On Monday, October 7th, we Packed up our bags and Arden's dog, Allie, we drove to Vegas, stopping on the road a couple of nights. On our second day we stopped at the Petrified National Forest outside of Holbrook, AZ, but it was "Closed Due To Lack Of Funds," another pleasant reminder of the current goings on in Washington.
We spent that night in Holbrook, Arizona, and got up the next morning for our journey into the Prescott area. We drove down highway 89A, a beautiful drive through Sedona and the little mining town of Jerome. There is one part of the highway that circles back and forth, taking you down in altitude from over 7,000 feet to around 5,000 feet in just a few miles. It's quite a drive but it yields photo opportunities like this:
That afternoon we stopped and spent two nights with my good friend Chuck Grammont and his wife Gayle in Arizona. Chuck and I have known each other for 26 years, brothers in arms in the Bureau of Prisons and fellow gringos in Puerto Rico. He was the reason I went there and it was one of the best assignments of my career.
Like me, after retirement Chuck became an amateur chef in his kitchen - "Greasy's Diner" as he calls it. And while I do gourmet stuff on a regular basis, Chuck does good ol' American, Southwest and Mexican food. The night we arrived he had five pans of enchiladas ready to eat. They were phenomenal and there were enough leftovers (obviously) that we were promised a second enchilada meal on the return trip. "Greasy never serves leftovers to guests," Chuck said more than once. But they were so good that we insisted. Besides - we're family, not guests.
We talked and reminisced into the evening before I fell asleep. I had been driving for three days and was tired. I slept until around 6am when we heard Greasy himself up and moving around. I got up and made a pot of my favorite coffee (we carry Bustelo and a coffee pot with us now because we're spoiled) and a couple hours later, after Gayle got up, I got to sample breakfast at Greasy's Diner. We had eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. Since Arden isn't big on eggs she had French toast instead. We ate until we were satiated, cleaned up and went on a sightseeing trip back up to Jerome and Sedona. Since we hadn't stopped the day before we were now going to explore both towns. We headed back up highway 89A through the mountain pass into Jerome. I had asked Chuck a few days earlier if there would be snow in the mountains when we arrived. He said he would see what he could do. That morning it was snowing as we headed up the pass. By the time we got to the top there was some accumulation.
Once again my buddy came through. The first snow of the season delivered upon request! Now that's friendship for you!
For those who have never been, Jerome, AZ, is a great little mining town sitting at about 5000 feet on the North side of a mountain range. If you look out toward the North horizon you can see the Sedona area, which is where we headed next. Sedona is a beautiful town nestled in the red rocks of North Central Arizona. Some of the rock formations and cliffs are breathtaking. It's a tourist trap to be sure but it certainly is a beautiful place to visit.
I have more pictures that I will post at a later time.
We returned to Greasy's Diner for a barbecued Tri Tip dinner with all the fixings. If you've never had Tri Tip - it's a cut of beef that originated in Santa Maria, California, (OK- it actually originated in the cow...) that is difficult to find anywhere else in the country. At least it has been. Obviously Chuck can get it in Arizona and I have a friend in Missouri who says she gets it there. So I have to find me a local butcher who will cut it for me.
Anyway - Tri Tip is a special cut that has just enough fat marbling to make it very tender when it's grilled. The flavor of the meat is what sets it apart. It's extremely tasty and delicious. If you can find it, leave the fat on it, season it generously with garlic powder, onion powder and course black pepper and grill it to just medium. You won't be sorry.
I made Santa Maria beans to go with it. Another local dish from the Santa Maria valley in California, Santa Maria beans are made with pinquito beans, hamburger, chorizo, and a variety of seasonings. I forgot to buy the pinquito beans so had to use canned but the seasonings and chorizo made them just as good. Baked potato and sourdough bread (a must with this California meal) and dinner was on! I wanted to keep eating but my stomach finally told me enough was enough.
The next morning we got up and had coffee and Chuck presented us with our departing gifts - Tri Tip sandwiches and Greasy's famous breakfast burritos. There was enough food to keep us well fed for days. And it did! And let me tell you - those burritos are famous for a reason and a Tri Tip sandwich is difficult to beat!
We had to board Allie because she couldn't go with us to the hotel. Rather than take her all the way to Las Vegas we chose a place just up the road from Chuck and Gayle's house. We were a little apprehensive about it since Allie is 13 years old and very sensitive - but when we were in the lobby of the kennel I saw something that made me feel a little better. As other customers brought their dogs in (it's a doggie day care center as well) the dogs were genuinely happy to be there! They'd come in and see the staff and get all excited, wagging their tails and licking the staff members. It was obvious they truly enjoyed being there.
Allie was naturally fearful but she went back with the staff member and we headed out. Arden called a couple of times to make sure she was OK and they assured us she was. Besides - she was only going to be there four days and she had her favorite rug, her own food and her chew toys.
We made the 4-1/2 hour drive to Las Vegas, crossing the new bridge on highway 93 into Boulder City. The new bridge is a bit of a disappointment. To keep stupid people from slowing down (or stopping) to take pictures of the Hoover Dam they built the sidewalls of the bridge about four feet high so you can't see anything but bridge. Don't get me wrong - I understand why they did it. There would be constant traffic delays and accidents if people could see the dam from the bridge. But it's a shame you have to get off the highway and drive ten minutes to get to a place where you can actually see the dam.
We didn't stop on the way in. We decided we'd see the dam on our way out of town so we continued on into Las Vegas. Now, I hadn't been to Vegas since 1989 and it has changed just a bit since then. It's a huge, sprawling metropolis that stretches out in all directions. The last time I was there McCarren Airport was on the very edge of the city. Now it's surrounded by city. Nellis Air Force Base was outside of town. Now the town has enveloped its Western edge and it won't be long before it is also surrounded.
It was crowded in Vegas. I suppose it always is but there were a couple of conventions in town and the strip was packed with people. We were staying at Circus Circus because their rooms were fairly inexpensive compared to some others. They just finished remodeling and they're trying to rebuild their clientele so their rooms are about half the price of others in the immediate area.
In 1989 I had taken my 4 year old son, Christopher, to Circus Circus on our way through town so he could see a couple of acts and play on the midway. Arden thought being there might be a difficult memory for me but honestly, I couldn't remember much about it. There was no familiarity in those hallways so it wasn't a problem.
We got checked in fairly quickly thanks to one of the couples in our group, Ed and Ann. After waiting in line for a very long time to check in, they asked if there was a faster way for the rest of us to do it. They arranged for "express check-in" for the rest of us so all we had to do was go to the check-out desk and mention it and we were checked in immediately - no line and no waiting. We got up to our room, arranged some things then went down to the West Bar to meet everyone. (We always meet in the bar. Go figure.)
Our group has about 20 original members plus others who have since been added because we were all in Germany together during our Air Force days. Many of us lost touch after leaving Germany but due to the wonders of Facebook we were able to reconnect. Our first two reunions drew most of the original 20 but this year there were only eleven of us - including spouses. Many of the group had other obligations this year and couldn't join us. But that didn't stop us from having a great time!
To be continued....
No comments:
Post a Comment