Biloxi
July 26, 2024 - Reading time: 4 minutes
After two and half weeks of hiking, driving and walking about in the summer heat, the last stop of the journey was all about cooling off and relaxing. We booked three nights at the Palace Casino Resort located right on the bay. I had stayed here before, but this was the first time for James. The man goes non-stop at work and at home, so it was wonderful to see him embrace a few days of sleeping in and hanging out by the water.
We didn't really have an itinerary here, but played it by ear. We spent our first full day swimming and indulging in waitress service at the pool.
In the late afternoon we dropped by the happy hour at Fly Llama Brewing, a tiny local place that had excellent craft beers and seltzers on draft. We particularly liked the Strawberry Basil and Pineapple Satsuma seltzers, so we picked up some 6 packs to enjoy at a later time. The eclectic mix of llama art on the walls was delightful and I would have purchased the painting below for our kitchen back home if it had been for sale.
For dinner, we sat overlooking the ocean outside on the third story deck of The Reef, located a few miles from the hotel. Their fresh flounder sandwich, fried shrimp and hush puppies were all divine. This is a no frills kind of place. The upstairs especially has the vibes of a dive bar; but in our experience those are the best spots for good music, great food and friendly service. It did not disappoint and we enjoyed a lovely sunset to boot. As night fell, we watched several families with flashlights wander waaaaaaaay off-shore to go "floundering." On that particular patch of the gulf, the water shelf is so flat that you can walk and walk in ankle deep water. We later learned that floundering was also a beloved past time of President Truman's wife, Bess and their daughter, Margaret, when the family would vacation in Biloxi. Who knew?
The next day, we slept late, threw a few towels in my canvas tote, and packed some of the previous day's seltzer purchases in our cooler bag for a day at the beach. We ordered lunch subs "to go" from a little sandwich shop then parked our folding chairs and umbrella on Ocean Springs Beach, just a hop, skip and a jump across the Biloxi Bay bridge. The water was warm as a bath tub and calm as a lake. So relaxing.
We wrapped up our last night in Biloxi, and my last night of another epic summer road trip, by going back to The Reef (it's that good!) for dinner on the deck with some boozy milkshakes for dessert. So grateful for sweet memories made on this journey and the loved ones who came along for the ride.
San Antonio River Walk
July 25, 2024 - Reading time: 7 minutes
My love and I explored the river walk just after sunset on a busy Friday night and opted for a steak dinner at The Lonestar Cafe. This was Texas after all. The service was on point and a young couple played acoustic guitars in the dining room corner. A delightful experience.
Afterwards, on the recommendation of a friend, we enjoyed a nightcap at Devils River Whiskey Distillery, where just watching the staff carefully craft the cocktails was a treat in itself.
Before turning in, we took in the view of the city skyline from the hotel’s rooftop deck.
The next morning, we headed back to the rooftop after breakfast for a dip in the pool. Our sons were kind enough to drive down from their house in Austin to check out San Antonio with us by daylight. We ate lunch on the river walk, this time at a British pub, then walked off our calories indoors on a lovely afternoon visit to the Briscoe Western Art Museum.
Late afternoon found the four of us grabbing pick-me-up goodies to share at Voodoo Doughnut and iced coffees from La Vida where we played a table top game while enjoying the brews. It was really great catching up and this momma’s heart is so full with the gift of quality time spent with her adult children. Travel is fun. Delicious food is wonderful. But family is EVERYTHING. <3
Meteors and Rainbows
July 23, 2024 - Reading time: 401 minutes
We explored east Arizona today before heading to Texas.
Meteor Crater has always been on James’s bucket list. Today's adventures were a “blast” that made quite an “impact” on him. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Both the visitor’s center museum and the short documentary film, nicely housed in air conditioning, were outstanding. The complimentary tour of the crater rim was hosted by Justin, our fantastic guide who offered a wealth of information on the history and geology of the area (pre and post crater), all while spouting a steady stream of dad jokes.
Next stop was Petrified Forest National Park. We barely scratched the surface here because we still had a 6 hour drive to El Paso ahead of us. We opted for walking the Rainbow Forest trails near the south entrance to discover how they were transformed from trees to petrified logs. The photos won't do it justice. The rainbow colors of minerals inside each were a sight to behold.
There were so many neat fossils in the Visitor's Center Museum.
I had to pose in front of "Old Faithful," the same 35 foot long petrified log where Albert Einstein stood in 1931. I'm a nerd.
We spent the late afternoon hours into early evening with a drive through the Apache National Forest in Arizona and the Gila National Forest in New Mexico before reaching the hotel in El Paso. We opted to travel the back roads for the majority of the trip because the sky was so blue and the day so lovely! I regret not taking any pictures along the route, but James and I were busy singing to the radio and taking in the scenery. Did you know there is a town on Highway 191 called Alpine, Arizona? Just six miles from the New Mexico border, the area sits over 8,000 feet above sea level. The 2010 census states a population of 145 folks. There is abundant farmland and absolutely stunning fields of green grasses and forest. Nothing at all like the images one conjures when thinking about a typical Arizona landscape. If you ever get the chance, and have the time, skip the interstate in this part of the USA and take the scenic route. You won't regret it!
Tempe/Phoenix/Chandler
July 6, 2024 - Reading time: 6 minutes
I dropped my brother off at LAX for an early morning flight back to SC then hit the road to rendezvous with my hubby's arrival later that day in Phoenix. I received text messages from them both while on their respective airplanes, thanking me for booking their flights on Southwest Airlines' birthday. Passengers are offered complimentary adult beverages to celebrate. Um....you're welcome? Serendipity for the win because I had no idea!
Hubs and I walked from the hotel in Tempe to a few spots that evening near Arizona State University to grab dinner and support a local brewery. It was quite hot outside, though less so after sunset. Of course the hospitality industry in AZ is prepared with patio spaces surrounded by water misters to keep everyone cool and comfy. Pedalhous Brewery makes a delicious peach draft and there are some neat rabbit sculptures in the courtyard.
The next day, we took a day drive to the Tonto National Forest just outside of Phoenix to check out the Canyon Lake recreation area and the tiny town of Tortilla Flat. By tiny, I mean it's literally an historic strip of five old buildings (including an active post office) 8 miles into the Superstition Mountains along the Apache Trail. The curvy roads going up, up, up were fun to travel and we certainly don't have mountain hills covered with saguaro cactuses back home, so that was fun, too. While in Tortilla Flat, we popped into the Superstition Saloon where the bar stools are saddles for seats. Giddy up! We hitched up our hineys and ordered lunch. James's hotdog came slathered with homemade chili and my street style tacos were tasty and fresh.
Before heading back down the mountain, we stopped in the local mercantile store where James bought a coffee mug and I purchased a cute little turquoise pinky ring to commemorate the recent evening with Bruno and more importantly, James and my 35 the wedding anniversary. Who knows...maybe I'll get to see Bruno again someday and actually have a pinky ring to put up to the moon. Ha!
We wrapped up our time in Phoenix with a 20 minute drive to Chandler that evening. I spent time here with my son and his in-laws on two previous trips, but James had never been. I was eager for him to experience the vibes at San Tan Brewing and I am in love with one of their flagship brews, the Mr. Pineapple. It's like a Blue Moon, but with pineapple instead of orange. So delicious! I ordered a salad to save room for their pineapple blondie dessert, a white chocolate cookie baked with crushed pineapple and served in a personal sized cast iron skillet, topped with banana gelato and toasted coconut flakes. Absolutely amazing! James and I devoured every bite.
We were stuffed after dinner, but downtown Chandler is safe, vibrant and quite walkable. We were pleasantly surprised by the lively number of folks out and about on the sidewalks, bars and cafes on a Wednesday night. And we found some live rooftop music to enjoy at The Perch, a local restaurant that cares for rehabilitated tropical birds such as parrots and macaws. We ordered a nightcap and cozied up on one of their outdoor couches. I wish I could remember the name of the band (my bad). They were spot on with covers songs the likes of CCR, Elton John, and Steve Miller. Oh, and the rooftop had a motorcycle repurposed as a serving station! I could totally see James taking on a project like that in the future so I had to snap a pic of that, too.
Dana Point and Laguna Beach
July 4, 2024 - Reading time: 4 minutes
After a quick stop at a Los Angeles specialty shop where my brother had a blast exploring synthesizers, we were off to Dana Point. We checked into the hotel near the marina, grabbed some burritos "to go" from the Del Taco across the street, then put our folding chairs in the sand of the Pacific shoreline, watching a handful of surfers in the late afternoon sunlight. It was substantially cooler than our previous days in Vegas and Utah. Such a lovely change of pace to wear hoodies and relax surrounded by chilly ocean breezes.
The next morning was a beautifully clear day and we left bright and early for a two hour dolphin tour with a small harbor cruise company. The marine scientist onboard was very knowledgeable, informing us the Blue Whales had just migrated to Catalina a few days before our tour; but our disappointment was short lived because we were gob-smacked by number of dolphins we witnessed just 20 minutes into the cruise. They were in the midst of a feeding frenzy. There were dozens upon dozens of them - adults, babies - darting about so swiftly. I had never seen a bait ball of fish in person and it was SO COOL! It looked like a black mass of swirling liquid, like an oil slick, but just beneath the surface and the dolphins were keen to gobble up as much as they could.
Heading back to shore a few hours later, the captain steered the boat close to a buoy draped with sea lions having a lay about.
This would be our only full day in the area so we sought to make the most of the ocean views by having appetizers and early happy hour cocktails at The Rooftop Lounge of La Casa del Camino in Laguna Beach. I had the best calamari of my life - lightly breaded, perfectly seasoned and so fresh, paired with a mojito. My brother ordered a hummus plate (also yummy) and a local IPA called a "Slap and Tickle." We got a chuckle out of that one, of course.
For dinner, we met my brother's father-in-law, Jim, who lives nearby and enjoyed fresh fish tacos from Wahoo's before taking a leisurely stroll along the Laguna Beach shoreline. Jim was a wonderful tour guide and it was truly lovely to get a local's take on community history and points of interest. By nightfall, we had walked over 3 miles before heading back to our cars parked on the Pacific Coast Highway. What a fantastic day!
24K Magic in the Air
July 2, 2024 - Reading time: 8 minutes
Vegas is always an over the top blast, but this adventure was especially so because it was my brother's first visit. We checked in to the hotel around 7:00 pm on Friday, toasted our arrival with a celebratory shot of Fireball, then spent about two hours burning our adrenaline by walking The Strip. A street magician truly amazed us with his sleight of hand between the light and sight shows of the Bellagio Fountains. While exploring The Bellagio, we discovered Bruno Mars owns a club called The Pinky Ring where a sign at the entry notifies guests that cell phones will be stored in a Yondr pouch because “What happens at The Pinky Ring stays at The Pinky Ring.” We also perused Caesar’s Palace and Cosmopolitan’s gargantuan purple chandelier before crashing for the night.
Morning - we poked around Planet 13 to cross off an item on my brother’s bucket list and wrapped up our time there with a delicious brunch. The portions were enormous!
A silly photo op at Planet 13
Afternoon - pool time! Waitress service with a cold beverage was divine. I have no idea how they kept the pool temp so cool when the heat index was 115. More Vegas magic!
Night - Weeks after we booked at Park MGM an email arrived with a presale offer to see Bruno Mars in concert on the weekend of our stay. To ride an elevator from your hotel room to a concert venue in the lobby below is the epitome of spoiled and I am grateful beyond measure. Bruno and crew put on quite a show! We later characterized it as a pumped influence mash up of Prince, Michael Jackson, James Brown and The Temptations. Again, cell phones bagged, but without the distractions of posting, filming, or text message interruptions we rediscovered the joy of being fully present and engaged in every moment of a performance. Singing together. Dancing together. Bruno opened with 24K Magic and the hits rolled for the remainder. It was a weekend I'll never forget!