March 26, 2011

Phoenix to Scottsdale to Flagstaff

I left my motel about 8:00 a.m. this morning and drove to the Old Town area of Scottsdale. Ordered a latte and cheese pastry at the Starbucks and finished working on my blog from the previous day. The internet service at my motel was sporadic. I then walked around the charming Old Town area.

Next was a drive to Taliesin West, the Frank Lloyd Wright desert National Historic Landmark. Frank Lloyd Wright "literally created Taliesin West out of the desert. He and his apprentices gathered rocks from the desert floor and sand from the washes to build the desert masterpiece."

I arrived just in time for the 90-minute guided tour of the facilities.

Frank Lloyd Wright spent most winters here, along with apprentices, who helped design and build Taliesin West.

This photo is of the theater where the stage area can be altered to accommodate all types of productions.

This is the cabaret theater with excellent accoustics. The room is cone-shaped, somewhat like a megaphone, and the sound is amazing.

Additional information about Taliesin West is available at http://www.franklloydwright.org/

I drove back to Scottsdale for a Giants spring training game - Giants vs. Reds - and arrived just as the ballpark opened.

Tim Lincecum pitched through 5 innings and gave up 6 runs; not his best outing. But the Giants scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning and won the game 9 to 6. Giants' player of the game was Pablo Sandoval. The Panda has lost weight from last season, made some excellent fielding plays, got a couple of hits, and was a marvel at base running. He actually slid into 3rd base safely and a couple of pitches later slid into home plate safely on a wild pitch. Fun game; great weather. Attendence: 12,096.

Here's a view of the field from my seat along the first base line.

Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey right before game time.

A view from the outfield.

After the game I decided to drive to Flagstaff to get an early start tomorrow for my first visit to the Grand Canyon and arrived in Flagstaff about 8:30 p.m. Checked into Super 8 Motel and had dinner at Chili's.

March 25, 2011

Kingman, AZ to Phoenix, AZ

I left Kingman this morning about 8:00 a.m. and drove the 189 miles to Phoenix.The countryside looks much the same as from Las Vegas to Kingman with two definite exceptions.

Beginning at Wikieup, AZ, I began noticing this Saguaro cactus plant. I understand this cactus only grows in the southern region of Arizona and nowhere else on earth. Their appearance was quite dramatic against the rather bleak desert landscape.

 

About 100 miles or so beyond Wikieup, Highway 93 becomes the Joshua Forest Parkway with the appearance of Joshua Trees.

I arrived in Phoenix about noon and went immediately to Phoenix Municipal Stadium, home of the Oakland A's spring training games.

I purchased my ticket online in January and had a great seat, row 8 behind home plate. It turns out that the game was sold out (8,500 attendance); the only time this season. The weather was perfect, 72 degrees, clear skies.

The A's played the Anaheim Angels and the game was not even close. Final score Angels 10, A's 3.

Angels highlight: 16 hits, 11 of which were for extra bases.
A's highlight: homerun by Andy LaRoche.
Fan highlight: Foul ball caught by guy in wheelchair.

                                                Here are several photos taken from my seat.

This photo was taken from the left field bleachers.

In my effort to try the local cuisine whenever I travel, I had dinner at Bill Johnson's Big Apple "Arizona Cookin' done right." This is a fun place with great service, great atmosphere, and good food.

This is a cowboy-type steak house with huge portions. Last night's special was all-you-can-eat barbeque ribs and tonight's special all-you-can-eat fried cod.

I chose the 10 oz. prime rib dinner (see photo below). Also available are the 15 oz. and 20 oz. prime rib dinners.

I drove around the downtown area of Phoenix for about 30 minutes to get a feel for the area and then checked into my motel room at Econo Lodge near the A's ballpark.

Tomorrow it's Scottsdale and a Giants vs. Reds game.  GO GIANTS!

March 24, 2011

San Francisco-Las Vegas-Hoover Dam-Kingman, AZ

Much of the day was devoted to travel. SuperShuttle 6:30 a.m. to San Francisco Airport; Southwest flight #156 at 9:00 a.m. to Las Vegas; car rental at Las Vegas Airport 11:00 a.m; drove to Hoover Dam and then on to Kingman, AZ. 

Arrived at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 1:00 p.m.

This photo of Hoover Dam was taken from the walkway of the new Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tilman Bridge.

Here's the welcoming sign for those wanting to walk across the bridge.

I walked across the bridge and back. It was quite windy and a bit frightening when looking down at Hoover Dam. But what a view!!

I took this photo of Hoover Dam from the center of the bridge walkway.

This is the pedestrian walkway on the bridge.

This photo shows both the walkway on the left and the roadway.

Here are four views of the bridge from different locations.

I went on a tour of Hoover Dam several years ago, so I headed for Kingman, AZ.

                           These photos are typical of the landscape from Hoover Dam to Kingman.

Checked into Roadway Inn on Andy Devine Avenue in Kingman, AZ about 6:00 p.m.
(I think Andy Devine was an actor in the1950's - I must look that up.) 

I had dinner at jb's Family Restaurant. Now for a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow Phoenix and an A's game.