Hot air ballooning, Old Town Scottsdale and the Desert Botanical Gardens

We are in Scottsdale for a meeting organized by a business group Mike has belonged to for over 20 years.  Hot air ballooning is the first of many activities they have organized for the weekend.  About 5:45AM, as our ballooning group convenes, we open our doors to several people who want to see our off-the-grid Advanced RV.   Clear skies and a light wind make a perfect morning for ballooning.  The crew inflates the colorful balloons and we tightly pack ourselves into the baskets.  Off we glide over Deer Valley, gently climbing to 7500 feet for panoramic views of the desert and surrounding mountains.  Later, Mike and I check into the Marriott Courtyard where the business group is staying.  The room is fine, but we appreciate how carefree our RV life is, without the packing, schlepping, and unpacking of hotel stays.  We go to Old Town Scottsdale for lunch at the Mission Restaurant and walk through the Old Adobe Mission next door.  Built of adobe brick by hand by the Mexicans who settled in Scottsdale in the late 1910’s, this peaceful mission is the first Catholic parish and oldest standing church in Scottsdale.  Next, we tour the Desert Botanical Gardens, where we Midwesterners learn to appreciate the unique beauty of the plants of the southwest.  As an added delight, there is a Dale Chihuly installation of glass art throughout.  For dinner, we go to the lovely winter home of a member of our business group.