Paella in Santa Fe

I spent a few days in Albuquerque this week and really enjoyed the authenticity of the Southwestern experience. Last time I was there I ate at the Monte Carlo which was featured on Guy Fiere's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." This time I had to follow-up on an episode that featured Sophia's Place and, as usual, it did not disappoint. The cod fish tacos were yummy but the pinon nut brownie was absolutely the best brownie I ever tasted! While in ABQ I was also able to get my fix of Texas BBQ at Rudy's; had the pulled pork and green chile stew. The big event of the trip however, albiet, I did have to do some work while I was there, was the Friday trip to Santa Fe. That is a really cool/historic/eclectic town! I dined at El Meson which is an authentic Spanish place where the chef/owner hails from Madrid. The bread was crunchy good, the sangria flowed like wine ;-) and the Pallea a la Valenciana was superb. Bomba rice cooked with saffron then loaded with chorizo, chicken, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops and Mahi-Mahi is a recipe for heavenly dining! When in Santa Fe dine at El Meson.

Walter Trout at the Rhythm Room

Went to the Rhythm Room last night and had a blast! It's a great juke joint in downtown Phoenix (maybe juke joint is a stretch but we're not even near the delta out here) where all the blues masters pass through. The last time I saw Walter Trout was in Vegas with Bob, Aimee and Pat. That was a great show but the energy gets cranked up at the Rhythm Room due to it's limited seating and capacity. The crowd was roaring as Walter tore it up on his Strat for nearly 2 hours. After Walter and his band departed (they too are masters at their craft) the Rhythm Room All-Stars featuring Big Pete Pearson (vocals) and Bob Corritore (harp) got the crowd off their seats and on their feet with their dance friendly blues grooves.

Mountain Biking in Sedona

Steve and I headed up to Cottonwood Thursday afternoon and set up camp at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Had dinner and a couple beers then turned in early for Friday's adventure. After eggs and grilled pork chops for breakfast we drove 20 minutes up the road to Sedona and entered Bell Rock Park. Most of the day was spent on the bikes. The Bell Rock Pathway is a rolling trail that heads west past Bell Rock towards Chappel of the Holy Cross. We turned off onto numerous singletrack trails and, even though we hiked the bikes in a few spots, the outback was spectacular. Following 4 plus hours on the bikes we devoured our lunch in the parking lot and headed across the street to Bike and Bean for a cup of java to go. Leaving Sedona we passed back through Cottonwood and headed up the mountain for another cup of joe in Jerome. The veiw accross the Verde Valley to the San Francisco Peaks was as brilliant as I've ever seen it. Back at camp we cooked up some garlic chicken, garlic fries and a salad. Another evening by the campfire and it was early to bed for some tired legs. Got up Saturday morning and had eggs and garlic chicken then packed up and headed back to the Valley of the Sun.

Montezuma's Castle & Sedona

Drove up north with Christine & Steve yesterday to see the cliff dwellings and do some mountain biking. Montezuma's Castle (Montezuma was never there) is always an interesting place to visit. The Sinagua Indians built their cliff fortresses near Beaver Creek and prospered in the northern
Arizona desert 700 years ago. After a picnic lunch we continued on to Sedona. Christine did some walking and window shopping while Steve and I went mountain biking. The Bell Rock trail was a great ride even though both bikes encountered derailleur issues. Could have been a negative vortex at work, who knows? But nothing was going to deter us on a beautiful March afternoon in Red Rock country. We snapped a few sunset photos then had dinner at the Cowboy Club. Ben, our server was exceptional and the food (buffalo burger, skewered buffalo with indian flat bread and salad with grilled chicken) was pleasing to the eye and palate.

Arizona Renaissance Festival

Steve flew out from Atlanta where it was snowing this morning to a beautiful March day in the Valley of the Sun. We left Sky Harbor Airport and drove immediately to the Renaissance Festival. The turkey drumsticks were yummy as was the beer and brats. The 3 of us strolled through the grounds that were covered with renaissance era clothing, jewelry and food shops. The entertainment was first rate. We ate, watched a falconry show then saw some swashbuckling sword fighting, ate some more, saw a musical/comedy/juggling show ate some more then finished with the jousting tournament. Had a fantastic day and went home slightly sun burnt. Quite a bit different than March first in Atlanta.