Travels with Twinkles: Phoenix for Thanksgiving

November 24 - 30, 2014:

It's a beautiful travel day as we leave the Casino. On the way through Globe I stop at a self RV wash booth to clean the RV exterior. I have never used one of these before for the RV, actually haven't seen one like this before, but it was a nice arangement with a raised platform on each side. I had no idea how it worked at first and ideally two people would be much better at it. There were separate controls, spray gun and foaming brush for each side so I could only do one side at a time. It tried to do a fast rinse and then switch to the foaming brush then back to the rinse again in one time period. The hoses kept getting tangled up and if there was a video of this, it would be quite comical. I did manage to do it all for about $5.00 and it looked almost clean so I call it a big success.

The 17 mile drive on route 60 from Miami to Superior through Devils Canyon was exciting then it was mostly smooth going into the Phoenix metropolitan area. I elected to get off route 60 and onto Buckeye Road which runs parallel to I-10. It had lots of traffic lights, construction and much slower, but was also much more interesting with lots of local flavor.

Approaching tunnel in Devils Canyon

We arrived at our destination, Destiny RV Resort in early afternoon. This is our third stay at Destiny and it is still the same. It is rather expensive but convenient to see the family and has a great pool, hot tub and fruit trees.

The main purpose of this Phoenix stay is to spend time with my mother, sister, brother-in-law and family for Thanksgiving. As such, not as much of the scenic wandering as usual. Thanksgiving dinner was great as usual ! Wednesday was my niece Angie's last day of Dental Hygienist school, she has graduated, congratulations Angie ! Also Sunday was Angie's birthday.

Congratulations to Angie for graduating
from Dental Hygienist school

Thanksgiving dinner

I was there too !

Twinkles and Tatum making an Apple pie

The finished pie simply perfect !

Angie's 30th birthday with Cindy lighting the
candles and Tatum ready with the camera

The cake

Angie making a wish

I managed to slip away for a while to do some photography on Buckeye Road in Phoenix, an area I have seemed to miss in the past.

Mothers Saloon

Grandpa Sal's Auto Services

Mural has an attitude

Bass Player mural

Spray art

The Birds

Three Robins

Thanksgiving morning I watched a great PBS documentary on the "Muscle Shoals" Alabama music scene, the "FAME" recording studio and the "Swampers" backup musicians. Following was a "Frontline" segment about the sick world of social media mass marketing fueled by "liking" on Facebook and other social media formats. Totally crazy stuff manipulated by corporate stragists behind the scenes. The consumer is now becoming the marketer of the product. So go out and get people to like you today.

On Friday we went on a 5 mile hike with my brother-in-lay John and his granddaughter Tatum at White Tank Mountain Regional Park outside of Phoenix. It was mostly an easy hike with a few short uphills, but it did get fairly hot towards the end. Twinkles and I latter made good use of the Hot Tub and Pool back at the campground.

On the trail

Posing at the Mule Deer Trail

There was much smoke in the Phoenix valley
all week due to a smoldering Mulch fire

Horse riders on the trail

I did a search of the Phoenix music scene and ended up with two choices for Friday night, the Rhythm Room for "Candye Kane" or the Crecsent Ballroom for the "Meat Puppets". How could I possibly pass up in seeing the Meat Puppets, a band that started in Phoenix in 1980, was a favorite of Nirvana, that has survived in various forms for 34 crazy turbulent years and is now back from the dead, on tour again and doing a concert in Phoenix. There is a book about them titled"Too high to Die". The band's history as described on Wikipedia is pretty amazing stuff. They are a true family act now with the Kirkwood brothers, Curt and Cris and Curt's son Elmo. They were very impressive !