With days loaded with sunshine, it’s hard to go wrong with a quick trip to the Arizona desert. Add in baseball and it’s a home run. This year, there’s double the fun for Bay Area baseball fans.Oakland A’s New Home
The Oakland A’s are moving into a new spring training home in Mesa. It’s somewhat of a homecoming, the team did spring training in Mesa in the early 70s. Hohokam Stadium is sporting green and gold, refurbished seating, a new scoreboard and expanded clubhouse. Bleachers along the left field and right field foul lines have a new purpose in life as party decks. Mesa’s excited to have the team in town.San Francisco Giants
Without traffic, it’s about a 15 minute drive away from the A’s new home to Scottsdale Stadium, spring training home of the San Francisco Giants. Scottsdale can’t wait to welcome home their World Series Champs. The stadium is right in downtown so it’s a short easy walk from everything that comes along with a great baseball weekend, like shopping, food and hotels. And, Downtown Scottsdale has more than 8,000 free public parking spaces. How can you beat free parking when you are headed to the game?Up, Up and Away
So the game or games brought you to town, but there’s plenty of other things you should do before you come home. How about a Hot Air balloon ride? It’s one of those popular bucket list items. You have to get up early for those sunrise launches, but it’s worth it. At 3,000 feet up it is amazingly silent and still in between the hot air bursts of the balloon’s propane burners. Wear a hat to keep your head from getting toasty. After most rides, you’re welcomed back with a picnic-style, champagne breakfast.Kayaking with a Wild View
What surprised and impressed me the most when I visited Scottsdale was the amount of water you can actually find in the desert. I never expected kayaking. Truth be told, my trip with Arizona Outback Adventures was more accurately described as floating down the Lower Salt River. But it’s especially perfect for someone who’s never been kayaking before. It’s amazing how much work the current can do for you, if you let it. Besides, when you spy egrets, juvenile bald eagles, cormorants and wild horses, you’ll stop doing anything related to paddling.Dana’s trip was hosted by the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, but as always her thoughts and opinions are her own.Dana’s weekends spent exploring the San Francisco Bay Area outnumber those at home in wine country, but her favorite trips require a passport and typically a destination with warm sand and blue water. Along with travel, Dana writes about food, wine and anything fun. Find her on Twitter @drebmann and Instagram @danarebmann
