Take Off Your Rainbow Shades Part I: Cowboys, Mountain Goats and Alice
For Spring Break this year I opted to take a mini vacation to Arizona. State number 44! Woo hoo!
Got up at 5 this morning and made my way through the slush to Milwaukee. When I was awake, I did have a bit of inflight entertainment in front of me from a little girl who appeared to be taking her very first airplane ride and having the time of her life. "Up! Up! And awaaaaaaaay!!!" I also encountered a little boy named Anakin. And as soon as I can shake off this Maul guy with bad teeth...I may have a job for him. ;)
After I adjusted to the shock of seeing that bright yellow disc in the sky....the first thing I did in Phoenix was to go to Alice Cooper's restaurant: Cooperstown. Pretty much it's a sports bar. The food was nothing to write home about (even though I'm doing just that...) However....like every time they place me by the Marilyn Monroe picture in Applebees....being in a restaurant full of Alice Cooper memorabilia made me indescribably happy. Pretty much the only way to top it would be if the man himself came in with the Uncle Deadly muppet and proceeded to launch into a rousing version of "Be My Lover." Here's a link to the song...it's one of my all time favorites of his. www.youtube.com/watch
After that I got to spend some quality time with my friend Anna. We hadn't seen each other in about 10 years, so it was a lot of fun reconnecting. It's also a blast seeing any city with somebody that is a resident, and clearly in love with the place. We started out in Papago Park. It's a great place to get an overall feel for the landscape and plants, and a great view of the whole city. One intriguing factor about Phoenix is despite how the population has mushroomed in recent years...the skyline does not dominate the landscape. They are also very few billboards. Maintaining the natural beauty is a priority of the community. Quite the eye-opener as if you believe the news in Wisconsin, Arizona is just a place full of crazy people with guns. Unfortunately, I stupidly forgot to bring my camera....but I did get a few pix of some mountain goats. It was fascinating watching how easily they could climb around what seemed like a sheer rock face.
Then Anna took me to a restaurant called "Rustler's Rooste." Apparently I'm the only one of her guests that has requested Wild West/Cowboy type activities. I blame it on my paternal grandfather. He could have passed on to me his saintlike patience, or his manual dexterity...instead the only gene I got from him was a love of Westerns. Turns out most of the western type activities in Arizona are pretty much a repeat of what I'd already experienced in Deadwood. But Rustler's Rooste was a good time. There was a live Western Band playing music like "Ghostriders In the Sky" and "Boot Scootin' Boogie"...and multiple Waylon Jennings songs. The bathrooms were labeled "Bulls and Heifers." There was sawdust on the floor. Very kitschy and I had a blast!
Tomorrow I'm headed to Tucson for most of the day to check out their botanical gardens. Then Anna and I are meeting up and going to a gallery...so I'll be able to see THAT aspect of Phoenix. But I think it's time for this cowgirl to hit the hay. :)
Got up at 5 this morning and made my way through the slush to Milwaukee. When I was awake, I did have a bit of inflight entertainment in front of me from a little girl who appeared to be taking her very first airplane ride and having the time of her life. "Up! Up! And awaaaaaaaay!!!" I also encountered a little boy named Anakin. And as soon as I can shake off this Maul guy with bad teeth...I may have a job for him. ;)
After I adjusted to the shock of seeing that bright yellow disc in the sky....the first thing I did in Phoenix was to go to Alice Cooper's restaurant: Cooperstown. Pretty much it's a sports bar. The food was nothing to write home about (even though I'm doing just that...) However....like every time they place me by the Marilyn Monroe picture in Applebees....being in a restaurant full of Alice Cooper memorabilia made me indescribably happy. Pretty much the only way to top it would be if the man himself came in with the Uncle Deadly muppet and proceeded to launch into a rousing version of "Be My Lover." Here's a link to the song...it's one of my all time favorites of his. www.youtube.com/watch
After that I got to spend some quality time with my friend Anna. We hadn't seen each other in about 10 years, so it was a lot of fun reconnecting. It's also a blast seeing any city with somebody that is a resident, and clearly in love with the place. We started out in Papago Park. It's a great place to get an overall feel for the landscape and plants, and a great view of the whole city. One intriguing factor about Phoenix is despite how the population has mushroomed in recent years...the skyline does not dominate the landscape. They are also very few billboards. Maintaining the natural beauty is a priority of the community. Quite the eye-opener as if you believe the news in Wisconsin, Arizona is just a place full of crazy people with guns. Unfortunately, I stupidly forgot to bring my camera....but I did get a few pix of some mountain goats. It was fascinating watching how easily they could climb around what seemed like a sheer rock face.
Then Anna took me to a restaurant called "Rustler's Rooste." Apparently I'm the only one of her guests that has requested Wild West/Cowboy type activities. I blame it on my paternal grandfather. He could have passed on to me his saintlike patience, or his manual dexterity...instead the only gene I got from him was a love of Westerns. Turns out most of the western type activities in Arizona are pretty much a repeat of what I'd already experienced in Deadwood. But Rustler's Rooste was a good time. There was a live Western Band playing music like "Ghostriders In the Sky" and "Boot Scootin' Boogie"...and multiple Waylon Jennings songs. The bathrooms were labeled "Bulls and Heifers." There was sawdust on the floor. Very kitschy and I had a blast!
Tomorrow I'm headed to Tucson for most of the day to check out their botanical gardens. Then Anna and I are meeting up and going to a gallery...so I'll be able to see THAT aspect of Phoenix. But I think it's time for this cowgirl to hit the hay. :)