It's Colleen's birthday this weekend, and she and Mark invited us up to their cabin in Payson. So, it's the good kind of camping - our own bedroom with a bed, nice, clean bathrooms, and, oh yeah, a Casino!

Although we'll be staying the night, it will be a rather short trip, leaving Saturday afternoon, and probably returning quite early on Sunday morning. Our good friend, and pet sitter, Renae will be attending the birthday bash, so we'll be leaving our little menagerie (two cats, an African Grey, a hotot bunny, one tetra fish, not to mention our Peach-faced lovebirds out back) unattended for one night. Not to worry. Lucy will keep those felines in line often squawking 'Get down' when they are where they shouldn't be, followed by 'Good boy' when they actually get down.

Naturally, things like hiking, taking lots of pictures, and sitting around the campfire came to mind when I first heard about the trip. I haven't been to Payson in years, so I appropriately did a Google search.

Google Maps tells us that we'll be traveling "72.2 mi – about 1 hour 32 mins". Well, knowing that my husband's right foot contains a small piece of lead, I realize that Amy, his beloved Nuvi GPS gadget, will automatically reduce our calculated arrival time, as our calculated speed continues to rise above the limit ;)

Less than an hour and a half. Not a bad little drive. When Colleen offered us a ride in a van they'd be renting, so that everyone could travel together, we said no way! Even after a year, we're still madly in love with our fairly new Toyota FJ, and welcome another opportunity to take a trip in her, not to mention the fact that I'm a horrific passenger!

Another Google search resulted in lots of hotel-type links, so I chose one, and landed HERE.

We obviously don't need a hotel, so I moved on down to the 'Payson Overview' link.

"Payson is the largest town in Arizona Rim Country. When you travel to Payson, you’ll climb to approximately 5,000 feet along Hwy 87 or Hwy 260. Once there you can find a variety of accommodations from cabins in Payson, to inns, to motels, hotels and bed and breakfasts. Or if you prefer camping, check out the numerous campgrounds available."

We'll be camping, alright, but we don't need a campground either! ;)

"Payson also has meeting and convention facilities to accommodate small groups numbering in the 300 range."

Only 8 of us are going, so no need for a convention hall.

"Plenty of restaurants can be found as well in this Arizona Rim County area. Nearby you can explore the communities of Pine, Strawberry, Star Valley and Christopher Creek."

Good to note, but our stay will be rather short, and we eat out quite often in Scottsdale. Nope, I'm looking forward to the mouth-watering aroma of cooking in the open-air, and a romantic evening under the stars.

"Natural attractions include Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, Tonto Fish Hatchery, Rim Country Musem, Hiking trails, and fishing and hunting among others. Payson provides shopping, gaming at Mazatzal Casino, art galleries, a variety of arts and crafts festivals, rodeos, theatre performances, music concert series and more."

The natural attractions sound quite inviting, and I'm positive that I've been to both the Bridge and the Fish Hatchery. Not into hunting, and we're obviously not going up there to shop. But wait! Forget the art galleries, crafts, rodeos, and theatre. Did I see gaming and Casino!?

Wahoo! So much for the stars! I'm sorry to admit that our recent trip to Vegas just didn't rid me of the old itch to drop a few quarters in those slots.

Unfortunately, not knowing just where Colleen's cabin is located, I can't be sure that any gambling will be in the stars. But nonetheless, our quick trip to the cool country will undoubtedly be a pleasant one. Photos to follow next week.