Why it's Better to Drive - Reason # 37

While in Phoenix we learned that they do not have an abundance of local cuisine. Well, that is what we were told by the locals anayway. In Atlanta, you look for great barbeque. In Texas, the perfect steak. NYC, the perfect slice of pizza or bagel. But in Phoenix, uh, well they have chains.

So we stopped to fill up with gas and I ran in to ask the attendant where we could find a restaurant. He pointed down the road and said, hang a right and you will come across many restaurants.

As we drove, and enjoyed the scenery, I saw the glow of red neon. Stop the car! We have arrived! This is where we are dining tonight!

When you don't drive, you don't find little gems like this one:



If you have never had an In-N-Out burger, the next time you find yourself in Arizona or west, keep your eyes peeled. They have great burgers and yummy shakes. And, two people can get out of their for less than $20, including a t-shirt, sans hearburn. Good deal!

Hyatt-Richardson – Not so High on Our List

After our initial Hyatt visit in San Diego at the Manchester we had expectations of the level of service we should receive at any Hyatt. We are staying at the Hyatt in Richardson, TX. Although it is not a Grand Hyatt, we assumed a Hyatt Regency would provide a level of service that was…uh, comparable?

The Greeting
My red flags should have gone up when the bellman asked if we were staying a long time, since I had groceries. I had to explain to this person that we drove 12 hours and when people take long road trips it is practical to pack a cooler and snacks. Every time I run this comment back through my mind I get more insulted. And it takes a lot to insult me. Needless to say, we got off on the wrong foot.

The Room
It was a corner room. I thought a corner room would be larger. This was not to be the case. It was L-shaped and cramped. Since the parking lot was empty, we figured we would request to be moved. They accommodated our request and moved us over two rooms.

The second room was better. It was a standard layout. Since we were staying two nights, why not be comfortable? As we moved our luggage into the room I did notice we lost the little fridge (dang-it!) and gained a view of the freeway (shakes head). Karma is a funny thing, isn’t it?

Happy Holidays
Brace yourself—I am getting fired up now.

I am guessing that the staff at the Hyatt is under the assumption that holiday travelers are different from other travelers. There was no paper delivered and no extra services available that are available every other day of the year. I must say, I am not happy about this.

The heater in our room blows cold air, but says the temp is 80 degrees. This is completely unacceptable…in any hotel.

And finally, our breakfast experience. The buffet looked good. But the eggs were cold, the cream curdled in my cold coffee, and my pancakes tasted like they were bathed in oil. And I have a "cast-iron stomach". I asked to receive new coffee and I tried another trip up to the eggs to order station. I ordered a cheese omelet. I thought, surely this should be good. But when I sat down to eat it the cheese was barely melted. And Rich’s omelet was the same.

We ate cereal.

Maybe we should look into a career in hotel reviews. But I have to ask my readers, am I expecting too much?

The Roadtrip to a Family Experience

We decided to drive to Dallas over the holiday to see my cousin Michelle. I have not seen her in 13 years!! Rich proposed the idea and of course I was on-board. Upon calling Michelle and asking her what her thoughts were on us hanging with the family for the holiday she was very excited. Apparently, so was my aunt.

Michelle: My mom did a happy dance when I told her you were coming to visit.

Me: She did a happy dance? I want to see that. So she's OK if we crash her turkey dinner?

Michelle: My mom bought a 20 lb turkey, 3 pies and she's baking a cake. Not to mention she sent me out for 5 lbs of ground beef so she can make great-grandma Laville's stuffing.

Me: Good grief! 5 lbs??! Wait, we have family recipes??????

Family is a funny thing. I can't say my family is close. My dad's side is non existent. So I will not even elaborate on them at this point. But here is how my immediate and mom's side breaks down:

I have 1 half-brother and half-sister. I say "half" because I grew up referring to them as my brother and sister, but clearly into adulthood they developed their own agendas and I am no longer part of their life.

My mom had/has (not sure how to qualify that) 4 siblings. From oldest it went: Uncle David, my mom (deceased), Uncle Bill (deceased), Aunt Nayla, Aunt Debbie.

There are quite a few grandchildren. But I will list the one important cousin in this whole mess, my cousin Michelle. She is the daughter of the youngest of my mom's siblings, Debbie. Clearly, she and I are the only two in the family who care enough to reciprocate communication (never mind those two blips when we lost contact).

The neat thing about Michelle and me is how we have seemed to repeat the relationship our mothers had. My aunt was very close to my mom and when my mother passed when I was 9 it struck my aunt very deeply. I did not know this until very recently. In fact there was a lot I didn't know until very recently.

I am so happy that I am to spend the holiday with my cousin today and see my aunt and other relatives. I am especially happy to share this with Rich and eventually with Alex. My aunt Debbie has already made the proclamation that Alex will call her Grandma Debbie. Because he never knew my mom, she wants to fill that gap. I am speechless about this.

The memories I have of my family on this side is fuzzy and muddled with strange memories. So to hear this from my aunt just makes me feel all that more strongly about how important family can be in one's life.

Well, I'm off to prepare for the big day of turkey and the Dallas Thanksgiving Day Game...in Dallas. How cool is that?

The Smell of Asphalt, the Taste of Glory: Part2

The day started off early on the performance track. Yeah, I know, I'm working backwards! I had to share the best first!

The first SRT vehicle I was introduced to was a manual Caliber SRT4. But that's okay. We all have to start somewhere.
The team challenge in the Jeep was pretty fun. This is how it played out:

Psycho (she was our crew chief): "Okay, we will go in order of tallest to shortest driver. It is easier for me to move the seat forward."

Me: Let me just moved to the back of the line immediately.

Psycho: "So this is how it's gonna work. The first driver will get in and drive the course. When they finish, the next driver will be at the ready to get in the car. The first driver will get out of the car with the seat belt in hand stepping back toward the back passenger door to allow the next driver to get in. They will hand the new driver the seat belt so they may strap in and go."

Alright, it seems easy enough. But some people had a little more trouble than others. I got the pep talk from Psycho (cause who wouldn't want a pep talk from someone named Psycho!) about what I had to do as the last driver.

The Smell of Asphalt, the Taste of Glory! Part 1

This past Sunday was one of the coolest days I have ever experienced. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get a chance to test drive and beat the hell out of several different cars in one day!

The SRT Drive school that Chrysler has is a full day of adrenaline pumping, tire-screaming, engine-revving excitement!!!

They break the day out into several "modules":

• Advanced Car Control
• Autocross
• Full-Throttle Challenge
• Performance Drive
• Hot Laps

Advanced Car Control/Autocross

Of course the first module of the day, 'adv car control', they put me in a Caliber SRT4, which is a manual transmission.

"I can't drive a manual transmission," I lean in with a whisper to my crew chief.

"No worries," she says. "We'll put another instructor in there and get you moving. Besides, you won't come out of 1st gear for this module."

Cool.

Later, with two engine stalls and the worst times recorded, we move onto the Viper course. (I did drive the Jeep in the first module and that was pretty sweet though!)

The Viper. Can I just say how hot of a car this is? I mean...

Tell me that isn't hot. I dare you!

Yep. Stalled the engine in that baby, too. Such is life. I had fun. And I did get better at getting the car into gear, so it wasn't a total bust.

Full Throttle Challenge

The next couple hours were spent getting into Chargers, Magnums, 300's and Jeeps sitting side-by-side. With the call of one of the instructors, "Drivers ready?!?!!" we watched the amber lights count down to green, where we put all of our might onto the gas...and then brake just as hard!!!
We were timed on our reaction time, as well as how long it to to race the track. They averaged the times out and the best drive won. After a few test runs we were assigned numbers, and the competition began.

I did well in my first couple races but then was promptly knocked to the bottom. All kept saying was, "Would someone beat that other guy who keeps winning!" And this is how it played out:

I handed the guy in the Black Jeep his walking papers when I left him in my dust!

The instructor on the right handed me my time and told me to get my rear into the Red Magnum, so I could race in the finals.

This is where I looked directly at Rich and said, "How in the hell did I make it into the finals?"

I quickly sized up the track once last time. Did a little trash talking, which was encouraged!

We raced neck and neck! I put everything I had into the gas!

As I got out of the car begging the guy on the left tell me I was starting down at the time ticket which said, "Winner". But it didn't quite register...

Until here. All I could do was smile as everyone applauded me. The moron who can't drive a stick, but can kick tail in a drag race!!!

I swore the next time we did this (and there will be a next time, oh yes, there will) I will know how to drive a manual transmission.

Cars are cool. Enough said.

Lone Soldiers Guard the Desert

The next time you are flipping through channels on the television and come across an old western, if it takes place anywhere other than the central and southern Arizona (and a little in S.E. CA and N.W. Mexico) and has a Saguaro Cactus in the background, it is not an accurate depiction!

We began our morning early to Chandler, AZ. We pulled out of the resort in Carefree and headed out before the sun began to rise. But it was beginning to make it's entrance. And just as we approached the gate of the resort I pulled to the side of the road and caught this.



I saw these beautiful cacti pepper the landscape in the moonlight. They are equally awesome in the early dawn.

The desert has without a doubt it's own unique beauty that should be experienced! Spring and Fall are the best times of year to visit, too. Especially is you are not a fan scorching heat. I like heat, but I am not sure what my opinion would be if I visited in August.

I like green, lush landscapes. But I find that my imagination dances anytime I gaze into the desert. What a word, "desert". It's so, uh...deserted...alone...peaceful. The peace the desert has is far from desolate. There is so much life all around, and these giants watch over all of it.

From Damp and Cold to Crisp and Dry in 4 Hours

Phoenix Airport

This wouldn't be a road trip blog if I didn't regale you with our experiences of getting our rental car and driving to the resort.

Our flight departed Atlanta late. We ended up in Phoenix well after midnight. The pilot hauled, and we paid for it through some wicked turbulence! We went through the normal luggage ritual: watch the first 5 pieces drop on the turny thing and then nothing for fifteen minutes until the luggage pours out.

On the shuttle drive to the car rental building the driver clued us in on this little nugget of information, "Ladies and gentlemen, the car rental desks all normally close at 1am (it's after that time by this point), but the last drop I did Hertz was still open, so we'll see what happens."

HUH???!!!

Those who know me can probably see what followed my initial reaction, so I'm not going to rehash some of the colorful language that danced in my mind and escaped my mouth (very briefly--I'm on vacation, just let it go Desiree). Let's just say I was surprised by Phoenix airports, uh, small-town-po-dunk approach to taking care of air travelers.

So we pulled up and sure enough a lot of the desks are dark. But fortunately, the company we rented our vehicle through still had the office in the pick up garage open, whew! See, I knew it would all work out (looking around sheepishly).

The Rental

I had reserved a Jeep Cherokee. Well duh, look at the picture on my blog, and all the pictures in our travels. Are you really all that surprised? I was surprised when they said they were all gone. Now what's the point in reserving...sigh...nevermind. We could have opted for the Suzuki XL, or LX, STIX, PIXIE STIX---something like that. But instead we stuck to our guns and upgraded to this:

She a beauty, trail-rated and all! The Jeep Commander. Okay, it's not our SRT8, but it's a Jeep, and that's what counts...to us anyway.

The Drive to the Resort

I am going to spare you all the details about how we got lost, with a navigation system that was an extra charge, after market device. And yes, commanders, like all Jeeps comes standard with their own navigation system, but the rental joint doesn't use them...racket! I'm going to spare those details, cause they could go on for another 5 paragraphs.

There wasn't a soul on the roads. It was approaching 2am, so I guess that had something to do with it. It was refreshing. The roads are very well maintained!!! And something we noticed on Operation Griswald (see earlier posts from March) was that out west when they build bridges, they incorporate art into the concrete. I didn't snap a picture (maybe tomorrow if I see any), but they had mosaic geckos into the bridges! Cool! And when we got to the city of Carefree (yes that is the name of the town where the resort is!!) the intersection and lighting was done very well. It was very obvious that city planners thought all these details through before building.

Again, I said it was late, so it was difficult to see a lot of landmarks. But the one thing I noticed on our last leg of the drive was that the moonlight put off a glow in the sky and what I could see were cacti outlined with a deep purple/black back-drop. Gorgeous. And that was in the dark!

Until next time.

Traveling at its Finest!

So here I sit, in the busiest airport in the world. Well, that's what I hear over the loudspeaker. "Welcome to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport."

To my left is a woman who clearly doesn't know the volume of her own voice. And periodically an airport worker shuttles individuals in cadillac-esque golf carts to and fro of individuals either incapable, or unwilling to walk. "Beep-beep, toot-toot, excuse me!"

Just in case anyone ever wondered why I prefer road trips.

Operation Test Drive - T-minus 2 Days!

Tickets Purchased - No Turning Back!

I have to honestly say that even after my last post I wasn't convinced it was going to happen. The time has been ticking away and we had a lot of planning to do. Not because it would be hard to actually book the SRT Drive school. But because between the two off us we had to coordinate schedules that included work, family obligations and school. Sigh, yes, we considered our academic progress...or regress should we decide to take this trip.

The SRT Drive school has three more dates for 2008 available.

• Phoenix, AZ this coming weekend
• Willows, CA November 20-21
• Northern CA the 1st weekend of December

We would really like to go to Northern California, but not in December. Willows, CA was truly our first choice. We could fly into Ontario airport and go to Hollywood and be total star-struck tourists! But it just wasn't meant to be. Instead, it is off to Phoenix for this road-trip crazed duo.

NASCAR, Indy, Monster Truck Rallies - Aren't They All the Same?

It didn't dawn on me where this school would be held. A raceway of sorts I guess. I should probably let everyone know, I am not a NASCAR fan. The whole sport has never captured my attention. I may anger someone with this next statement, but I put NASCAR in the same bucket with golf. Watching cars go round and round in circles is about as exciting as someone trying to sink a hole-in-one.

As I was saying, I assumed we would be going to a a NASCAR track. When I investigated further (because we need to know how to get to the track after all), I discovered our day would be spent at the Firebird International Speedway. Like I said, I'm not up on racing, but I am pretty sure this is not a NASCAR speedway, but more of a drag racing, Indy-type raceway. Regardless of where it is, I am pretty stoked about what we will be doing. So I plan to have oodles of pictures and video next week!

Because we decided to go this weekend, we had to be creative in our planning of the trip. Rich has an exam Monday he cannot miss and I have a presentation on Tuesday, so we are doing a weekend, and that's it! The last minute nature did not make for cheap plane tickets either. However, I discovered if we took a red-eye flight back home Sunday/Monday, we would save $100 on each ticket. This extended our trip too!

The Itinerary: Operation...Test Drive

Initially, we would fly in on Friday...late, and do the drive school on Saturday (8 hours!!). then fly out late Sunday afternoon. But now that we are taking the red-eye, we have all day Saturday to be tourists and go to the driving school on Sunday.

I booked our stay at the The Boulders Resort and Golden Spa. I don't know about you, but I feel relaxed just looking at the pictures. And we will be renting a Jeep (well, duh) so we can explore on Saturday.

Let's just chalk this ridiculous weekend up as an early Christmas present.

The Experience of a Lifetime

The time is nearing us. The clock is ticking. Time to take the trip of a lifetime. With the purchase of any new Dodge SRT8 series vehicle, the owner has an invitation to visit a race track of their choice and learn from the professionals how to drive these awesome vehicles!

The SRT8 Track Experience is said to be an "entire day of full-throttle action for SRT vehicle owners and performance enthusiasts alike."

Who wouldn't want to go?

But I'm not the owner, Rich is. When I told him he should just go ahead and do the driving school and the track experience, he wasn't having it. He said he wanted me there to. It's not exactly a cheap day at the races! But when does anyone get a chance to test drive: Dodge Viper SRT10, Charger SRT8, Caliber SRT4, Grand Cherokee SRT8, Magnum SRT8, Chrysler 300C SRT8, all in one day!!!!

Well, when you put it that way, where do I sign up?

It's looking like we may be taking a trip out to Arizona for a quick (in more than one way) weekend of motor head fun!

Check them out, the Track Experience would make a perfect holiday gift for that man who has everything!!!