Fun in Fee-nix

Memorials and serious stuff out of the way, it was time for some non-serious things to do around this town of Fee-nix (better known as Phoenix).  I was here for a couple of weeks, and there’s so much to do that sometimes it’s hard to make a decision. 

Mostly, I’ve spent time with Joe, Chuck and Dewey, or one or two of them, riding around, visiting Harley shops, of course, and doing touristy things.  And I’m home at night when Verlie gets off work and we can visit, do dinner or whatever.  As usual, ice cream and frozen custard played a part in our evenings many times. 

On March 31, Thursday, Joe and I headed to Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale, the one that puts on the official Arizona Bike Week.  We were going to meet Chuck and Dewey there and maybe have a bit of lunch, and wander around the shop.

This shop is huge, and with Dewey’s help we found a photo booth that they have.  Uh oh.  I’m in it for the “ham.”

There was a closet with all kinds of hats and fun things.

 

The next best thing for me was that there were bikes there representing all branches of the service.  They were all very cool bikes.  If I had a winning lottery ticket, Biker Bill would have the Marine bike.  They were all very nicely done, but there was a special one that the owner would be giving away to a Vietnam veteran.  This one had a more spectacular paint job.  Wow!!!

The Navy bike, and the others represent the other branches of the service.

This is the Marine Corps. bike I'd have loved to get for Biker Bill.

This is the one the shop owner built, with all of his Marine Corps. info on it and a painting of his wife.  This is the one he gave away to a veteran.

 

Our day was finished and Toolbox, Dewey and I made plans to meet up the following day (April Fool’s Day) to head off to the little mining town of Goldfield.  They also have a zip line and I wanted to introduce the boys to “flying.”

We met up at a Bass Pro and headed out to Goldfield.  The zip line here is totally different than any I’ve been on before, with no harness.  You sit in a two-seater chair, like a ski-lift or ferris wheel seat.  The only thing holding you in was a seat belt across your middle.  It didn’t feel that secure to me as we were whisked backwards and up to the starting point. 

Flying down.

The seat hesitated for a few moments at the top allowing you to look around and enjoy the view, and then it zipped downward, with a top speed of about 30 mph.  It was fun, and I’m glad to have done it, but it was pretty tame after the other ones I’ve done.  But it was a good introduction for the boys.

We think Toolbox enjoyed his ride.

Goldfield is a pretty cute little tourist mining town and we wandered around a bit, doing the mine tour and walking around taking photos. 

 

The cactus blooms were gorgeous and our timing just right to see them.

The saloon was welcoming.  But ice cream called our names.

"Get me to the church on time."  Someone made it.

The country around this little town is beautiful.  I love all the rocks and mountains around Phoenix.  I just don't care for the summer heat.  This time of year is just about perfect.

Then it was time for me to head home for the day.

April 3 was a Sunday, and we were heading south to meet up with Becky and Lauren and a couple of their friends for lunch.  Becky and Lauren lived in Alaska and I had met them through the HOG group.  They’d recently moved to Arizona so I was excited to see them since it had been quite a while.  I’m kind of betting that I’ll see more of them in Phoenix and its surrounding area than I did here at home.  What’s wrong with that picture?  Ha!!!

We got to the restaurant they’d picked, only to find out that it was closed on Sunday.  What?  We sat on a bench in the shade and waited for them.  Once they arrived, we went to a nearby Mexican restaurant, Nana’s.  Yummy.

Yep.  There we are.  And who do you think we have joining us?  Yep.  He told us, "I may not always eat Mexican food, but when I do, I eat at Nana's."  Good advice.

After lunch, what do you think we did?  We went to a Harley shop … of course.  There are a couple of things going for Harley shops, besides buying stuff or a new bike.  They're always a place to hang out and visit, and they always have clean rest rooms.

And some of them even have beautiful murals, except for the snake, of course.

We hung around, looking at bikes, and so on, and then knew it was time to head back to the house.  We had to say goodbye to Becky, Lauren, Tamara and Shane.  It was so much fun to see them, and ride with them, and meet a couple of new, fun folks. 

 

Different day, different things.  Up near Miami, Arizona, there’s a beautiful, large shrine that I’ve visited a number of times.  The shrine is filled with photos of loved ones gone, Madonnas and candles, both lit and not yet lit.  It’s on Highway 60, east out of Phoenix, headed toward Globe.  I introduced Dewey to this and he has lit candles for his daughter for two years.  I’ve also lit candles for friends who have passed.  On Monday, April 4, I met up with Dewey and we went and bought some candles to light for friends who have passed, in addition to one for his daughter and one of his sons who is now gone. 

It’s always a lovely ride, and one of my favorites … up through giant rocks, next to a canyon on one side and a rock wall on the other.  I do this ride often when leaving town, and it’s always enjoyable.  Today was no exception even if our mission was not an enjoyable one.

 

We got to the shrine and lit some of our candles.  We stayed a bit showing respect for our passed relatives and friends.  Then it was time for lunch so we headed up to Globe to a Sonic … read awesome milkshakes.  While we there we had a few more requests for candles.  So back we went … we had a total of 13 candles lit this trip. 

Too many candles ... and this is only for a small group.  We had arranged them all in a straight line but they wouldn't stay lit.  I put them in the shape of a cross ... they stayed lit.  ??

That’s way more candles than I'd like to see ... Julie, Jason, Elaine, Jim, Sabrina, Virginia, Tony, Zookeeper's mom, Bubz, Bev, Steve, Pam's dad, Deb's brother   … but not enough when you figure all those who have gone before us.