We finished our visit with Jeanne and Fred with breakfast at Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank. This is the oldest remaining Bob’s Big Boy restaurant in America and was built in 1949. The neon sign out front is original and there is even a neon sign advertising car-hop service, though this service is no longer available. Although this is advertised as the home of the original double deck hamburger (McDonalds copied it) we were there for breakfast so I will have to return to try their hamburger.
After lunch we headed east one hour to Redlands CA and a visit with Mary’s cousin, Kathleen, and her husband, George. It is a rare sight to see them in their Redlands home and, in fact, if it hadn’t been for an unforeseen ski accident to Kathleen, they would not be home. Since she was on required convalescence we were able to enjoy a nice visit with the two of them. George grilled steaks for dinner and somehow by the end of the evening we had finished off a bottle of whiskey. Hopefully Kathleen will recover quickly and we will see them at the next family function on the East Coast.
Burbank CA is best described as a small oasis town in the valley behind the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, filled with numerous single family homes interspersed among the several major studios and backlots of production icons such as Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers, to name a few. On our first day visit, after a breakfast of avocado toast on home-made sourdough bread, we drove a short distance into to Simi Valley to visit the Presidential Library of Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan holds special meaning to me – he was President of the United States for the first eight years of my naval service. I marched in his Inauguration Parade as a Midshipman at the US Naval Academy in January 1981. As President, he signed my Commissioning Certificate when I graduated from the US Naval Academy and was commissioned as a Naval Officer in May of that same year. I attended a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in 1986 where he spoke. And, as a Navy Captain in June 2004, I stood along Constitution Avenue in Washington DC and saluted his Caisson as he was transferred from the Capitol to the National Cathedral for his funeral.
His Presidential Library is in a beautiful locations in the Hills above Simi Valley. The complex is designed as a ranch and houses numerous memorabilia from his term as president, including the actual Boeing 707 Air Force One aircraft used by him in his presidency. It took us about 4 hours to tour the facility and we enjoyed every minute.
Following this visit we went to the Smoke House Restaurant in Burbank for dinner. They are advertised as home of the World’s Greatest Garlic cheese bread and it did not disappoint. The Smoke House was established in 1946 and is just outside Warner Brothers Studio. It is a favorite hangout of famous actors, actresses, and producers. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby and others of their time once enjoyed the original restaurant location. In the 60s Cowboy and Indian extras would stop in for lunch often still in their costumes from a film shooting.
On Tuesday we began the day with a walk around Lake Hollywood which is located just below the Hollywood sign. What a beautiful park it was! This was a 3.5 mile walk around the lake; a perfect distance for a walk to start the day.
We then picked up my sister, Mary, and went to the Hollywood restaurant, El Compadre, for lunch. For those who have streamed the series, “Bosch”, this restaurant is familiar as the main characters often met here in the show. They also have a flaming margarita which Mary and I enjoyed.
After a good night sleep at Jim and Sherry’s we attended Palm Sunday Mass at their Parish, Holy Trinity, and then enjoyed a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs before continuing our travels. We left Jim and Sherry making egg salad sandwiches for a Masters Golf Tournament party that they were attending.
Our next stop enroute to Burback was Marri’s Pizza in Long Beach for what can only be described as the best pizza on the planet. We met up with Katy, Hank, Jeanne, Fred, and Jeanne’s friend, Lisa, for a wonderful early dinner of pizza and salad, ordering one Marri’s Special pizza (pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom) and a pepperoni pizza.
We took our leftover pizza and drove to Burbank CA to stay with my sister and brother-in-law, Jeanne and Fred, for a couple days of touring LA.
We completed our visit with Steve and Rebecca Saturday with a lunch of Tacos from Taqueria Revolution in Chula Vista. Our visit was too short but we will be back soon.
We drove up I-5 to Ladera Ranch to visit my brother, Jim, and his wife, Sherry. They took us to their country club for cocktails in the beautiful hills of Ladera Ranch. The weather was wonderful, as it usually is in Southern California. Back at their house before dinner Sherry made us her version of Trader Vic’s Mai Tais which were a perfect balance of flavor. Jim then prepared a delicious Australian Wagyu tomahawk ribeye for dinner and Sherry made Irish potatoes and asparagus. The ribeye melted in our mouths and we had an enjoyable evening sipping wine and catching up.
Today is San Diego Zoo Day. We spent the morning at the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park with Steve, Rebecca, and their son Eric. Just as you enter you are met by the iconic flamingos of the San Diego Zoo. It had been decades since Mary and I have been to this Zoo and the changes were surprising. The zoo seems to have doubled in size and the animal enclosures were also very different – larger and with more angles for viewing. This provided a much more natural habitat for the animals as well. As you can see here, the lions were anything but agitated.
The cooler temperature (this seems to be following us across the country) brought many of the animals out into the open spaces, making it easier to view. The elephants were fun to watch. One obviously was interested in skin-enhancing benefits of a mud bath.
After the zoo, we had seafood tacos and ceviche at TJ Oyster Bar in Chula Vista, and a delicious Italian dinner at Ciccia Osteria in Barrio Logan in San Diego.
After a good night sleep in our tent, we woke up relatively early to get on the road to San Diego. There are no direct interstate highways from the Grand Canyon to San Diego so we had to take several smaller highways first across southwest Arizona between I-40 and I-10 and then again across the desert in California from I-10 to I-8. After departing the Grand Canyon we picked up I-40 in Flagstaff but then headed south on Route 89 through the Prescott National Forest. The landscape changed rapidly from the pine forest around the canyon to stark, rugged valleys and plateaus of the Arizona desert.
As we left the Prescott Forest we had to descend a 2000 foot plateau into the lower plain through a series of hairpin switchbacks. The pictures fail to capture the steepness of the road nor the exhilaration of taking those turns at 60 miles an hour.
After reaching I-40 we crossed into California and stopped for lunch at Carl’s Jr. There is no better burger than the Western Bacon Cheeseburger. We also passed through the first of what turned out to be three Immigration check points. As we crossed the California desert on Route 78 we saw what looked like a distant sandstorm on the horizon.
As we continued to approach this phenomenon, it’s mystery continued – sandstorm? brown clouds? Toxic gas?
Then all was revealed – we had happened upon the Imperial Sand Dunes. Formed by the windblown sands of ancient Lake Cahuilla, the dunes extend 40 miles in a band averaging five miles wide. Although I grew up in Southern California I never knew these existed. We crossed through them on Route 78 and it was quite a sight.
We picked up I-8 in El Centro and proceeded toward San Diego. We first encountered the land of the rock piles. These were mountains of rocks that appeared to have been collected and piled high. When then encountered the typical San Diego traffic which delayed our arrival to visit our friends, Steve and Rebecca, in Chula Vista. However, we did arrive in time to join them and their kids, Eric, Alexis, Davis, his wife Dana, for dinner. Steve grilled steak and Rebecca prepared an excellent accompaniment of asparagus and baked potatoes. It was a delicious meal with wonderful conversation.
We survived the night! At 6:30am the temperature was 29 degrees but our preparations resulted in a very comfortable and restful night of sleep. We covered the tent floor with two moving blankets (acquired from the numerous moves we helped with our kids over the past two years) and had an inflatable queen size mattress with a pillow top mattress cover, sheets, and three layers of blankets. The two of us were comfortable throughout the night.
When we checked in, the ranger told us that they reserve a certain number of campsites as “first-come, first-serve” so if we wanted to stay an additional night we just needed to be at the office when they opened and we would be able to get an additional night, though maybe not the same site. Since we wanted to explore the canyon more, I headed over and requested another night. We had to move sites, but it was no problem to relocate our tent and head out for a second day of hiking.
At the suggestion of our daughter, Elizabeth, we decided to take the free shuttle to Hermit’s Rest about7.6 miles west of the village. During the winter, November to the end of February, cars are allowed to drive this road, but March through October the only option is the free shuttle. It is, without a doubt, worth it. There are multiple stops along the route with exceptional views, many including views of the Colorado River. The shuttles run 10 minutes apart to every stop so getting off and on is no problem. There is also a rim trail that runs the entire length so you can get off on one stop, walk to the next stop and pick up a shuttle again. We did that. Although we have been to the canyon several times, we have never seen this side of the park and it was well worth it. The number of views of the river alone were enjoyable, including several of the rapids. We even saw a rare view of rafts transversing the river.
After returning from our trek, we purchased a nice steak and cooked it over our fire using marshmallow roasting forks. It came out perfect, and with a shrimp cocktail appetizer, salad, and wine, made a delicious campfire dinner.
We set out early from Phoenix with the plan to make a quick drive to the Grand Canyon and camp overnight in our tent. We haven’t tent camped in over 30 years so there was some trepidation to our plan. especially since the weather reports indicated that nighttime temperatures were dropping below freezing along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon; but what’s an adventure without a little trepidation?
It’s about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon which would leave us time for a hike into the canyon. Several people recommended we visit Sedona AZ so we decided to leave the interstate and drive through Sedona on our way. This added about a half hour but was well worth it for the view. The canyon surrounding Sedona is stunning, with deep red canyon walls offset by the green fauna surrounding them. I imagine there are some beautiful hiking trails in the area as well, though we didn’t stop.
As we left the mountains around Sedona, the landscape flattened out and remained flat all the way into the park, However, as the elevation increased, the shrubs and bushes gave way to trees and tall pines. It’s easy to imagine what it must have been like for the first visitors to the canyon thinking they were on a continuous plain until you reach the edge of the canyon and are struck by the immensity of its expanse.
We checked into our campsite early afternoon and pitched our tent before heading out on our hike. Almost immediately we were visited by a couple of elk casually walking through the camping area. The elk were a near continuous presence in the campground. Although very large they were rather docile and did not seem bothered by people in the area.
On previous visits to the Grand Canyon we would hike down Bright Angel Trail which begins at the village. This trip we decided to hike the Kaibab Trail about 2 miles east of Bright Angel to get a different view. This trail was built by the National Park Service in the early 1900s as a free alternative to the Bright Angel trail which was privately owned and charged a fee for visitors to walk the trail. The start of the trail is a series of switchbacks down a steep canyon wall and then a fairly constant downhill path out to the first viewpoint know as Ooh Aah Point. The total round trip to Ooh Aah Point is about 2 miles and drops 790 feet from the rim. The views were amazing. No matter how many times we have been to the Grand Canyon, it never ceases to impress on the extent and majesty of the natural beauty.
Pictures can’t catch the beauty of the canyon – it has to be experienced. After our hike we returned to our campsite and headed into the village along the rim for dinner at the Arizona Steakhouse. Although the restaurant looks out over the canyon, we could only get a reservation after sunset so our view was of mostly darkness, hampered by the dining area lights. However, the steak dinner was fabulous and very welcomed after our hike. The beauty of the night with a near full moon caused me to attempt some nighttime pictures. I am amazed at what my Samsung phone camera can capture in what seemed like full darkness.
We returned to our campsite and enjoyed an evening glass of wine and Jiffy Pop popcorn around our roaring fire, then turned in for the cold night.
We’ll see tomorrow how we survive the cold night. 😉
We woke up early Sunday morning to meet Beth, Richard, Emily, Gene, Katie and Eddie at 7am Mass at Queen of Peace church in Mesa. The early start was recommended by Beth and fit well with Gene and Katie’s plans since they had a midday flight back to Norfolk.
After Mass we went back to their apartment where Richard made cappuccino and lattes for everyone. Richard is a coffee aficionado and takes great pride in his coffee skills. We left Emily with Beth and Richard and Mary and I set out for a day hike. Emily’s flight to Oregon was scheduled that evening and Beth agreed to take her so they could spend more sister time together. We decided to try out a burger joint we had seen in another state, Freddie’s Steakburgers and Frozen custard. Typical counter service but the burgers are made to order with shoestring fries. Similar to other fresh ingredient burger places, it takes two patties to equal a quarter pound burger. The burgers were perfectly prepared and very tasty. The shoestring fries were crisp on the outside but still tender inside rather then crunchy sticks. And the frozen custard was extremely creamy and flavorful. A true delight and highly recommended.
After that very filling lunch we headed to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve to walk the Gateway Loop Trail and work off the meal. This is a 4.5 mile trail in the McDowell mountains over rocky terrain and full sun. Thankfully the weather was mild with a nice breeze and the scenery was beautiful. Although the elevation change was 650 feet and the trail was labelled as “difficult” it was a challenge we were both up for, though we did ensure we had plenty of water.
We finished the day with dinner in our vacation club room and settled in for the night.
On Monday we met up with Pat and Ellen for a morning walk around the Biltmore hotel and area followed by taco’s from a great little taco café called Taco Viva. The menu is ala carte and they build the tacos as you watch so you can customize the toppings. The tacos are prepared open and the meat filling was plentiful making two tacos more than enough for a meal. We highly recommend this stop.
Following lunch with Pat and Ellen we joined Beth and Richard at the Desert Botanical Garden. This is a large garden of a multitude variety of desert plant and flowers. Many of the plants were in bloom which made it a colorful visit. Two highlights were the butterfly exhibit featuring butterflies native to Arizona and the orchid exhibit.
Throughout our visit we saw several autonomous, self-driving cars that can be rented similar to Uber, except without a driver. We learned from a rider that these cars are not allowed on freeways but can be taken anywhere via surface roads. It was fascinating to seem them around Phoenix.
We ended our visit with dinner at Los Sombreros in Mesa with Elizabeth and Richard and said our goodbyes since we planned an early morning departure to head north to the Grand Canyon.
Our stop in Phoenix AZ was the principle driver for the timing of our trip – to attend our son-in-law Richard’s opening of his thesis photography show at Arizona State University. On Thursday Richard had his thesis defense which included a review of his gallery and actions to make changes so we were on our own for the day. Our son, Gene, and his wife, Katie, and son, Eddie, flew in about midday. We met them Thursday afternoon and went to dinner at a nice local Itailian restaurant called Oregano’s. Gene and Katie were exhausted but their 2 year old Eddie was bursting with energy. We went back to their hotel and visited while Eddie ran around the atrium and played kickball with a girl’s soccer team that was staying at the hotel. In spite of all this activity, Eddie apparently still woke up at 4am (7am East Coast time) much to his parent’s chagrin.
Our daughter Emily was due to arrive at the airport at 11:30pm but while we were at dinner she texted to inform us her flight was delayed an hour. This delay continued to grow and we finally picked her up and returned to our hotel around 2am. Luckily nothing was planned for Friday morning so we slept in. Mary’s Aunt Joanie and cousin Julia and her two children drove up from Tucson in the afternoon so we met at Gene’s hotel and went to a local park were all the kid’s could play and we could have coffee and socialize before the gallery opening. After a quick early dinner back at Oregano’s (we liked the restaurant but also had to find a non-meat option since it was a Friday in Lent) we headed to Richard’s opening.
Richard’s opening was a success and well attended. He had a hand’s on interactive setup designed to introduce visitors to the art of film photography including a section where visitors could complete the development process of photos to complete a wall mural mosaic. The gallery had several of Richard’s self-built film cameras including one that was his own original design. He discussed the process of exposure and enlargement used to create the larger prints and mosaics on the walls. The most fascinating aspect of this presentation was in recognizing that a single exposed 4 inch by 4 inch negative when enlarged still contained extremely clear details of elements that could not be seen in the smaller image. For example, a small rock which would be no more than a dot in the 4 x 4 image, when enlarged, clearly showed the rock grain and surface detail that could not be seen in the smaller format. His portfolio wall was stunning and encompassed people and places that had specific meaning in his journey and development as a film photography artist, including a photo of my childhood home in Long Beach where Richard spent many days at family gatherings.
On Saturday Mary and I began the day visiting a close friend and roommate from the Naval Academy and his wife, Pat and Ellen, for breakfast and a hike. We hiked in the local Papago Park to a small mount called the Hole in the Rock. The trail rose behind the mount to a hole at the top which brought you out to a view of the Phoenix skyline. The weather was perfect for a hike, in the high 60s with partially cloudy skies. Both the hike and the company were invigorating. We left Pat and Ellen and met our family members, Gene, Katie, Eddie, Emily, Beth, and Richard, at a local arcade and bowling facility that was similar to a cross between Dave & Buster’s and Chuck-E-Cheese. We spent way too much money to win two stuffed animals, but Mary enjoyed her favorite game – Skeeball and David had a plentiful choice of crane games. Beth and Richard took us to their favorite Polish restaurant for pierogis and polish sausage and we finished the evening on their patio around a tabletop solo stove fire.
This Adventure Called Retirement 