Arizona recap Part 1

I'm back from Phoenix. I'll just touch on a couple points from my journal that I kept.

Day 1

As the plane was approaching the southwest from Chicago, the first thing that popped into mind was "So this is what a mountain looks like?" Hadn't seen one in person in a few years.

The only thing worse than sitting right in front of a screaming baby on a plane? Sitting in front of two businessmen who don't shut up for four hours, compare stories, and don't quit swearing. For four hours, I had to hear "I put a $5,000 investment in this project, I passed it onto my son, and he's doing great with it. In fact he just brought a house.." Shut up!

Sudoku puzzles are downright addictive. I spent 90 minutes on one puzzle alone. And I'm still kicking myself for not solving it!

Bobby Q's has the best BBQ in the world. A real smoked flavor, rib meat falls off the bones. My favorite had to be the BBQ sliced pork. the baby backs, brisket, and the grilled vegetables were all excellent. And I don't like bananas much, but the sub-zero banana cream pie with the whipped cream and almonds is to die for.

Day 2

It is so refreshing to be away from the hurry, pressure, and expectations that I've gotten so accustomed to.

Three holes in one in mini golf. Not bad.


This is the same hotel I stayed at 5 years ago. It's for people who own timeshares, so it won't have a lot of people my age. It's mostly families and seniors. There aren't a whole lot of activities here either, but that makes some sense, considering there's a lot to do in the area. The waterfall at the pool is a great sight and running under it feels awesome. Actually I did play water basketball with a few kids for about an hour. They were probably about 10, 8, and 6 years old, respectively. The ball was tiny, and I had absolutely no touch shooting long range. So I decided to let them do all the shooting. I just grabbed the rebounds and passed the ball back to them. Hanging with those boys was fun. After you walk away from doing something like that, you definitely feel you spent time that was worthwhile.

Dinner at the Salt Cellar was excellent. This is an underground (literally) seafood restaurant in south Scottsdale. I had Yakimono Hawaiian ahi tuna with rice pilaf and veggies. They served it with soy sauce, fresh ginger, and the hottest wasabi known to man. I took one little taste of that green wasabi... four days later, my eyebrows have just about grown back. But this place has a lot of flair and charm. It's dark, very rustic, and intimate. If you like good seafood, I'd definitely recommend it.