Trip Report - St. Louis to Pheonix and Back

[John K BBQ]

After spring break 2020 was a complete bust due to COVID, and spending March 2020 to 2021 mostly locked down, we, being of reasonably good health and desperate for a change of scene, decided to tempt fate and go somewhere. We thought about Florida, and San Padre Island, but decided on Scottsdale AZ for some guaranteed dry weather, sunshine and outdoor activities.

The air travel aspect of the trip was pretty strange to me. I suppose in order to keep the travel industry alive the government decided to toss out the social distancing requirement. The STL airport wasn’t that busy, but airlines being airlines, they are filling flights to 100%. The gate area was packed, and the plane was indeed 100% full. I sort of expected someone to take our temperature at TSA security but that didn’t happen. Apparently, the flying public is on the honor system.

So on to the food. The weather on Sunday was sunny and warm, and the little gas grill on the patio needed a work out so I went to Arcadia Meat Market to buy a tri-tip Sunday morning. I was busy looking at bacon and sausage and such when the guy put the 3 lb tri-tip on the scale and wrapped it. I should have been paying attention because when I got home and unwrapped it, the tri-tip had a fat cap on it which I haven’t had to trim off before! Here’s a pic of the tri-tip with fat cap



Here we are about halfway thru with the VRBO knife (LOL, Sharper Image Knife).



Here's the tri tip, a little further along. Taking it slow and easy...


Here's the tri tip, trimmed and seasoned up. This is a local SPG blend. Good stuff!



Here she is cooked to medium rare and resting in the pan. We’re going to call this a 4 star result which ain’t bad for a road game.



Other things we got to do; Hiking in the Pheonix Mountain Preserve, hiking in the South Mountain Preserve, a dinner at Culinary Drop Out, a lunch at In and Out. We also did a few walks around the neighborhood where our VRBO was. I was blown away with the variety of residential architecture and blend of zeroscape with cacti and all sorts of palm trees and blooming plants.

Overall it was a great trip, and I really enjoyed being in Pheonix. People were friendly and we really enjoyed the whole experience. I’m sure that Pheonix has it’s issues like all other big cities, but from my POV it’s a great place to visit especially Oct thru April. Wifey and I both wanted to stay another day so maybe we’ll visit again sometime. Let me know if you're familiar with Pheonix and what I should see if I go back again someday.

Here are a few more pics just for fun

I call this one teenage son on rock, among other rocks



I call this one teenage daughter on rock among cacti



This one is big house on rock



Neighborhood flora and fauna (nothing like this to see in St. Louis)

 

[Joe Anshien]

Glad you had a good get away. I don't think my wife and I are going anywhere until we get vaccinated. Hopefully be summer.

 

[Chris Allingham]

Visit Little Miss BBQ next time you're in Phoenix. It's right up there with the best of the best barbecue joints.

Arizona > Phoenix: Little Miss BBQ

I have yet to make it to this place but I have been hearing good things about it. Little Miss BBQ 4301 E. University Dr. Phoenix, AZ 85034 http://www.littlemissbbq.com/

tvwbb.com

 

[Brad Olson]

Tri-tip looks good! Sometimes it can be a bit off-putting to use somebody else's grill, tools and facilities but it looks like you made the best of it.

Let me know if you're familiar with Pheonix and what I should see if I go back again someday.

My wife and I stayed in Phoenix once and that was enough, although we're looking forward to visiting and seeing some spring training baseball in 2022. We stayed in Phoenix in 2017, Flagstaff in 2018 and Cornville/Page Springs (Arizona wine country) in 2020, and much prefer the northern part of the state.

After both flying and driving to and from Arizona, my suggestion is that your next trip should definitely be made via car. There's a lot to see (and eat!) on the road and you can set your own route and pace, and since I'm someone who believes the journey is just as important as the destination I consider driving to be the hands-down better mode of travel.

If you've never seen the Grand Canyon it should be on your list; photos and videos can't fully convey its magnitude the way an in-person visit can. Plus, if your family likes hiking the northern part of Arizona offers some great options.

And then there's the obvious: a Route 66-based trip from St. Louis to Flagstaff. It's not for everyone, but if you have even the slightest interest in Americana you need to do it. Also, it's a chance to eat at Tyler's Barbeque in Amarillo, which has made Texas Monthly's "50 best" list in the past.

Texas > Amarillo: Tyler's Barbeque

Last month my wife and I were passing through the Texas panhandle on our way home from Arizona and I made a point of stopping at Tyler's Barbeque, which made Texas Monthly's most recent "Top 50" list. This is actually the drive-up window side of the building; the front faces the street. The...

tvwbb.com

 

[Rich Dahl]

Barb and I have lived in AZ for 20 years now, we retired here. We looked at Scottsdale which is adjacent to Phoenix. We went in the fall and winter we really liked it, then we went in July... Nope no way would we be able to endure the suffocating heat.
One night at the hotel at 1 am I heard people yelling and lights on in the park next to the hotel. I was shocked to see a soft ball game going on. there were two teams playing and quite a few spectators. I inquired the next morning and the lady at the front desk told us that's the only time it's cool enough to play.
We ended up moving and building a home in Prescott which is in the northern mountains of AZ. It's about 100 miles north of Phoenix. Beautiful country and four seasons none of which are extreme. Been very happy here, we can take a twenty minute drive and be at Lynx lake and go fishing and watch the bald eagles that nest there doing their fishing. Another twenty minute drive and we are in the national forest and can do our target shooting. A little over an hour drive go to the Grand Canyon for lunch. Wine country about a 45 minute drive. Lots of native American history and historical sites to see.
Lots of people in Phoenix now it's the six largest city and growing fast. But just wasn't for us.

 

[J Grotz]

Sounds like a great trip. We get over to AZ every year or two. In the PHX area, I highly recommend the tour of Taliesin West if you’re at all interested in Frank Lloyd Wright or architecture.

 

[Jim Lampe]

"As more people return to the airways, questions are being raised about the risk of COVID-19 infection from flying in an enclosed aircraft with a cabin full of strangers. In-flight air filtration is fast and effective against bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19. A new study revealed the chances of becoming infected with COVID-19 while wearing a mask and flying on a modern, commercial airline is about the same as being struck by lightning, about one chance in half-a-million."

How Likely Is It to Get COVID-19 Flying on a Plane?

A former pilot breaks down the likelihood of contracting the coronavirus on an airplane.

www.travelpulse.com