'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.