Friends in Hot Places!

To finish off my vacation in Arizona, I couldn’t leave without a visit to my friend Jaime, who I met travelling years ago. I left early on Wednesday morning for the 3.5 hour drive to Scottsdale. My GPS decided to take me on a scenic route through the desert rather than the direct route on the I-10. It was beautiful and thank god my car didn’t have any issues!

It was a wonderful visit with Jaime and her cuddly pugs (4 of them… so many cuddles!). Plenty of time to catch up and try to stay out of the heat. One of our favourite things to do is eat and Jaime definitely has a lot of great recommendations. Lunch was in Oldtown Scottsdale at Stax Burger Bistro for happy hour. I had a delicious beef slider with carmelized onions, cheddar and mushrooms and totz (potato and sweet potato tater tots) with an amazing spicy aioli. It hit the spot! Then we were off to walk the shopping mall in the air conditioning before it was time for dinner.

Dinner was at Tommy V’s in Oldtown Scottsdale. It was a wonderful, slow paced dinner where we had lots to time to talk. I had the Crostino Di Prosciutto (Toasted bread capped with prosciutto & melted mozzarella sprinkled with fresh sage) and the Kobe Beef Stacks (on Potato Cakes with Spicy Remoulade Sauce) to go with my Pinot Grigio. It was a delicious albeit big dinner! We ended the evening at home chatting and totally vegging out!

This morning, we had breakfast at Over Easy, where I had the most delicious lemonade with mint and had Papa t’s breakfast delight (a scramble of macaroni, bacon, onions and garlic). It could have used some seasoning or herbs, but it was pretty tasty. And I loved the faux-50’s diner décor. After breakfast we had time for a pedicure (because, who doesn’t make time for a pedicure!) before lunch. I had to have good Mexican food before I left Arizona so we went to Carolina’s, known for their homemade tortillas. I wanted to try new things so I had the Chimichanga (shredded chicken topped with Sour Cream & Guacamole) which was delicious – so tender and flavourful – and a fantastic drink, Horchata (rice milk with cinnamon) which was so amazing! I tried Jaime’s Machata (shredded beef with spices) which was tasty as well.

After lunch, Jaime took me to Total Wine (just like my Wine & Beyond back home) and holy, what selection and prices!!! Yay! Too bad I can’t bring much home. And then, after 26.5 hours, it was time for me to get back on the road to Lake Havasu. And I didn’t drive through the desert on a deserted road this time. It was still a beautiful drive (I love the scenery!).

I had an amazing time (thanks Jaime!) and will definitely have to plan a trip to Scottsdale when it’s a little cooler. So, now I’m packed and ready to return to Las Vegas tomorrow for my last few days of vacation. Plans include shopping at my favourite outlet mall, trying to get in some last minute pool time and maybe even going to a buffet (because that’s what you do in LV, right!?)

It’s been a great vacation: lots of sun, lots of relaxation, lots of beautiful sights and plenty of time to escape. But as always, vacations must come to an end. Until the next one…

Lisa

Travelling the Mother Road

Hello everyone,

It’s been an eventful few days and I thought I’d fill you all in on my travels. On Tuesday, we were up early to head out for our trip down the Mother Road aka Historic Route 66. We headed NW towards Topock, where we could begin our journey along Route 66. Unfortunately, due to the severe storms from the night before, the road from Topock to Oatman was closed. I thought, “No biggie, we’ll head to Needles and start there”. So I drove into California and stopped in Needles, a cute little town known for Snoopy (and his Uncle). Then it was off to find Route 66. Now, this included quite a detour that took us through 3 states (California, Nevada and Arizona) but we eventually made it to Kingman, where we began Route 66. It was a 2 hour, 128 mile (206 km) detour but we drove around Dead Mountains Wilderness Area, through the Mojave Valley and on some remote but beautiful roads. It was worth the detour!

Once we started Historic Route 66 from Kingman, it was smooth sailing along the route: beautiful scenery, quite (and secluded) roads and amazing weather. The Historic Route 66 is 87 miles (140 km) of uninterrupted 2 lane highway. We drove right on the outskirts of a storm and saw train after train (I even raced one – what a thrill!). It was wonderful. I loved driving with the top down, wind wiping through my hair, music playing and every now and then, gunning the engine (I love the power of my car!).

Our first stop was in Hackberry. It is pretty much just the general store but what a store it is. It’s eclectic, old school and so very interesting. Outside, there are old cars, older cars and then some relics. It was so cool to see the old corvettes, model T and beater trucks. Thankfully, we were just leaving as a motorcade of tourists came in. But we also got to see a gang of motorbikes – now that would be a trip!

After Hackberry, we kept going through to Peach Springs where we stopped at the Hualapai Lodge for a quick rest before continuing through the Hualapai Indian Reservation. Then it was straight on through to Seligman, where the route began! Once the I-40 was built back in the 1970’s and traffic was diverted from Seligman, Angel, the town’s barber began the campaign to make Route 66 historic. The campaign was a success and now, the route is popular again and towns are thriving. Now, this does not mean that everything is back to the way it was, sadly, there are quite a few abandoned buildings, businesses and homes along the route, but some towns have found a way to draw tourists. Seligman is one of them. It was the inspiration for the movie “Cars” and there are old cars with eyes that clearly reveal the characters scattered around town. It was fun to explore and search them out.

Once we were down the route, it was on to the I-40 and back to Lake Havasu City. It was a great day for driving (minus the detour due to flooded roads) and we saw some amazing scenery and interesting towns along the way. I can proudly say I drove the Mother Road, Historic Route 66!

So that was yesterday, today was much more relaxed. Went to the beach, laid around reading, went out for dinner, read some more. I really have to say, I’m enjoying my holiday immensely!

Tomorrow I head into Phoenix for an overnight with my friend, Jaime. I met her 5 years ago when I was backpacking through France. We got along so well that I visited her a few times in Washington DC and travelled to Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro with her 4 years ago. It will be great to catch up and explore another part of Arizona.

Until my next post,

Lisa

It's a dry heat!

When I was getting ready for my trip to Arizona, “it’s a dry heat” was the one thing I heard over and over again. And now that I am here… let me tell you, it is!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start back on Thursday when I arrived in Las Vegas. It was a beautiful flight – I have never seen such clear skies so I was able to watch the landscape pass by. And what a sight it was: the beautiful plains with patchwork fields, the majestic mountains with their jagged peaks and the stunning red landscape of the desert. And then we arrived in flashy Las Vegas, but not before flying over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, now that was a cool sight.

It was pretty quick before I arrived at the car rental area where I picked up my car. Because I’m going to Arizona and have planned a day to drive the old Route 66, I needed to get a convertible. And let me tell you, I am so happy I did. I found my dream car: the 2014 Ford Mustang Convertible in red (of course!). It drives like a dream and makes me feel so good driving it!

First night was in Henderson – just a quick overnight before we left for Arizona. First thing Friday morning, we were off with the top down and on our way to Arizona. On the way, I wanted to stop off to see the Hoover Dam. I had stopped for 5 minutes once but didn’t get to see very much. So we stopped and went on the Powerplant Tour of the dam. So cool. We went down to the bottom of the dam and saw how the diversion works as well as the history of the building of the dam. I think this is what impressed me the most… what they were able to accomplish during the Great Depression. After the tour, we walked across the dam to get pictures from different perspectives. It sure was something! And then we drove across, in my beautiful convertible, and felt pretty damn cool as people looked on and hooted!

After the dam, it was off to Lake Havasu City in Arizona. To get there, it was 3.5 hours of driving through the desert with the hot ait whipping through our hair. At 2:49pm, we reached 120’F which is 49’C… but it’s a dry heat! Excitedly, I only got a little burnt on my neck where my purse rubbed off the sunscreen. Pretty good if I don’t say so myself. Once we arrived at the condo, we unpacked and then set off for groceries. I was flabbergasted at the prices and selection at Safeways. They have some many thyoes of food that we don’t get in Canada (smores Eggos… yummy!) and some of the prices, unreal. It was the bottles of wine I couldn’t comprehend… so I bought a bunch (6) for the week! For lunch, we went to Jack in the Box for a pretty good burger and curly fries (Oh, how I love curly fries!). The rest of the day was pretty chill.

Saturday we were up at a reasonable hour and went down to London Bridge. Back in the 1970’s, Lake Havasu City purchased the old London Bridge. It was transported to Arizona and painstakingly re-built over a channel on Lake Havasu. And it is pretty incredible. We walked across on both sides, stopped by the tourist centre and watched the boats in the channel. Lake Havasu is the motorboat capital of the state and let me tell you… there are A LOT of boats! We chilled on the beach for a while before we hot up In-N-Out Burger for lunch. It was the BEST fast food burger I have ever had. It had the perfect ratio of burger to cheese to lettuce to tomato to bun… and the secret sauce – heaven! The fries are made fresh (I watched them peel, cut and cook them right in front of me!). What an experience! The rest fo the day was peaceful with lots of relaxation poolside and chillin’ in the air conditioning when it got really hot!

Sunday (today) was a strictly pool day. We were out early with our mimosas to lounge poolside and catch some sun! And good thing we did so. By 2pm, the rain started to come down and it just got worse from there. The rain caused flash flooding and the thunder must have hit a power station because just before 5pm, the power went out for most of Lake Havasu City. For 4 hours we were without power (and A/C). It wasn’t too bad but I couldn’t believe the amount of rain that came down. The condo maintenance man said Lake Havasu gets rain about 4 times a year. We made it for one doosy of a storm! Dinner consisted of eating the ice cream in the freezer before it melted and then steak once the power came back on. Not too bad!

So now I prepare for bed. Tomorrow is our day on Route 66 so I have to get a good night sleep! I’ll post again once I’ve travelled Route 66!

Until then,

Lisa