ArcoSunday and Night on the Town

We headed down for a nice breakfast in the cafe at Arcosonti before embarking on our tour of the grounds. We spoke with Jeff and several other residents about their experiences and what kind of work they do. Our tour was guided by another resident, Brian a ceramics artist. He gave us a better idea of the day to day functions of different areas at the site and explained the process of becoming a resident.


Most people start out with a five week workshop. As part of that a volunteer pays a fee to stay on site for five weeks learning about the methodology behind Arcosonti and working on a project in either agriculture, construction, or art production depending on the individuals skills and interest. After the five week period the person becomes an Arcosonti alumni and can return to the site at any time. We had a great time at Arcosonti and ended up spending a good chunk of the day there but decided it was time to make our way down to Scottsdale, just outside of Phoenix, in the rain.



We checked into a Comfort Suites in Scottsdale, four blocks away from "Old Town", and found we had a huge room with a pillow soft king bed. Chris discovered a brochure about a local restaurant called Wildfish. After checking out some Yelp reviews we made plans to go there for dinner. Wildfish was having all day happy hour so some drinks were $5 and others were $2 off plus $4 off most appetizers! Chris ordered citrus mist martini's with gray goose. This martini consisted of lemon, lime, and grapefruit juices, vodka, simple syrup, and basil leaves. It was one of the top three drinks he has ever had. Chelsea had dragon berry mojitos. Both were delicious. For an appetizer we ordered crab and shrimp potstickers, and for an entree and side we ordered Bacon wrapped jumbo shrimp stuffed with goat cheese and crab fried rice. Between the food, service, and drinks the meal was flawless. Josh Porvin, our waiter, did an excellent job keeping our drinks full, guiding us through the menu, while at the same time giving us space to enjoy our meal.

We made two other stops for the evening. The first is less notable than the second but it was still enjoyable. After our meal at Wildfish we walked around the corner to Culinary Dropout. We had the smoked salmon appetizer, it was really good, and Chris ordered a crazy whiskey drink that included Jameson, Guinness, and mint. The interior of the restaurant was different but ok. The highlight of our time at C-D was our waitress recommending we head to RA for some more drinks.

When we finally made it to RA the place was packed. It was a Sunday night and this place was hoppin at 9:30. We couldn't believe it. The drink and food specials were amazing. Chris ordered Saketinis and Chelsea ordered a spiked lemonade and a Tsunami Punch. We ended up ordering a crispy spicy tuna roll, one like no other, and sitting back to watch the people. RA was amazing. The drinks were good and sushi as good if not better. Anytime we return to Scottsdale, RA is going to be a must stop!

By the time we finished up at RA we just wanted to crawl into our pillow soft bed and crash. It was a great evening, Scottsdale is full of nice people and has an excellent night life. Even on Sunday.

Voyage to and time at the social experiment

After packing up and preparing to leave Oak Creek Terrace we had our breakfast on the patio while enjoying the sunshine and the Koi pond- we fed the Koi too. Next we headed back up Oak Creek Canyon to Slide Rock State Park. There was a short trail to Slide Rock where the water was high and limited us to only one side of the river. There were a couple areas to swim, which we considered but it was too cold- 45 degrees. This particular part of the canyon is very pretty. There was an interesting combination of sandstone and “blue grey” boulders making for an interesting contrast.

Following Slide Rock we headed into town to pick up some souvenir shirts, do some laundry, fill up our growler at Oak Creek Brewery, and grab some lunch. Chelsea had an amazing double hotdog sandwich, topped with black beans and a guacamole sauce from, Heartline Cafe, crispy sweet potato chips, and a classic coca-cola out of a glass bottle. Chris had hippy food from a local vegetarian/organic/live food dinning establishment called Chocola Tree.

We were disappointed tonight when we were flipping through our travel guide and realized we missed seeing the Snoppy Rock in Sedona, but our day was short heading out of the canyon because we needed to make it to Arcosonti by five to check into our room. On our way south we stopped in Cottonwood for a geo cache called “spearmint”. This cache was located just off of 89A and Chris was able to identify where ants (red, mean looking ones) had removed small gravel from underground to create their nest. He successfully excavated three sandwich size bags full of gravel without being bitten.

Arriving at Arcosanti just before five, we were able to locate two other caches on the property before dinner at six. One took us up the mountainside and gave us a beautiful view of the site. As we finished the second cache the dinner bell rang and we headed up to the Café for dinner. We at a buffet style dinner with vegan miso and chicken noodle soups, several dishes featuring legumes including a beef chili casserole and a vegetarian goulash, flat crispy bread, pesto pasta, make your own sandwich or salad bar, and rice pudding with sweet cream for dessert. It was all pretty tasty. We spent some time relaxing in the café, reading up on the Phoenix area, checking the weather, and making our Sunday plans.

Our room is a small college style dorm room. Simple with just a bed, small table and chair and two little closets. We reserved a room with our own bathroom rather than shared. There is an integrated mural in the concrete ceiling and the entire front wall is glass and looks out to the mountains. We both are enjoying our stay here.

Tomorrow, after breakfast, we plan on taking a tour of Arcosanti, and making our way to Phoenix. We are scheduled for rain tomorrow but hopefully it won’t slow us down.

Over the river... Over the river... Over the river again.

Our day started in and around downtown Flagstaff. First stop, breakfast at Cafe Pickles. Fried pickles and a chorizo breakfast burrito is a great way to start the day. We strolled through downtown and investigated some of the shops and galleries. There were many nice places but neither of us found anything we had to have. We searched for a Route 66 t-shirt for Gerrie but were unsuccessful. We found a couple of nice garden centers that are in desperate need of hypertufa. Violas Flower Garden was a smaller shop, but Robyn was very friendly and helpful with information about the area including neighborhoods, climate, seasons as well as local consumers. We also drove through a several neighborhoods in Flagstaff searching for potential domiciles. A more extensive search is necessary.

The rest of the day was spent driving down the Oak Creek Canyon. We made a stop for a geo cache that proved to be very challenging. We couldn't make the find but we did head to the West Fork trail to make another find. This lead us on quite the adventure. We crossed the river four times with out a bridge and ended up by a water fall. The trail and canyon was beautiful. Crossing the river proved challenging but was a good time. We hiked out just after dusk and made it back just in time for the ranger to close the gates.



We settled for the night at Oak Creek Terrace Resort just outside of Sedona on the Oak Creek. The room is small but has a fireplace and the grounds are very attractive. There is an outdoor TV on a patio outside the room. We went to dinner in Sedona- we don't need to talk about it.

Tomorrow we hope to make it to Slide Rock National Park and make our way down to Cottonwood. Tomorrow night we will be staying at Arcosanti.

Day at the Canyon

We headed up to the Grand Canyon for the day even though we knew it was going to be super windy. And windy it was. It started snowing about the time we go to the Visitors Center on the North Rim but decided to take a 1.5 mile hike along a path that headed the opposite direction of most people. The Ranger that pointed us in that direction said it was a great place to go for outstanding views without all the people.

There were some beautiful views but one of the most amazing sights was the clouds in the Canyon. They made alot of the canyon too cloudy/stormy to see but the fact the clouds were just hanging out at a lower elevation than where we were standing was pretty sweet. After our hike we headed to the East, out of the park, on the Desert View Drive. Light snow was coming down as we navigated the twists and turns of the beautiful drive.


We took hwy 89 down to Flagstaff toward our sushi dinner at Karma just off of Route 66. Delicious fresh rolls, edamame, miso soup, and an amazing dessert- lava cake- filled our bellies. The restaurant had great atmosphere and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Tomorrow we hope to explore downtown Flagstaff and later head down the Oak Creek Canyon drive (89A) to explore more of Sedona, Cottonwood, and maybe Prescott.

One little piggy, two little piggy...

Crabby pants and pain in the neck woke up to a beautiful morning in Camp Verde, where it is actually uncommonly green for the desert. Our day plan was to find what we could find and see what we could see at a steady but leisurely place. That is exactly what we did!

Our first stop was at Red Rock State Park. We hiked half of the 5 miles of interconnected trails through the Park. Our first trail ran parallel to Oak creek and was a relatively easy hike. Along the way we encountered several Javelinas!!!





These cute but stinky little buggers were spotted all along the trail. After chasing them around for a bit we decided to venture onto the Javelinas Trail. No one told the Javelinas they had their own trail and we did not see another one while we were in the park. This trail was a bit more technical and offered some fantastic views.


Our next stop was in Sedona. A very pretty but touristy town that reminds us of Gatlinburg TN. A quick walk through the the main strip, a few tourist shops including the Pink Jeep Store, and fresh fruit smoothie we headed just north of town to Oak Creek Canyon. With an abundance of points of interest we started our trip in the Canyon searching out a few Geo-Caches. The Oak Creek Tree House, Secrete Mountain, and Brins where the latter two out of three were found. Located at the Encinoso Picnic area in Red Rock National Park both involved some rigorous hiking. This paid off in offering the most spectacular views of the trip so far. The Brins cache took us high enough into the mountains where there was snow covering the ground.



After working up an appetite on the trails we headed back through Sedona to Tlaquepaque, a small arts and crafts village. Most of the shops had closed by the time we got there however we able to window shop a bit and view the interior corridors of the village. Our destination, Oak Creek Brewery, was recommended by Gar and Gerrie and proved to be an excellent choice for dinner! We started with a seven + one beer sampler of which we both unexpectedly preferred and enjoyed their light beer enough to take home a growler! For an appetizer the fried pickles, followed by a spinach salad were our favorite part of the meal. We split a Smokehouse burger with Gouda and crispy onions.

Our hotel for the next two nights is in Flagstaff. We were detoured on our way up there because the hwy. running between Sedona and Flagstaff was being repaired due to a washout earlier in the week. The Courtyard by Marriott was as steal on Priceline and we saved over $100 per night. That's a good night!

'Til the cows come home

The trip started off smoothly... we both got up, got ready, headed out the door, and made it to DTW on time. Sitting at the gate waiting for our boarding call we realized there was not plane at the gate 20minutes before take off. Upon further investigation we discovered our gate had changed. Panic (Chelsea), rush, but we made it to the correct gate and onto the plane on time.

Four hours after take off we stood in front of the Budget Car Agent debating about a car upgrade. A V6 sounded like fun in the mountains but was going to set us back more than we wanted to spend. Settling on our pre-reserved midsize car we were both excited when the agent wrote on the card we would be driving away in a new Nissan Rouge. *Bonus* This baby sport utility was nothing like the cars the agent described as avaliable in our car size.
Time for a beer. Headed to the nearest brew pub- Sleepy Dog Brewing in Tempe. Awesome interior design, excellent beer, limited menu but made the very best of nachos and a hotdog. Add some jalapenos and it makes just about anything a winner. Visit Sleepy Dog Brewing

On our way out of town we perused a few garden centers and did a drive by through a local "ranch" to check out the local plants, landscaping, and garden art. The growing season is crazy in Phoenix. People plant petunias in the winter and replant "summer hardy" plants as soon as it starts to heat up in the spring.

Heading up north for our first night in Camp Verde we made a stop in Arcosanti. arcosanti.org An urban laboratory based on the architectural designs and social theories of Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti was an interesting stop. They offer very basic guest accommodations and meals in a staff run cafe. Because we are both game for adventure, we've decided to stay the night Friday and see what it's all about.

By the time we got up to Camp Verde we were both tired and hungry. We ventured out for some local fare and found Crusty's Pizza. The pizza was really good and ranch was excellent.

We've spent the rest of the night planning a busy day tomorrow including some geo-caching, hiking, and possibly falling into a couple tourist traps.