Scott Bush

That’s the Phoenix valley, where we spent a relaxing few days visiting our friends Brigid and Carlos (married) and Sara (a housemate). They live in Mesa, to the east of Phoenix. We sure enjoyed the trip: for the opportunity to visit with our friends, but also for the weather! While the Seattle area was suffering under the cold oppression of late March snowfall, we were basking in 80-degree heat and lots of sun (and my forehead is peeling to prove it).

Day 1 - Friday

We arrived Thursday evening, but too late to do much except go to bed. Friday we headed out to the Phoenix Art Museum. They had a number of exhibits, including photography, Asian artifacts, fashion design, and the museum’s standing collection of art and installations.

Lunch was at Oregano’s, an informal Italian place that tries desperately to be “cool” and “hip,” where I swear the waiter was about to offer us “extreme pizza shooters” a la Office Space. We were recommended to go there for their “Pizzookie,” a—you guessed it—cookie baked in a pizza pan. It’s sizable, covered in ice cream, and overrated. Tasted okay, but I’d not cross the street to pick one up.

Day 2 – Saturday

Carlos was free Saturday so we took a trip two hours north to Sedona. It was much later than we intended when we left Mesa because the car we’d rented to accommodate all five of us had a nail in its tire and had to be exchanged.
Sedona is somewhat of a tourist-trap town with lots of artsy shops and overpriced cafes, but the red rock landscape more than makes up for it. We ate at an Oxaacan (Mexican) place where I had my first—and probably last—taste of cactus. It’s reminiscent of a green pepper but slimier and not as tasty.

We hit the trail after that and enjoyed a beautiful, albeit a bit short, hike. For as many cars as there were around, we didn’t see anyone on the trail. What we did see were some birds, a lizard, and lots of red rock. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

After the two-hour drive back, we finished off the night with takeout Chinese and , which comes on an hour earlier out there!

Day 3 – Sunday

Sunday we took it easy. We returned the rental car, then breakfasted (what kind of word is that?) at “The Good Egg,” which lived up to its name. Fooled by the 80-degree weather, we took a dip in the pool. After gasping, grunting and cursing the cold we spent an enjoyable 20 minutes swimming about. Warmed up and dried off in the sun, tried to read but slept instead, and polished off the afternoon with a sudoku. I also did my best Dr. Evil impression with a Mr. Bigglesworth stand-in.

Carlos treated us to homemade sonoran enchiladas (here’s a recipe), which we hadn’t had before—always a treat to experience something new. While Crystal and Brigid chatted outside, Sara, Carlos and I experienced the theatrical powerhouse that is WWE’s Wrestlemania 24. Wow. I’m not sure what blew my mind most: Snoop Dogg emceeing the ladies tag-team match, the idiots who couldn’t climb a ladder to get the briefcase, or how big these guys are. Oh, wait—I was most blown away by me actually kind of enjoying it.

Day 4 – Monday

Brigid took Monday off for our stay and we spend the day at the Desert Botanical Garden. It was way more fun than I expected. They have numerous “exhibits” of flora found in the sonoran desert. Basically tons of cacti and some flowers (yes, that’s a gross over simplification). What was even better were the free passes a kind lady offered us as we headed in; she had extras that expired that day. They even got us into the butterfly exhibit, which was nearly identical to the one at the Woodland Park zoo I saw last summer. Butterflies are very cool, even with human faces.

Lunch was a pastie at the nearby Cornish Pasty Co. A pasty is like a turnover, but savory. Or like a calzone, but with a flakier, buttery crust. They had many vegetarian options, too—including sheppard’s pie.

After that headed home, packed up and hit the airport for our return trip. I’m just glad it wasn’t snowing again when we got back.