Riverview Park
Fun in the Sun
Fun in the Sun (Riverview Park: 2100 W. Rio Salado Pkwy, Mesa, AZ 85201)
When I set out on a cross-country roadtrip to move from Los Angeles to my home in Austin, I dreaded taking my dog Poppy out for restroom breaks. Most of the stops offered just a sad square of dead grass for Poppy to do her business in, and the facilities were only a little nicer for humans. I’m so glad we decided to take a chance and stop in Mesa, because we found a hidden gem in this town—the best public park I have ever been to! Riverview Park isn’t the biggest park, but it packs a crazy amount of fun into a moderate space. First off, there’s miles of walking trails. Poppy hadn’t been for a nice long walk since we left LA, so she was more than happy to jog around with me. I thought we would just do a loop and then leave, but then we stumbled into doggy heaven: the splashpad home!
Tons of small geysers pumped nice, cool water out of the concrete, and kids were running around in bathing suits and goggles, spraying each other and laughing. Poppy loves kids, but she loves water even more. Her favorite thing in the world is when I get out a house and spray her with it, so she went crazy when she saw the splashpad! She sprinted all the way over (dragging me along by the leash) and started jumping around in the water. The kids loved it, and they incorporated her into all of their games. One kid brought a bucket that he used to scoop up water and dump it on Poppy’s head, which she loved.
I didn’t get a chance to visit it, but just past the splash pad was a huge tower with an extensive network of bungee-cords forming a jungle-gym all the way to the top. It must’ve been 50 feet tall, but I saw kids and adults climbing all the way to the top! It looked really fun, but I was preoccupied with Poppy’s water adventure. I made a mental note to come back later, and started the strenuous process of drying Poppy off enough to let her into the car so we could get back on the road. Before the stop, she was going crazy in the backseat with all the pent-up energy, and was starting to rip at the upholstery. Now, she’s fast asleep, tongue out, having fun puppy dreams about the waterpark. On the way out of the park a local resident recommended to check out park of canals near by. It was such a welcome break from the monotony of driving cross-country that I don’t even mind the wet dog smell!