Hiking at White Tanks Preservation Park

Hiking at White Tanks Preservation Park

For two Saturdays in May 2025, I went hiking at White Tanks Preservation Park near Surprise, AZ.

I made two attempts at hiking the Mesquite Trail.

Park Map of White Tank Mountain Regional Park

More to follow.

Cactus League Opening Day 2024...

Cactus League Opening Day 2024

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.

All About 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 to be found throughout Maricopa County, AZ. Actually, I'm quite proud of how both the map and table I created for that particular post turned out. Since I currently live in the Sun City-Peoria, AZ area, the closest Cactus League stadium to me is the Peoria Sports Complex.

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.)   

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.

San Diego Padres Team Logo

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.

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.

Peoria Javelinas Team Logo

Surprise Saguaros Team Logo

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.

Nippon-Ham Fighters Team Logo

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. 

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.

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:

• Infield box seats: 1,420
• Outfield box seats: 1,454
• Upper box seats: 2,803
• Club seats: 252
• Bleachers: 1,728
• Accessible seating: 176
• Lawn seating: 3,000
• Standing Room Only: 500
• Practice fields: 100-seat and 250-seat bleachers

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.  

Map of the Peoria Sports Complex Area and the P83 Entertainment District.

For parking your car at the stadium, the main parking lot is right along North 83rd Ave. The parking lot is located south of the intersection between Bell Road and North 83rd Ave. The alternate lot for parking 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. The alternate parking lot is located right next to the practice fields used by the San Diego Padres.

For food and drink during Cactus League baseball games, the Peoria Sports Complex mostly serves your typical American baseball food. That is, you can get hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, ice cream, and various kinds of candy. However, the food isn't all bland. The Padres Dog is what is known locally as a Sonoran Hot Dog. The Mariner Dog isn't exact chopped liver either. I have eaten both hot dogs. Of the two, I prefer the Padres Dog. Hands down. If you aren't in a hot dog mood, the City of Peoria also invites in local food vendors to sell a variety of food not sold at the three big concession stands. These food vendors are located near the third base area, the left field area, and the right field area. If that wasn't enough, there is even a sit-down restaurant along the third base side with a nice view of the field. 

 For beer connoisseurs like me, the City of Peoria has obviously put in a lot of thought and effort to appeal to you. There is a Samuel Adams beer garden located on the upper deck along the third base side. The beer garden primarily serves the Samuel Adams Cold Snap beer that is sold during the spring. Then, there are two additional beer gardens in the left and right field areas in the outfield. During the Cactus League games for 2025, there was a small beer garden for Pizza Port Brewing from San Diego, CA. The beer selection consists of a mixture of the large, national breweries and beer brewed here in Arizona. The beer selection is actually pretty good. 

A Quick Word about Populous

Haven't heard of the architecture 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 #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.

Brainstorming on how to rewrite this post.

No Posts for March 2025...

No Posts for March 2025

I have been so busy with other things that I completely forgot to make any new posts to my blog for the month of March 2025.

Making new posts here on my blog is always at the back of my mind.

Plus, blogging is something that I really enjoy doing.

As I have discovered as I restarted blogging in the past year or so, to do the kind of in-depth blogging that I want to do here at Blogger, it would require an enormous amount of time and dedication.

Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Like I wrote earlier, I am quite busy. Probably too busy.

Here is a partial list of what I have been up to:

• I workout at a my local gym in Sun City, AZ several times per week.
• I try to go hiking at least once per week, usually on Saturday.
• I try riding my bike at least once per week. Unfortunately, I don't seem to ride my bike nearly enough.
• I was studying for Cisco's CCNA IT certification until I realized that my A+ IT certification from CompTIA expires on July 25th of this year. As a result, after completing chapter 8 in the first volume of the Official CCNA Study Guide, I had to start the online training for the A+ IT certification.
• I got bogged down on writing posts about at attending the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, AZ and attending Opening Day of the Cactus League in Peoria, AZ.
• Since I live in Sun City for the time being, there is all of the stuff that my mother wants me to do during the day.
• I also had a couple of doctor's appointments during the month of March in downtown Phoenix, AZ.
• I have also discovered that X is quite a time waster that I need to get under control.

Getting Rejected by Google Ad-Sense

Also, during the month of March, I submitted an application to Google Ad-Sense to have advertisements placed throughout posts on my blog in order to generate an income stream. Unfortunately, after waiting for a couple of weeks, I received a notice that my application for Google Ad-Sense had been declined. The reason? Apparently, my blog doesn't meet the content requirements as set by Google Ad-Sense. I guess I have too many photos on my blog and not enough written content. Something like that. Oh, well. It was worth a shot. However, I do see a time when I leave Blogger for a different blogging platform. I am not too sure when it will happen, but it eventually will. For now, I am writing for myself and whomever else may be interested in what I write about.

Making Sense of Google Photos

Then there is the issue of how my collection of photos over at Google Photos is a complete mess. I really do need to sit down and spend some time getting my collection of photos organized into collections and adding key words to each photo. I should also inspect each photo and see if I need to make any enhancements. It can be a lengthy process.

Future Posts

In my Bullet Journal, I have a collection of future blog posts that always seems to get longer and longer.

For example, my post about the Cactus Baseball League in Arizona just kept getting longer and longer. As a result, I have decided to just go ahead and break that post into several shorter posts. I have A LOT of photos that I took last year and this year.

Before I tackle any new topics, I am also trying to finish several incomplete posts here on my blog, such as hiking the Shaw Butte Trail at North Mountain Preserve a second time as well as some posts about my bike rack and almost being the victim of a pig butchering scam.

Plus, I am rewatching the third movie I saw at the Cine Core movie theatre in Seoul on DVD. I am currently planning to write a lengthy post about that movie and how it relates to the Korean War. It's going to take A LOT of work. However, I know that I can do it.

Then, there is that list of blogging topics in my Bullet Journal that I constantly keep adding to.

Lastly, I should go over the HTML reference over at W3 Schools and see if there are additional ways that I can make my blog more sexy. I have learned quite a bit about how to use HTML, but there always seems to be more that I could learn about.

It will take some time, but I will get there.

Studying for CCNA Update...

Studying for CCNA Update

It has been a while since I have written a post about studying for Cisco's CCNA IT certification.

To be honest, progress has been slow.

However, there are reasons for that.

Back in late December 2024, I had just completed the reading the following chapters in the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1, Second Edition by Wendell Odom, CCIE No. 1624.

• Part One: Introduction to Networking
• Chapter 1: Introduction to TCP/IP Networking
• Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Ethernet LANs
• Chapter 3: Fundamentals of WANs and IP Routing
• Part Two: Implementing Ethernet LANs
• Chapter 4: Using the Command-Line Interface
• Chapter 5: Analyzing Ethernet LAN Switching
• Chapter 6: Configuring Basic Switch Management
• Chapter 7: Configuring and Verifying Switch Interfaces

I also completed the exercises for Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 in Pearson Vue's CCNA Network Simulator training program. Furthermore, I even completed all of the exercises for Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 on Wendell Odom's CCNA Skills Blog. Do you need to use Pearson Vue's CCNA Network Simulator while studying for the CCNA IT certification? No, you don't. However, the CCNA Network Simulator does come with A LOT of guided practice exercises to get you experience using Cisco's IOS command-line interface for configuring switches and routers. In other words, using Pearson Vue's CCNA Network Simulator is completely optional. However, I believe that the money spent on Pearson Vue's CCNA Network Simulator is money well spent.

For CCNA study, Wendell Odom's CCNA Skills Blog is also entirely optional. The CCNA Skills Blog contains a lot of good resources for studying CCNA. Moreover, the CCNA Cert Skills Blog also features Wendell Odom's own CCNA practice exercises. While Pearson Vue's Network Simulator is a simulation, Wendell Odom's networking exercises require you to use Cisco's Packet Tracer program. Unlike the Network Simulator, Wendell Odom's networking exercises are entirely free. Plus, Cisco offers Packet Tracer as a free download from its website. You do have to create an account with Cisco to download Packet Tracer, however. It's irritating, but Packet Tracer is an invaluable program to have in your CCNA study.

What was the problem?

Despite reading the first seven chapters in the textbook and completing all of the exercises, what was the problem?

Since I had recently earned four training badges from Cisco Networking Academy (see previous post here), I was probably feeling a little too high and mighty when it came to basic networking. Thus, when it came to reading Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7 in the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, I just read through the chapters without taking any notes. I was about to start Chapter 8: Implementing Ethernet Virtual LANs, when I realized that I probably committed a mistake by not taking any notes while reading those four chapters.

Chapter 4 from the CCNA Official Cert Guide

Chapter 5 from the CCNA Official Cert Guide

Chapter 6 from the CCNA Official Cert Guide

Chapter 7 from the CCNA Official Cert Guide

Thus, I made the decision to RE-READ all four chapters and TAKE COPIOUS NOTES. After re-reading each individual chapter, I went back to the Pearson Vue Network Simulator and completed the exercises for each chapter. To be sure, it was A LOT of work and required a lot of extra time. However, it was a necessary review to complete.

Chapter 8 from the CCNA Official Cert Guide

After all of that hard work, I was ready to start reading Chapter 8: Implementing Ethernet Virtual LANs. This time, there would be a difference, however. I would take notes as I read through the chapter. Predictably, taking notes while reading prolonged the amount of time it would have taken to complete the chapter if I had just read it. In the Introduction to the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Wendell Odom mentioned that he tried to write each chapter so that it would take approximately an hour to read. That was an interesting comment, I thought. Whenever I read something technical, I tend to read slowly as I try to absorb all of the information. At over 30 pages, Chapter 8 is one of the longest chapters in the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide. 

Why is Chapter 8 so long? Well, the chapter covers two topics. The first topic concerns what are known as virtual LANs. What is a virtual LAN? A virtual LAN is created when you essentially subdivide a switch into smaller segments. A typical switch has 24 ports. For example, let's say you have a small business with several departments, but you only have several departments, such as accounting, operations, sales, human resources, and so on. To improve security and network efficiency, you decide to group all of the devices used by the accounting department into a specific range of ports. Then, you do the same for all of the other departments. There is a problem. When you create a virtual LAN, the switch recognizes each virtual LAN as a separate network. You can't just send a message from a device on VLAN 1 to another device on VLAN 2 even though you are using the same switch. It just won't work. To send a message to another device on another VLAN on the same switch, you need a router. After all, the VLANs are located on different networks. That's where trunking comes in. Essentially, trunking identifies what VLAN the message is being sent to. Thus, you have to adjust the settings on the switch and the router to enable trunking, which will then allow devices on separate VLANs to send messages to each other. 

Yes, it's A LOT of information to digest as you are taking notes. However, I eventually made it to the end of the chapter. When you take notes while reading, the process makes you concentrate on what you are reading.   

Pearson Vue Network Simulator Chapter 8 Exercises

Now that I have completed reading and taking notes on Chapter 8 in the CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, I have been slowly completing all of the Network Simulator exercises for Chapter 8. The Network Simulator contains three types of exercises for Chapter 8. 

• Skill Builders
• Configuration Scenarios
• Troubleshooting Scenarios

So far, I have completed all 13 Skill Builder exercises. I recently completed all three Configuration Scenarios. Now, I just need to complete the remaining four Troubleshooting Scenarios. Once all of the Network Simulator labs are complete, it will then be time to either move on to Chapter 9: Spanning Tree Protocol Concepts or head on over Wendell Odom's CCNA Skills Blog and work my way through his VLAN exercises. 

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  

Having Lunch at Huss Brewing...

Going to Downtown Phoenix

On Saturday, February 22, 2025, I drove my mom to downtown Phoenix, AZ, so she could attend QuiltCon 2025 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Right off the bat, I will tell you that I don't spend nearly enough time in downtown Phoenix. In a region of never-ending suburbs, retirement communities, mushrooming towns and cities, and various tourist-oriented cities, downtown Phoenix just doesn't seem to get a whole lot of respect or love. To many people where I currently live in Maricopa County, downtown Phoenix might as well be a foreign place to visit. It might as well be terra incognita.      

Poster for QuiltCon 2025

The easiest way for us to get to downtown Phoenix from the Sun City-Peoria, AZ area is to take Grand Avenue/Highway 60 right into downtown. Grand Avenue/Highway 60 runs right into Van Buren Avenue, one of the major east-west streets in downtown Phoenix. After driving a couple of miles east on Van Buren Avenue, I made a right turn and headed south on 2nd Street. Fortunately, there was a rather large parking garage near the Phoenix Convention Center. After parking the car and taking the elevator down to the ground floor, my mom and I exited the parking garage and started walking toward the Phoenix Convention Center along Monroe Street. As we walked, we passed by Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub + TOGO tucked inside the Phoenix Convention Center. We saw people eating lunch outside on the patio and noticed that all of the doors were open. It made perfect sense as the weather was unusually warm for Phoenix in mid-February. The sky was blue without a single cloud. I made a mental note and continued walking.  

View of 1st Street from parking garage.

 

Attending QuiltCon 2025

It turns out that the Phoenix Convention Center is actually a grouping of three buildings. QuiltCon 2025 was located on the third floor of the North Building on 3rd Street and Monroe Street. We didn't actually know which specific building to go to for the convention. Instead, we just followed all of the people that were walking to the North Building. After taking the elevator to the third floor of the North Building, we had our tickets scanned at the entrance and then walked into QuiltCon 2025. 

Walking toward the Phoenix Convention Center.

Skyway connecting the West and North Buildings.

Exterior of the North Building.

Facade of the North Building.

Exterior of the West Building.

My mom loves to quilt, so she was very much in her element by attending QuiltCon 2025. A couple of years ago, QuiltCon was supposed to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, QuiltCon in Phoenix ended up getting canceled. Thus, my mom was especially eager to attend QuiltCon. 

Inside the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center

I don't quilt, but there were some amazing quilts on display for QuiltCon 2025. While viewing all of the exhibits, it occurred to me that quilting is very similar to painting. Instead of using canvas and paint, you use various kinds of fabric in various colors. Plus, quilts don't have to square or rectangular. Plus, I was also shocked at all of the vendors present at QuiltCon 2025. There's some serious money to be made in various sewing machines, types of fabric, various patterns, and in-person instruction.  

Having Lunch at Huss Brewing Downtown

After spending most of the afternoon at QuiltCon 2025, I had exceeded my minimum step count for the day. As a result, I was starting to get hungry and thirsty. My mom and I had considered going back down to the ground floor of the North Building and getting something to eat from the food court. Instead, my mom and I decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at the Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub. After taking the elevator back down to the ground floor, we then walked across 3rd Street and briefly walked through the lobby of the West Building of the Phoenix Convention Center. Since we couldn't find a direct route to Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub through the West Building, we walked north on 2nd Street and then made a right on Monroe Street. We were right back where we had started, at the north side of the West Building. 

Huss Brewing Company Brewpub at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The Huss Brewing Company Brewpub at the Phoenix Convention Center offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The brewpub was surprisingly really busy. Customers appeared to be a mix of locals, tourists, and attendees from QuiltCon. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in February, so I was hoping to be seated outside. Instead, we were seated just inside the main dining area. We were near the bar and near the patio. Plus, there were people constantly walking back and forth. Hey, I understood that it was late Saturday afternoon, and it was starting to get busy. 

Huss Brewing Company Brewpub from across the street.

After our server gave us our menus, I ordered a pint of Scottsdale Blonde, the flagship beer of Huss Brewing. At 4.7% ABV, Scottsdale Blonde is a very, VERY, V-E-R-Y easy beer to drink. The Scottsdale Blonde is one of the first beers I had to drink when I moved back to Arizona after living in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area for 13 years. Wherever I am at, if Scottsdale Blonde is on the menu, I will order a pint of Scottsdale Blonde. It's that good. According to Huss Brewing, Scottsdale Blonde has one two major beer awards. 

• Winner: 2016 US Open Beer Championship Bronze Medal
• Winner: 2018 US Open Beer Championship Silver Medal

Scottsdale Blonde.

Scottsdale Blonde is a German-style Kölsch beer. Here is a good description of Kölsch beer: 

Kölsch is a pale, top-fermented, and filtered ale beer style originating from Cologne, Germany, known for its delicate balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness, and a crisp, slightly dry finish. 

The idea of Kölsch beer is that it is a light and refreshing beer that you would drink on a warm summer day in Cologne as you watch boats sail by on the Rhine River. However, if you like, you can drink Kölsch year-round. For more information about Kölsch beer, check out this article from CraftBeer.com.

Scottsdale Blonde from Huss Brewing.

For a late lunch/early dinner, I ordered "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich. My eyes went right to it. I completely ignored the rest of the menu. Here is how Huss Brewing describes "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich: 

Slowly braised beef, sweet peppers, Italian spices with melted sharp provolone, and giardiniera on a crusty roll. Served with au jus dipping sauce. 

"The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich

Instead of French fries, I ordered the Cole slaw as a side dish. My mother also ordered "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich with Cole slaw. "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich did not disappoint. The sausage was wonderfully spicy. Before I knew it, it was time to order another beer. This time, I ordered the Copper State IPA. 

Copper State IPA from Huss Brewing.

The Copper State IPA paired rather well with "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich. In my experience, IPAs pair well with spicy food. Dare I say, the Copper State IPA was almost as good as the Scottsdale Blonde. It is definitely a beer that I will order again. For additional information about the India Pale Ale style of beer, check out this article from CraftBeer.com. 

As we ate our Italian beef sandwiches, I noticed that the Huss Brewing Company Brewpub was starting to get more crowded. Interestingly, more people from QuiltCon 2025 started to show up at various tables across the restaurant. After finishing our meal, my mother and I walked around the area near the Phoenix Convention Center before deciding to make the drive back up to Sun  City.  

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. 

Albert Spaulding, owner of the Chicago White Stockings.

Bill Veeck, former owner of the Cleveland Indians.

Horace Stoneham, former owner of the New York Giants

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.

Hiking the Shaw Butte Trail, Part 2...

Returning to the Shaw Butte Trail

On Saturday, January 18th, 2025, I made an initial attempt at hiking the Shaw Butte Trail at North Mountain Preserve. On that day, I partially completed the trail and vowed to return and complete the trail.

In fact, I made a post about that hike right here on my blog. You can read that post, if you like, right here.

Thus, on the afternoon of Saturday, January 25th, 2025, I returned to North Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, AZ to hike the Shaw Butte Trail.

During my second attempt at hiking the Shaw Butte Trail, I took some more photos.

I also have an update about the ruins of a restaurant that burned down in the 1960s that is along the trail.

Parking at the North Mountain Visitor Center Parking Lot

North Mountain Visitor Center

Since there was road construction at various points on the Loop 101 that weekend, I wasn't able to take the Loop 101 north and east from the Peoria-Sun City, AZ area before heading south on 7th Street to get to the North Mountain Park. Instead, I drove east on Thunderbird Blvd from Sun City to Peoria to Glendale to Phoenix before turning south on 7th Street. After a short drive, I made the right turn into North Mountain Preserve and began to look for a parking spot. Even though it was a sunny Saturday afternoon and temperatures were in the upper 60s, the North Mountain Visitor Center parking lot was moderately full at about 1:30 PM. As a result, I had no problems finding a space to park my car.

Ready to go hiking.

After parking my car, I got and opened the trunk. I took off my running shoes and put on my Zamberlan 996 VIOZ GTX hiking boots. I then filled up my Gregory Nano 22 hydration backpack with water I had bought at the grocery store before leaving Sun City. My Gregory Nano 22 hydration pack has a 3-liter bladder. I then exchanged my Baltimore Ravens hat for my wide brimmed hat that I bought from REI and my work gloves. Before closing my car's trunk door, I remembered to insert my trekking poles into the storage space of my Gregory hydration backpack. My mom said that she bought the trekking poles at Wal-Mart some time ago for walking. I find that the trekking poles are still useful. I was now ready to go.

Putting on my Zamberlan 996 VIOZ GTX hiking boots.

Since I was close by, I briefly considered visiting the North Mountain Visitor Center. On Saturdays, the North Mountain Visitor Center is open from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. I looked at my watch and noticed that the time was already 1:45 PM. There will be another time to visit the North Mountain Visitor Center, I thought. Thus, I walked past the visitor center and headed over to the maps for the North Mountain Preserve. To me, the route I was going to hike was abundantly clear. From the North Mountain Visitor Center, I was going to hike north along Trail 101 to the trailhead for Trail 306.

Trails at North Mountain Preserve.

Heading Out on Trail 101

Route of Second Hike at Shaw Butte.

With my route decided, I took a couple of sips of water from the tube for my Gregory hydration pack and then walked over to the trailhead for Trail 101. Despite it being almost 2:00 PM, there were quite a few people hiking at the North Mountain Preserve. Trail 101 connects to various trails at the North Mountain Preserve, such as to Shaw Butte, where I was going, to North Mountain, and to a tunnel that runs east underneath 7th Street, leading to the non-contiguous parts of the North Mountain Preserve. Since the terrain was largely flat, this part of the hike was rather quick. Before I knew it, I was at the trailhead for Trail 306.

Heading out to Trail 100.

When you get to a fork in the trail...

Going right to Trail 306.

Looking south to North Mountain.

Heading toward Shaw Butte.

Encountering a trail runner on the trail.

Trekking Poles, Please

At the trailhead for Trail 306, I was determined to learn from my mistake from when I hiked the trail the previous week. On that occasion, I found that Trail 306 (aka the Shaw Butte Trail) was incredibly steep in many places. This time, I came prepared. I was going to use my mom's long forgotten pair of trekking poles. I have never heard of the SportLine brand of trekking poles. Since my mother needs either a cane or an electric scooter to walk a long distance, my mom bought these trekking poles at Wal-Mart, I think, some years ago. The trekking poles sat in a closet long forgotten. Of course, I have seen trekking poles for sale at REI. I have also seen people use trekking poles on the trail. If you are backpacking and your backpack weighs over 100 pounds, I can see the value of using trekking poles to maintain your balance. Since Trail 306 has numerous steep stretches, I thought that I would give the trekking poles a try. I set each trekking pole to a length of 124 centimeters, so my forearm was parallel to the ground. That seemed to be the correct length. After tightening the telescoping poles, I was ready to hike up Trail 306.

Getting ready to use my trekking poles.

And guess what?

The trekking poles worked. Magnificently. Not only did the trekking poles allow me to maintain my balance up the trail, the trekking poles also provided me extra leverage to work my way up the trail. It was quite amazing compared to my experience the previous week. There was a downside to using the trekking poles, however. If I wanted to use my cellphone to take a photo, I had to unloop my hands and then prop both trekking poles against my body. It was annoying at first, but I quickly adapted to the procedure. I used the trekking poles on both the paved and unpaved sections of the trail.

Looking east from the Shaw Butte trailhead.

Looking east to the Hilton Tapatio Resort.

A hiker coming down and a service vehicle going up.

A steep incline on the trail. 

Getting higher on the Shaw Butte Trail.

Coming up on a bend in the trail.

Looking back down the Shaw Butte Trail.

Looking northeast from the Shaw Butte Trail.

Almost at the top of the Shaw Butte Trail.

Among the Broadcast Towers

Before I knew it, I was back at the top of Shaw Butte. I spent some time at the top walking among all of the broadcast towers. I wasn't as anxious being at the top of Shaw Butte as I was the previous week. My movement seemed to be more natural and confident. Yes, I know that I need to work on my fear of heights, especially if I am going to go hiking in Arizona. I don't know where it comes from, but it's there.

Looking southwest from the top of Shaw Butte.

After several minutes, I headed down the trail from the top of Shaw Butte. I then followed the trail around the corner and along the northern side of Shaw Butte. Now, on this stretch of Trail 306, the trail turns into a steep decline. The week previous I was a little cautious hiking down this stretch of the trail. At this point, while Trail 306 is still paved, the condition of the trail is a bit rough. There were numerous cracks and potholes. Still, with the trekking poles, it was smooth sailing down the trail. When I reached the saddle point at the bottom, I had a decision to make. I could go south toward the ruins of an old restaurant near the trail or I could walk up a moderate incline and walkaround a second grouping of broadcast towers.

Broadcast towers on top of Shaw Butte.

Looking northwest from Shaw Butte.

Monument at the top of Shaw Butte.

Since I was feeling good, I hiked up the secondary access road to the second grouping of broadcast towers. This time, the access road was cement. There was a very rough texture to the cement. After a short hike, I was hiking on the path that led to the second group of broadast towers on Shaw Butte. The trail was a nice elongated loop that led back to down the incline. There's probably not much of interest to the casual hiker about the appearance of more broadcast towers, but the views of northern and western Phoenix were spectacular. There even appeared to be a hiking trail that lead down Shaw Butte to the Thunderbird Road and 19th Avenue area. While it was tempting to follow the path down the mountain, I decided against it. I had more to explore on Trail 306. I finished up hiking the loop around the second group of broadcast towers and headed back down the cement access road.

Going up the service road to the second cluster of broadcast towers.

Looking back toward Shaw Butte.

Hiking toward the second cluster of broadcast towers.

Another view of Shaw Butte.

Looking out to the west.

The second cluster of broadcast towers.

Who uses the broadcast towers on Shaw Butte? Well, I did some digging on the internet, and here is what I found.

The Shaw Butte broadcast towers in Phoenix are primarily used by several television and radio stations, including KASW (ATSC 3.0), KPHO-TV, and others. Specifically, KASW operates a high-power ATSC 3.0 transmitter at Shaw Butte, carrying the main program streams of KASW, KNXV, KSAZ, and KUTP. KPHO-TV, which is the CBS affiliate in Phoenix, also utilizes the Shaw Butte towers. Additionally, various radio stations like KFLR-FM, KVCP, and KMLE are also located at Shaw Butte, according to Rabbit Ears.

The Ruins of Cloud 9

The ruins of Cloud 9 restaurant as seen from the second cluster of broadcast towers. 

After heading south along Trail 306 for about a quarter of a mile, give or take, I reached the ruins of an old restaurant. On my previous hike on Trail 306, I walked by the ruins before deciding to turnaround. This time, however, I was going to investigate the ruins. Still using the trekking poles, I easily hiked up the incline that led to the ruins. After doing some research on the internet, I discovered that the ruins are of a restaurant just below Shaw Butte that was called Cloud 9. The owners of Cloud 9 were Richard and Barbara Barker who purchased 40 acres of land to build a house on a spur near Shaw Butte in 1958. In 1961, Richard and Barbara Barker then converted their home into a restaurant called Cloud 9. The restaurant was open for business from 5:00 PM to midnight daily. As for the food, I imagine that the restaurant served classic American food, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The owners of Cloud 9 even operated a shuttle service to the restaurant from the bottom of Shaw Butte, charging customers one dollar for a round-trip. Customers were driven to the restaurant in either a Land Rover or a Mercury Voyager station wagon. The view of central and western Phoenix at that time from Cloud 9 must have been spectacular. As for what Cloud 9 looked like, I am guessing that the building had a Mid-Century Modern design. At that time, the most popular architectural style in the Phoenix area would have been Mid-Century Modern. Unfortunately, at some point in 1964, a fire broke out and burned down the most of the restaurant. The owners never rebuilt Cloud 9. All that is left of Cloud 9 today is the concrete foundation, a short flight of concrete stairs, and the concrete floor of what would have been the patio for outdoor dining. The rest of the restaurant was either destroyed in the fire or demolished after the fire was put out. Hikers are free to explore the ruins of Cloud 9. Just be sure to watch your step. You don't want to trip over anything. When I was walking through the ruins, there was a man and a woman sitting on the outdoor patio. It sounded like they were talking about personal issues, so I didn't bother to ask them if they knew anything about Cloud 9.

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 1 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 2 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 3 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 4 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 5 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 6 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 7 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 8 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 9 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 10 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 11 of 12).

The Ruins of Cloud 9 Restaurant (Photo 12 of 12).

Based on my research, author Douglas Towne wrote an authoritative article about the history of Cloud 9 for the July 2009 issue of Phoenix Magazine. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the article at that the Phoenix Magazine website. The furthest back I could search was 2013. On a positive note, it does appear that Douglas Towne has a treasure trove of articles about forgotten historical places and events in Phoenix, AZ that would make for some very interesting reading. The North Phoenix Blog on Blogger has a short blog entry about Cloud 9 that you can read at this link. In addition, Phoenix NPR affiliate, KJZZ 91.5 FM, also has a short article about Cloud 9 that you can read at this link.

Heading Down the Shaw Butte Trail

Leaving the ruins of Cloud 9 restaurant.

After leaving the ruins of Cloud 9 restaurant, the trail began its gradual descent from Shaw Butte. The trail became extremely rocky in places. It's always fun to be hiking on a rocky section of trail when one of my feet suddenly slides back as I hike. I was still using the trekking poles. They proved their usefulness in several places on the trail in maintaining my balance. Occasionally, I would come across people hiking up Trail 306 as I was hiking down. Near the bottom of Shaw Butte, I came across a man and his dog that was repeatedly running up an incline to a saddle point. When he reached the top of the saddle point, he would walk back down the incline to the bottom. Then, he would sprint back up the incline. It seemed to me that he was doing sprint work. He may have been a policeman or a fireman, working out for a future physical fitness test.

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 1 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 2 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 3 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 4 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 5 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 6 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 7 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 8 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 9 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 10 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 11 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 12 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 13 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 14 of 15).

Heading down the Shaw Butte Trail (Photo 15 of 15).

Return to the North Mountain Visitor Center

Returning to the North Mountain Visitor Center.

Walking back to my car.

Before I knew it, I was back in the valley that separates Shaw Butte from North Mountain. I followed the Shaw Butte Trail as it began making an elongated loop that led back to the trailhead on Central Ave. For whatever reason, instead of following the Shaw Butte Trail back to the beginning and completing the loop, I deviated off the trail and rejoined Trail 101. I then followed Trail 101 back to the North Mountain Visitor Center. I sat down on one of the benches. I had a very successful hike.

After I sat down, I noticed that the endcap to one of the trekking poles was missing. The endcap probably fell off sometime after visiting the ruins of Cloud 9 due to the trail becoming rocky in large stretches. 

One trekking pole missing an endcap. 

Here were my final totals for my second hike at Shaw Butte:

• Total Distance: 5.33 mi
• Workout Duration: 3:18:44
• Average Speed: 1.6 mph
• Average Heart Rate: 120 bpm
• Workout Calories: 1,551 Cal
• Elevation Gain: 1,003 ft
• Highest Elevation: 2,109 ft

Overall, the results of my hike were pretty good. I was pleased with myself. I am not sure if any of these results are personal records. I should probably do a better job at tracking all of the statistics when I complete a hike. After drinking A LOT of water from my Gregory hydration pack, I walked over to my car and opened the trunk. I then took off my hiking boots and put on my running shoes. I then put the rest of my gear into the trunk. To celebrate my accomplishment, I decided that I was going to go to Lake Pleasant Brewing Company in northern Phoenix at 19th Avenue and Rose Garden Lane.

Basic Blonde beer from Lake Pleasant Brewing Company.

Interior of Lake Pleasant Brewing Company (Photo 1 of 4).

Interior of Lake Pleasant Brewing Company (Photo 2 of 4).

Interior of Lake Pleasant Brewing Company (Photo 3 of 4).

Interior of Lake Pleasant Brewing Company (Photo 4 of 4).

Like most Saturdays at Lake Pleasant Brewing Company, there was a food truck. The food truck typically shows up at around 5:00 PM. The food trucks selected by Lake Pleasant Brewing Company tend to really, really good. On this particular day, I believe the food truck was Good Eats Only Mexican Kitchen. I believe I ordered a burrito and a taco. They were both EXCELLENT.   

All-in-all, it was a good Saturday afternoon spent hiking.