It is unfortunate you will be in Phoenix during the hottest possible weather. We visited during September and got cooked!

However, there are several splendid National Parks and Monuments within an "easy" drive of Phoenix. I highly recommend you dash out some weekend and enjoy. They include: Sunset Crater NM, Wupatki NM, Walnut Canyon NM, Tuzigoot NM, Montezuma Castle NM, Tonto NM, Casa Grande NM, and Petrified Forest NP. I don't believe Hohokam Pima NM is open yet.

It was at one of these National Monuments where I learned the keeping of parrot birds is an ancient custom. Macaws and others were prized "pets" by early Indian cultures.

Phoenix also has a great zoo - we didn't spend much time there as the temperatures were somewhere over 110 F.

Can I send you some sun block? Hope it's good for you...