a repair technician at Southwest Bicycles. He said that the issue was with the Presta valve. He said that when the bike tube exploded, it created a long gash in the tire. He said that he installed a new inflatable tube with a Schrader valve. Additionally, he replaced the original tire with a new one. When I brought back the new rear tire to my mother's house from South West Bikes, things got rather interesting.

Since it had been so long since I had to replace a rear tire, I had to watch a couple of videos on how to do the task. Since I don't have a bicycle repair stand, I had to remove my cell phone holder, my headlamp, my saddlebags, and the rack. With some difficulty, I managed to mount the rear tire. I had enonormous difficulty with the bike chain. I also had problems with disconnecting the brake pads from the brake cable. Still, I managed to get the rear tire mounted to the bike frame. Yet, there was another problem. The new problem was that the brakes no longer worked properly. The brake pads clamped shut on the tire. Additionally, the brake handle no longer worked. I disconnected the brake pads a second time. I then removed the rear tire from the bike frame. Then, somehow, the bike chain inexplicably twisted upon itself. I went to YouTube and watched a couple of videos on how to untwist a bike chain. None of the techniques worked on my bike chain. With no way to transport my bike to Southwest Bicycles, my bike sat in my mom's garage.

My Trek Hybrid Bike with Twisted Bike Chain

SeaSucker Bike Rack

My car, a Nissan Maxima 2010 SV, has a rear spoiler above the trunk. Finding a bike rack for my car has been very difficult. Because of the rear spoiler, I cannot use a bike rack that attaches to the trunk. Sorry, Thule, Yakima, and Saris. In order to use a hitch bike rack on my car, I would need to have a hitch attachment installed underneath my car. Then, I am not too interested in spending several hundreds of dollars on a roof bike rack. While looking through the REI webpage one day, I came across the Talon MAX 1-Bike Rack by SeaSucker. I was disappointed to discover that the Talon MAX 1 bike rack is an online-only item. As a result, you can go to your local REI store and take a look at it. Curious, I went ahead and ordered one from the REI webpage. The Talon MAX 1 bike rack is a roof bike rack that utilizes suction cups to stick to the roof of your car. The Talon MAX 1 comes in two pieces. One piece has three suction cups. This piece is where you attach the front tire. The second piece consists of one suction cup. This is where you attach the rear tire. Unlike bike racks from Thule and Yakima, the Talon MAX 1 bike rack has a simple set up and doesn't require buying any extra equipment. I am really interested in trying it out.

SeaSucker Talon MAX 1 (Front)

SeaSucker Talon MAX 1 (Back)

SeaSucker Talon MAX 1 (Inside Box)

SeaSucker Talon MAX 1 (Instructions)

Here is a video from SeaSucker on how to set up the Talon MAX 1. 

Stay tuned for updates.

New Ethernet Cable Tester...

New Ethernet Cable Tester

On Monday afternoon, I bought a Klein Tools Ethernet cable tester from a Home Depot in Peoria, AZ. Just as a disclaimer, I refer to anything in Peoria, AZ that is south of Bell Avenue as being located in "South Peoria". I live close to the isthmus that runs between Glendale, AZ and Sun City, AZ that connects "North Peoria" to "South Peoria". Yes, the city boundaries of Peoria, AZ are strange. It would make for an interesting post to investigate why.

Anyway, I bought an Ethernet cable tester because I wanted to test the Ethernet cables that I made using the T-568A and T-568B cabling standards. To put it another way, I made a straight-through cable and a crossover cable. Now, I want to test both cables to see if I did it correctly.

While making the cables, I took a series of photos with my cell phone camera.

In the coming days, I will write a post about making a straight-through cable and a crossover cable.

Stay tuned.

Going Kayaking with REI (UPDATED)...

Learning to Kayak Class

On Saturday, May 18th, instead of going hiking, I attended the "Learning to Kayak" class given by REI at Lake Pleasant, AZ.

REI Learn to Kayak Class (Source: REI)

This was my third attempt at attending this class. Back in December 2024, I had to cancel my reservation due to an operation at the VA Hospital in downtown Phoenix. I then registered to take the class this past April. A week before the class, I received an email from REI informing me that the class had been cancelled due to low enrollment.

The goal of the class is to teach participants the fundamentals on how to use a kayak. According to REI's website, here are the goals of the class.

• Learn how to launch and stay comfortable in a kayak
• Practice the forward, reverse, and sweep paddle strokes
• Get exposure to the fundamentals of on the water safety

Here is the Gear List for the class.

• Required items to bring:
• Sun Protection - Lip balm, sunscreen, wide-brim hats, etc.
• Water Shoes/Sandals - Foot attire that will protect your feet and is okay to get wet. (e.g. Teva, Chaco, Keen (not flip-flops)
• Synthetic Quick Dry Clothing
• Water Bottle
• Personal Prescription Medications - Including, but not limited to, epinephrine auto-injectors for anaphylactic allergies.
• Optional items to bring:
• Lip Balm/Protection
• Sunglasses
• Wide Brim Hat w/ Retainer - Sun protective and safe in case of wind
• Paddling Gloves
• Waterproof Camera
• Towel - Quick Drying and Lightweight
• Swimwear
• Tip for guides - 10-20% of program price is recommended.
• Items provided by REI:
• Dry Bag
• Group First Aid Kit - Our guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit, but you are welcome to bring any personal first aid-items that you prefer.
• Paddle
• Lifejacket
• Kayak

Getting to Lake Pleasant

The "Learning to Kayak" class was being given at Fireman's Cove at Lake Pleasant.

Fireman's Cove at Lake Pleasant, AZ (Google Earth)

On Google Maps, getting to Fireman's Cove appears to be relatively easy to do. You drive north on Lake Pleasant Parkway, making a left at State Road 74 (Morristown New River Highway). After several miles, you then make a right at N Castle Hot Springs Road and head north. After five or six miles, you then make a right at Castle Creek Drive. You then follow Castle Creek Drive to Fireman's Cove. REI did place signs along the side of the road at N Castle Hot Springs Road and again at Castle Creek Drive. I don't remember seeing a sign for Fireman's Cove, but I did see a large number of people and parked cars near the beach along Castle Creek Drive. I drove into the parking lot and then noticed the white Ford pick-up truck with the REI logo on the side.

I found the right place.

The most difficult part of the drive to Fireman's Cove was the gridlocked traffic that I encountered on the Lake Pleasant Parkway between Highway 303 and State Road 74. At Highway 303, the Lake Pleasant Parkway truncates into one lane going north and one lane going south. Moreover, the Arizona Department of Transportation was also doing roadwork nearby, causing traffic to tangle up. It was literally bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way to State Road 74. Crazy stuff.

Learning to Kayak

The main guide from REI was named Dave. He said that he lived in Mesa, AZ and came from the REI located in Chandler, AZ. He also said that he was originally from Roanoak, VA and had lived in Washington, D.C. and Seattle, WA. He said that he had been a professional guide for several years. The assistant guide from REI was from Tucson, AZ. His name was Simrin. He said that he had been working as a professional guide since January of this year.

The guides brought hard-shell kayaks with them. The kayaks they brought came in two lengths, 12.5 feet and 14 feet. In contrast, when I attended the sunset kayaking class back in April, also at Lake Pleasant, the REI guides brought inflatable kayaks to use. What are the differences? Well, the inflatable kayaks are difficult to control, yet they rarely tip over. For hard-shell kayaks, the longer and narrower the kayak, the faster it will go. I ended up with a 12.5 foot long kayak to use. The 12.5 foot kayak was a little wider than the 14 foot kayak.

The initial topics covered in the class were the different parts of the kayak, how to hold the paddle, and how to get into the kayak. Dave also covered the basic paddle strokes.

After that, we got into the water. The water felt refreshingly cool. It was a sunny, hot day at Lake Pleasant. At 12:00 PM, when the class started, the temperature had to be close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I had trouble signing the release as the table was sizzling hot. Once we got out on the water, you quickly forgot about the heat.

Once we got away from the crowded beach, Dave reviewed the three or four paddle strokes that he had demonstrated on the beach. The entire group spent the next half hour or so practicing the various basic paddle strokes, such as going forward, going backward, and how to turn the kayak to change the direction of travel. As people got more comfortable, the group went past the No Wake buoys and approached the main part of Lake Pleasant. However, we stayed within sight of Fireman's Cove. We encountered waves caused by speed boats passing by. We also experienced having to deal with both the water current and the wind constantly changing direction. It was a challenge.

At around 2:30 PM, Dave asked the group if people wanted to continue kayaking for the next half hour or return to the beach. I wanted to stay out on the water. I guess I was in the minority as the group headed back to the beach. However, there was a twist. We were supposed to try kayaking backwards as far as we could. The wind and current kept taking me off course, so I turned around my kayak and began to paddle forward.

Camera Problems

During the kayaking class, I had ALL KINDS of problems with the camera app on my cell phone. The user interface on my cell phone would freeze. When I tried to open the camera app, I would get a black screen. I also had problems zooming in and out. Then, I would have problems with the waterproof case I kept my cell phone in as I kayaked. As a result, I didn't take many photos during the class. I know, it's time to seriously consider getting a new cell phone. While I am thinking about it, it's probably time to see if I can find a new waterproof case for my cell phone.

Anyway, here are the photographs that I took as disappointing as they are.

REI Trailer Truck

REI guide Simrin loading kayaks from the morning class.

Desert Breeze Kayaking Tours

View of Fireman's Cove 1

View of Fireman's Cove 2

View of Fireman's Cove 3

View of Fireman's Cove 4

In Conclusion

Was the "Learning to Kayak" class worth the $119 (for REI members) that I paid? Yes, it was. The two guides, Dave and Simrin, were great. They were friendly, approachable, and good at explaining the subtle techniques of learning to kayak. Dave was especially fun as he had lived in the Washington, D.C. area for several years and had been to Baltimore several times. He even agreed with me that the Phoenix metropolitan area DESPERATELY needs a subway. Anyway, given my previous kayaking trips along the Potomac and Monocacy Rivers, the "Learning to Kayak" class was a really good refresher on the basics. If you haven't been kayaking before, then I would highly recommend taking the class. As it just so happened, there is a kayak rental place at Fireman's Cove called Desert Breeze Kayaking Tours. Definitely a place worth checking out.