Friday, 2/21: When we visited Dolly and Donald last summer we floated the idea of meeting up in Phoenix to see Joe McClaren and Judy and Charlie Zarelli. The last time we were here the guys were not doing too well so we all thought it would be nice to see them once again. None of us is getting any younger, after all. One of Dolly’s nieces just moved to Arizona so she and Jean Marie were eager to see her and her family in their new home, making the trip extra appealing. Dates were chosen, plans were made, tickets were purchased and Jacquie (the niece) found us a VRBO not too far from her Tucson neighborhood. Unfortunately, Charlie passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago, right before Christmas, adding extra urgency to our visit.
After much discussion we decided to host a simple lunch with Judy and Joe at a venue of Judy’s choosing and to just spend some time chatting and catching up. And so we all met up at the Village Tavern in Scottsdale, ate, drank and reminisced for a few hours, then visited a bit in Judy’s lovely home before heading down I 10 to the Tucson JW Marriott Resort to spend the weekend.
Just to clarify, we were supposed to spend the whole week at the VRBO but at the last minute the owner cancelled, leaving Jacquie to scramble for a replacement so as not to disappoint us. She did find another house but it was occupied until Sunday night so, because her husband Tom is a pilot and has (as Dolly says) a gazillion Marriott points, she very generously shared them to reserve three rooms for us until then. We got there, road weary and hungry but excited to see this fabled resort and enjoy what it had to offer.
Saturday and Sunday, 2/22-2/23: It was real unseasonably cold and rainy for Tucson this weekend, forcing us to forego the pool and hot tub and to pretty much stay inside the hotel for the day. Molly, Tom and Jacquie’s almost 12 year old daughter, was the only one to brave the chill until JeanMarie joined her for a dip in the spa.
Now before we left Phoenix Doug had said that if it was the Marriott he was familiar with it housed a restaurant called Primo that we shouldn’t miss. After reading the menu a few times Ron was committed and made reservations for us for an early dinner. All the food is locally sourced, including the venison that Ron chose. We ended our dinner with an afrogiato – first time I’ve seen it on a menu – served with three light as air zeppoli. A great, relaxing meal.
After a group brunch the next morning D & D, Ron and I headed to Saguaro National Park West to visit the visitors’ center and drive the loop road. We love this park and the road did not disappoint. Winding through desert vegetation – saguaros, cholla, barrel cactus, ocatillo, et al – was breathtakingly beautiful, a real immersion into the Sonoran desert landscape. Afterwards we headed for our B&B and met Dave (our host) who showed us around the house. Settled in for the night and began our adventure!
Monday: Ran some errands, shopped for food and got used to our new surroundings today. Jacquie and Tom hosted us for a lovely dinner of grilled shrimp and vegies and polenta with the most amazing feta sauce. Jacquie generously shared the recipe and I can’t wait to try it at home!
Tuesday: A trip to Biosphere 2. The tour was so informative, the research they are doing to help us cope with a changing planet mind-boggling and the passion and commitment the volunteers and staff show was heartening. Highlight for me is still the “ocean” environment. That they can replicate the wave movement, the temperature and the salinity of the world’s major bodies of water to study how global warming and acidification is impacting one of the two major sources of oxygen on the planet and how (if?) we can mitigate those forces so that we can sustain our very being is crucial. Same with rain forest environment. Too depressing to dwell on here but such important work. Dinner was southwestern/Mexican at Seis with Jacquie, Tom and family.
Wednesday: This was supposed to be a down-day. But Sabino Canyon was just a couple of miles away and we heard there was a tram ride into the canyon so off we went. Definitely worth the trip. We followed our busy day with a relaxing movie (Knives Out again; even better the second time!) and a simple dinner at Panera, the only place open near the cinema and all we really wanted.
Thursday: Today was the perfect day to visit the Desert Museum. The skies finally cleared, the winds died down and the sun was out all afternoon. Many others thought so too and the parking lot was packed. But there was plenty of room for all as we wandered the paths and visited the hummingbird enclosure. The highlight of the day for us was the raptor demonstration starring a gray hawk, a barn owl (beautiful) and three Harris hawks. Narrated by a very knowledgeable docent, trainers led the birds through their well choreographed routine, swooping repeatedly over the admiring crowd and perching on nearby branches and posts. Bird facts: Gray hawks are solitary hunters, barn owls can consume thousands of rodents in a week, and Harris hawks hunt in family units. Who knew?
Friday: We got Donald to his Sky Harbor (Phoenix) flight to Virginia in plenty of time and did some recreational shopping at a closing Pier One before meeting Judy and Doug for lunch at Vincent’s Market Bistro, a place I’d written about in these pages and which Dolly had been drooling over since she read my accolades. Vincent did not disappoint. We had a wonderful lunch and were able to linger over coffee and dessert (on the house) for a couple of hours before heading back to Doug’s to show JeanMarie the van and showing off Doug’s newly redecorated bathrooms.
The Ultimate Road Trip 