The following is my recollections of how myself and my two sons spent an incredible week in Arizona last summer, enjoying the scenery, the local flavor, and of course some golf. I plan on presenting it in different postings. Should it hold your interest, please enjoy.
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An Arizona Adventure
The story of how a dream vacation quickly became a reality
by Carl Trudel
As I sit here at home recovering from a recent illness, the television in the background continuously covers the upcoming Super Bowl between New York and New England. What makes this upcoming game so significant is its’ location….Arizona. Not such an unusual fact to most people, but seeing the scenery in the backgrounds will always take me back to a series of events which would eventually develop into literally a dream come true.
We begin at a local fast food restaurant in early 2007. Brian and I usually find ways to occasionally have lunch together on one of my days off. It’s become kind of a nice custom, especially now that he has moved out on his own. Needless to say I look forward to them. On this day the conversation took on its’ usual air of sports, except somehow or other, the subject of his travel club membership came up. I quizzed him about it with great interest and he pointed out to me that it could be utilized by any member of our family, and not just him. Not much else was made of this and the usual father and son chatter continued.
In the meantime, Matt the younger of my two sons, found himself preparing to face the home stretch of his high school days. Looking back on his high school experiences, his time on the golf team seemed pretty special, despite not always seeing eye to eye with the coach. The previous summer he attended golf camp in southern Virginia for a week with his friend and fellow teammate Mike, it proved to help his game immensely. Matt loved the game so much that he got a job at a local golf course. It’s amusing to think that Brian was the one who turned Matt and me onto the game, and we’ve all grown to like it.
My love of Arizona has never been a secret. I’ve always wondered what playing golf on Arizona desert courses would be like. The scenery, the climate, the sheer beauty of these courses is enough to make any golfer a little envious. At my computer one evening, Brian had stopped by and mentioned that there would be a possibility he could get access to a luxury condo in Arizona for only $200 for the week. And so, with that revelation, the planning stage for a one week golf getaway kicked into full force. Everything from that point just seemed to fall into place for all of us. Both Brian and I had a week’s vacation coming, and Matt was able to get off from his job at the golf course.
Our schedule called for our departure on Saturday morning on the 16th of June and returning the following Saturday evening. The planning continued for another week or two which resulted in a well outlined itinerary that included a day trip to the Grand Canyon, dining at Alice Cooper’s restaurant, and a Baltimore Orioles game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. We tried to fit in as much as we could in our seven day period.
Saturday June 16:
All preparation and packing having been tended to, sleep turned out to be a rare commodity the night before the trip. Saturday the 16th was finally here, and it was early rising to make an 8:40 AM flight. As we prepared to go through security at BWI, I thought taking off our shoes seemed pretty silly, since my portable GPS unit commandeered little attention. This was listed as a direct flight but did result in a stop over in Detroit. Other than our brief stop, the flight was truly uneventful.
At 1:40 PM MT (11:40 AM EST) we landed at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport. I should probably note here that Arizona is one of the states that do not observe Daylight Savings Time. This means that it is always on Mountain Time, thus only a two hour time difference.
As we were taxiing to the terminal, the thought of what the Arizona climate was going to feel like kept my mind well occupied. When we finally stepped into the long hallway to the terminal from the aircraft, the heat felt no different than a hot summer day back in Maryland, but that would soon prove to be a mere deception from Mother Nature.
It was now time to play tourist and follow the herds to the baggage claim area. A little tougher assignment today, given the additional baggage of golf clubs, but we managed nicely. I then kept looking for the rental car booths which are so prevalent at terminals, but failed to spot any. After some inquiry I soon learned that they were all located in a separate building a short distance from the airport. Shuttle buses awaited passengers outside to ferry us there.
So far, so good. That is until we actually went outside to catch the bus. Now we experienced the actual ‘dry heat’ of the desert; “107 degrees today“, according to the driver. What we were told was very true. One learns very quickly that although you may not sweat, plenty of water and sun screen become part of your daily ritual.
As we were being chauffeured to get our rental car, we got our first look at the Arizona countryside. While on the freeway I noticed that cactus were in abundance and very much incorporated into the well manicured roadside landscaping. Bridges were constructed of sand colored concrete with the typical native Indian décor designed directly into them. There was, however, one thing that seemed to be missing, and the more we looked, the more difficult it became to spot grass. It was scarce to say the least; not many places had it. I remember thinking to myself that lawnmower sales in this area must not have been too profitable.
Finally we approach what seems to be an office type building, complete with accompanying parking garage. The signs eventually reveal that we’ve arrived at the home of our transportation for the next seven days. At the agency counter, the agent processes our reservation and informs us that our car for the week will be a Ford Taurus. This did not meet our needs space wise, as we needed enough to not only accommodate three adults, but also three sets of golf clubs. Then, in an attempt by the agent to mend the issue, she tried to suggest a Jeep Liberty, stating that it would have more room. Well, to make a long story short, we negotiated our way into a Grand Marquee. Enough about the car already!!!
Before departing Baltimore, we made a list of places we intended on visiting and entered them into our Garmin Portable GPS’ memory. Our condo address was entered into the system as our origination point, thus no matter where we went, we easily found our way back simply by pushing ’Home’. Now the time came for us to put our GPS to work.
Our original itinerary called for us to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens once we arrived, as our scheduled check in time to our resort condo was much later. Almost unanimously everyone started talking food, and the decision was made to take in lunch first. We decided to drive into town and find Majerle’s, where we promptly refueled. Being that this place is named after its’ owner, former Phoenix Suns star Bob Majerle; it was understandably decked out with all kinds of sports memorabilia. One particular thing that fascinated Brian was the Patron tequila dispensing machine on the bar. I think if he would have had the ability to get a hold of one, he would have found a way to bring it home. The food was very good and this restaurant proved to be a great choice to get our vacation week started. Once filled and content, we headed to the Botanical Gardens, where we truly began experiencing the Arizona climate. Armed with our water bottles and cameras, we began exploring the gardens and their natural beauty.
The excessive heat, I’m sure, was the major contributor to the lack of a crowd at the Gardens that afternoon. To say that we saw cactus here would be quite an understatement. The landscapes stretched for what seemed to be miles and miles, capturing the desert’s beauty on a massive scale. We all were quite impressed and in awe of this stunning scenery. I kept noticing holes in some of the cactus, and found out that birds make their nests inside because it is cool and moist. Makes sense when you consider that cactus roots go deep into the ground and absorb lots of water, thus the inner moisture.
After our scenic tour of the Botanical Gardens, we headed to check into our condominium, which was located north of downtown Phoenix. The drive wasn’t too long and we eventually pulled into the Pointe Resort Condominiums at Tapatio Cliffs. Entry to the grounds required a code to open the main gate. Our building was located in the first cluster of this rather large complex consisting of many buildings. The unit was on the second floor facing the parking lot.
___________________________________________
An Arizona Adventure
The story of how a dream vacation quickly became a reality
by Carl Trudel
As I sit here at home recovering from a recent illness, the television in the background continuously covers the upcoming Super Bowl between New York and New England. What makes this upcoming game so significant is its’ location….Arizona. Not such an unusual fact to most people, but seeing the scenery in the backgrounds will always take me back to a series of events which would eventually develop into literally a dream come true.
We begin at a local fast food restaurant in early 2007. Brian and I usually find ways to occasionally have lunch together on one of my days off. It’s become kind of a nice custom, especially now that he has moved out on his own. Needless to say I look forward to them. On this day the conversation took on its’ usual air of sports, except somehow or other, the subject of his travel club membership came up. I quizzed him about it with great interest and he pointed out to me that it could be utilized by any member of our family, and not just him. Not much else was made of this and the usual father and son chatter continued.
In the meantime, Matt the younger of my two sons, found himself preparing to face the home stretch of his high school days. Looking back on his high school experiences, his time on the golf team seemed pretty special, despite not always seeing eye to eye with the coach. The previous summer he attended golf camp in southern Virginia for a week with his friend and fellow teammate Mike, it proved to help his game immensely. Matt loved the game so much that he got a job at a local golf course. It’s amusing to think that Brian was the one who turned Matt and me onto the game, and we’ve all grown to like it.
My love of Arizona has never been a secret. I’ve always wondered what playing golf on Arizona desert courses would be like. The scenery, the climate, the sheer beauty of these courses is enough to make any golfer a little envious. At my computer one evening, Brian had stopped by and mentioned that there would be a possibility he could get access to a luxury condo in Arizona for only $200 for the week. And so, with that revelation, the planning stage for a one week golf getaway kicked into full force. Everything from that point just seemed to fall into place for all of us. Both Brian and I had a week’s vacation coming, and Matt was able to get off from his job at the golf course.
Our schedule called for our departure on Saturday morning on the 16th of June and returning the following Saturday evening. The planning continued for another week or two which resulted in a well outlined itinerary that included a day trip to the Grand Canyon, dining at Alice Cooper’s restaurant, and a Baltimore Orioles game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. We tried to fit in as much as we could in our seven day period.
Saturday June 16:
All preparation and packing having been tended to, sleep turned out to be a rare commodity the night before the trip. Saturday the 16th was finally here, and it was early rising to make an 8:40 AM flight. As we prepared to go through security at BWI, I thought taking off our shoes seemed pretty silly, since my portable GPS unit commandeered little attention. This was listed as a direct flight but did result in a stop over in Detroit. Other than our brief stop, the flight was truly uneventful.
At 1:40 PM MT (11:40 AM EST) we landed at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport. I should probably note here that Arizona is one of the states that do not observe Daylight Savings Time. This means that it is always on Mountain Time, thus only a two hour time difference.
As we were taxiing to the terminal, the thought of what the Arizona climate was going to feel like kept my mind well occupied. When we finally stepped into the long hallway to the terminal from the aircraft, the heat felt no different than a hot summer day back in Maryland, but that would soon prove to be a mere deception from Mother Nature.
It was now time to play tourist and follow the herds to the baggage claim area. A little tougher assignment today, given the additional baggage of golf clubs, but we managed nicely. I then kept looking for the rental car booths which are so prevalent at terminals, but failed to spot any. After some inquiry I soon learned that they were all located in a separate building a short distance from the airport. Shuttle buses awaited passengers outside to ferry us there.
So far, so good. That is until we actually went outside to catch the bus. Now we experienced the actual ‘dry heat’ of the desert; “107 degrees today“, according to the driver. What we were told was very true. One learns very quickly that although you may not sweat, plenty of water and sun screen become part of your daily ritual.
As we were being chauffeured to get our rental car, we got our first look at the Arizona countryside. While on the freeway I noticed that cactus were in abundance and very much incorporated into the well manicured roadside landscaping. Bridges were constructed of sand colored concrete with the typical native Indian décor designed directly into them. There was, however, one thing that seemed to be missing, and the more we looked, the more difficult it became to spot grass. It was scarce to say the least; not many places had it. I remember thinking to myself that lawnmower sales in this area must not have been too profitable.
Finally we approach what seems to be an office type building, complete with accompanying parking garage. The signs eventually reveal that we’ve arrived at the home of our transportation for the next seven days. At the agency counter, the agent processes our reservation and informs us that our car for the week will be a Ford Taurus. This did not meet our needs space wise, as we needed enough to not only accommodate three adults, but also three sets of golf clubs. Then, in an attempt by the agent to mend the issue, she tried to suggest a Jeep Liberty, stating that it would have more room. Well, to make a long story short, we negotiated our way into a Grand Marquee. Enough about the car already!!!
Before departing Baltimore, we made a list of places we intended on visiting and entered them into our Garmin Portable GPS’ memory. Our condo address was entered into the system as our origination point, thus no matter where we went, we easily found our way back simply by pushing ’Home’. Now the time came for us to put our GPS to work.
Our original itinerary called for us to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens once we arrived, as our scheduled check in time to our resort condo was much later. Almost unanimously everyone started talking food, and the decision was made to take in lunch first. We decided to drive into town and find Majerle’s, where we promptly refueled. Being that this place is named after its’ owner, former Phoenix Suns star Bob Majerle; it was understandably decked out with all kinds of sports memorabilia. One particular thing that fascinated Brian was the Patron tequila dispensing machine on the bar. I think if he would have had the ability to get a hold of one, he would have found a way to bring it home. The food was very good and this restaurant proved to be a great choice to get our vacation week started. Once filled and content, we headed to the Botanical Gardens, where we truly began experiencing the Arizona climate. Armed with our water bottles and cameras, we began exploring the gardens and their natural beauty.
The excessive heat, I’m sure, was the major contributor to the lack of a crowd at the Gardens that afternoon. To say that we saw cactus here would be quite an understatement. The landscapes stretched for what seemed to be miles and miles, capturing the desert’s beauty on a massive scale. We all were quite impressed and in awe of this stunning scenery. I kept noticing holes in some of the cactus, and found out that birds make their nests inside because it is cool and moist. Makes sense when you consider that cactus roots go deep into the ground and absorb lots of water, thus the inner moisture.
After our scenic tour of the Botanical Gardens, we headed to check into our condominium, which was located north of downtown Phoenix. The drive wasn’t too long and we eventually pulled into the Pointe Resort Condominiums at Tapatio Cliffs. Entry to the grounds required a code to open the main gate. Our building was located in the first cluster of this rather large complex consisting of many buildings. The unit was on the second floor facing the parking lot.
The condo was very spacious and had everything one could want. A washer and dryer, fire place (although it was doubtful we’d be using it with the 100+ temperatures), cable, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two balconies. The master bedroom had its’ own bath and balcony. Seeing as Brian had picked up the lodging tab, it was only right that he enjoy the master; besides a bed is just that, a bed!
Once unpacked and settled in, we firmed up plans and decided to go out and shop for necessities, such as snacks and bottled water, which we would definitely need when we set out on the golf courses. Finding such places as grocery stores, shopping malls, and gas stations was no problem with our Garmin.
<-to be continued->
Once unpacked and settled in, we firmed up plans and decided to go out and shop for necessities, such as snacks and bottled water, which we would definitely need when we set out on the golf courses. Finding such places as grocery stores, shopping malls, and gas stations was no problem with our Garmin.
<-to be continued->
3 comments:
Carl,
I think you did a great job of recounting your dream vacation. I got jealous just reading it.
Andy
Hi Carl, I enjoyed reading your AAA "An Arizona Adventure" and looking forward to reading more. BB
Hi Carl, I enjoyed reading your AAA "An Arizona Adventure" and looking forward to more. BB
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