PHOENIX CUISINE

Mon, 4/28. Living for over 2 years now in Phoenix, Cory continues to happily pursue his culinary skills at acclaimed restaurant LON's at the Hermosa Inn. Beautiful southwestern landscape, exquisitely decorated rooms and 5-star cuisine. Brenda... there's an extra room available! Sheri works at the popular Streets of NY and is also pursuing a BA degree at the Univ of Phoenix.

A hike up rocky Camelback Mtn was quite a workout with captivating views of Greater Phoenix metropolis and the resident lizards. Whew! Nap time again?

Dinner at LON's was a highly entertaining dining experience. Our personal choices of entrees included 1) Roasted fulton valley free range chicken with goat cheese gnocchi, baby portobello mushrooms and chicken jus, 2) Wood grilled filet of beef tenderloin with white truffle scented macaroni and cheese and wilted greens, 3) Grilled filet of salmon with blackberry barbecue glaze with baby cabbages, minature potatoes, corn jus and fire roasted tomatillo sauce, 4) Wood grilled durham ranch buffalo strip steak and braised beef shortribs with blue cheese bread pudding, foraged mushrooms and spaghetti squash.

The desserts!..too many to mention, but the photo says it all. Glad it was a short walk to our room.

Tues, 4/29. Tim has become very attached to the surroundings and enjoys his a.m. jogs. Breakfast, pool time, pick up Cory. I spend a few hours at the laundrymat while Tim and Cory wash and wax the cars.

It's time to eat again featuring the innovative culinary creations by Cory and Sheri. For starters, mixed green cucumber salad with tomato basil dressing. Then, pan seared cornish hen with grilled lamb tenderloin served with carrots, wilted spinach and parmesean, corn puree potatoes topped with caramelized onions and red wine jus, garnished with turkey bacon wrapped potato skins. A winner!

Can't believe Jason and Brooke are still on American Idol. Both Tim and I will be jogging tomorrow a.m.!

A hike up Ca

INTO THE WILDERNESS

Sat, 4/26. Into the wilderness, White Mtn, AZ, we took the pleasure of fishing for rainbow trout in the cold, crystal blue Big Lake. After finding a great site to camp, overlooking the lake, Tim gathered wood for a fire. On the hot coals, he prepared a spectacular meal of steak, potatoes, cob corn and spinach. We looked at each other and said, "I thought you brought the wine?!"

Whoops! We did have hot chocolate, watched the sun go down, snuggled into our sleeping bags and marveled at all the bright stars twinkling in the pitch black night. Sound good so far?

Sun, 4/27. Whoa!...it's an unbelievable 19 degrees when we wake up. Craving hot coffee and hot oatmeal to calm the shivers, we quickly start a fire. Whoa!....our jug of water is frozen, so first we have to defrost it by the fire to make hot coffee and hot oatmeal.

After everything is thawed, including us, we smother the fire (with SNOW), pack up and say goodbye to the beautful surroundings. Overall, our camping experience was a test of survival and truly a great adventure.

Back down the mountain we go. Tim was so excited about the snow, he practiced shoveling (played) in the drifts.

Advancing south towards Phoenix, while shedding layers of clothing, we enjoy the valleys and canyons along the scenic route.

Now 95 degrees, we reach our destination at the Hermosa Inn, Paradise Valley, just outside Phoenix. Is Cory working today at "LON's"? SURPRISE!

After settling into our room, we drive to the "Streets of NY."
Is Sheri working today? SURPRISE!

Looking forward to our stay in Phoenix!

NEW MEXICO TO ARIZONA

Still Friday, 4/25. For the night, we reached little 'old west' historic town Magdelena. It was once a bustling rail head which supplied the substantial mining and ranching industries in the area.

A very artsy, colorful town.

Sat, 4/26. Happy Birthday Kate!, Happy Birthday G.A.! Thinking of you and hope you both have a special day!

Driving US 60W through the Plains of San Agustin, NM, we see lines of huge satellite dishes (27 to be exact) in the middle of nowhere. It is the site of the "Very Large Array" (VLA), National Radio Astronomy Observatory. We learn that the VLA radio telescopes (each dish antenna weighing 230 tons) are moved to allow astronomers to look at objects in the universe with varying degrees of detail. Remember the movie 'Contact' with Jodie Foster? It was filmed here. Cows like to hang out here too.

My navigator is napping again but I pull over in Pie Town to try the famous pies at the

Pie-O-Neer. Tim woke up for that.

Arrived in northern AZ! and the locals in Eagar directed us to the White Mtns Apache National Forest. Tim said, "absolutely awesome!...incredibly breathtaking!" as we drove 20 miles to an altitude of 8500+.

There are large stands of Ponderosa Pines, spruce and aspens, meadow grasses, wildflowers and...what!?...areas of SNOW! This is where we will set up camp.

WE LOVE YOU SMOKEY

...... we stayed overnight at the Smokey Bear Hotel where country music lured us into the local eatery. Oh boy!, country fried steak and all the fixin's.

Friday, 4/25, a.m. we biked around the town of Capitan and to Smokey Bear Historical Park. For background, the bear idea started in 1944 by the US Forest Service and was named after a NY Asst Fire Chief, "Smokey" Joe Martin. In 1950, a badly burned bear cub was found in a Capitan Mt. fire aftermath and called "Smokey." He became the living symbol of the fire prevention campaign and lived at the Natl Zoo in Wash, D.C. Upon his death in 1976, Smokey was flown home to Capitan and buried. We paid our respects.

Fire restrictions prevented us from camping overnight in the backcountry of Capitan Mts; however, we took an excursion there for a look see and lunch....and rest time!

The road to Socorrco was long and straight, flat prairie like sides, and majestic mountains in the background. Magadalena appears serene, so we stop there for the night. Two weeks into our roadtrip, miles, and still loving life.

NEW MEXICO, "LAND OF ENCHANTMENT"

Wed, 4/23. Mike and Pamm wave goodbye (bye!) as we leave Nolan, TX, en route to New Mexico, "Land of Enchantment." Back on 20W through Pecos, 285N to Carlsbad, NM. It's still early so we check out the car (we share duties) and take inventory of our supplies. If we were ever lost in the wild, survival would not be a problem! Tim did a great job in packing everything we might need...and we've been using it all! He's the best!

The scenery changes are amazing and we have had great weather while driving.

We are still in Carlsbad the next day, Thurs, 4/24 and decide to visit the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens. The 1.5 mile walking tour specialized in native animal and plant species of the Chihuahuan Desert and NM. We didn't get to see Dukie the badger because he passed away a few days ago, but we had fun with the other birds, mammals and reptiles. Did you know that the Roadrunner is NM's state bird?

Next is Carlsbad Caverns National Park and we descended 750-ft into the dark caves for a 2.5-mile hike. Wonderful geologic history and beautiful formations of stalactites, stalagmites, etc.....just eye popping.

WHEW!

We drive through Roswell, southeastern NM, where allegedly in July 1947 there was a crash of a "flying saucer," the recovery of debris and bodies and the ensuing cover up by the military. Then there is Lincoln, a small town where young outlaw Billy the Kid rose to fame. Is that a coffee shop up ahead?...not your usual place for Starbucks coffee, but oh, so quaint.

While driving through the spectacular Capitan Mountains we come to a screeching halt. There before us is the former home of Smokey the Bear. Surely everyone remembers that cute little black bear cub who gained notoriety after surviving a forest fire. Absolutely have to stay here. To be continued.....