Then the rains came. And the hail. Not to mention a phenomenal amount of snowfall in the high country. Many were stranded in Flagstaff and Payson for days. Road closures, flooded washes—the whole nine yards. Enough precipitation to move the drought needle a bit.

In the midst of the storm we were greeted with a thud on the roof and an lawn umbrella impaled in the front yard. At first, we thought it was ours, but then discovered it had flown from our neighbor’s backyard. After about three days, the cold front passed.

I think hiking after a big rain is the BEST. The scent of creosote and mesquite fill the air, the trails are tamped down and dust free and the views—glorious. With that in mind, Dave, Dota and I ventured out to the Dreamy Draw, to hike our favorite 4-mile loop.

After reaching the top of the first hill, we were surprised to see the mountains to the east, north and west were dusted with snow. Pretty, pretty good.

Dreamy Draw was glistening and abundantly green.

A gift from the desert to its inhabitants. And most likely a sign of wildflowers to come.