GetTheFunOut

Snowy day on an I-17 scene overlook.  It's a rite of passage, literally and figuratively, I suppose.  Enjoying the natural beauty of a good chunk of northern Arizona almost inevitably involves an hour or two of transit on I-17.  The drive is certainly beautiful, but after enough trips even the biggest tree-hugger can find the scenery a bit mundane and then you're just driving through various desert landscapes.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to make the trip itself an adventure. 1.  Play the license plate game. Try to be the first person in your car to spot a license plate from a different state. Each first-spotting gets 2 points.  Deduct 1 point for repeating a previously spotted state. KIDDING, oh man, I really had you going there for a second, huh? Here are the three stops I almost always make. 1. Kid Chilleen's (there might be an updated name...they used to be Kid Chilleen's Bad-Ass BBQ, but changed the name to import family-friend...

While bikers are not always prominent around the Valley streets, the Phoenix area is very bike-able. Here are many of the ways to enjoy the wind in your face with wheels on the ground. Before you go, check out ADOT bike laws , but keep in mind that city ordinances may also apply. Maricopa County Bike Route Map - http://geo.azmag.gov/maps/bikemap/ Tempe Bicycle Action Group (Awesomely acronymed T.B.A.G.) weekly rides and routes - http://www.biketempe.org/routes-weekly-rides/ Papago Park trail maps for mountain biking - http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/papago/trails/index.html Scottsdale Greenbelt interactive Google map (great for cruising and exercise riding) - Google Maps more to come...

It's a great pool weekend, too! Saturday & Sunday Tempe Festival of the Arts, including wine festival - http://www.tempefestivalofthearts.com/ Phoenix Film Festival (through April 11) - http://www.phoenixfilmfestival.com/ Pride Festival - Steele Park (3rd St and Indian School) h ttp://www.visitphoenix.com/events/event-results/event-details/index.aspx?eventSourceId=20994 Tanger Outlets Glendale - Taste & Style event, http://www.tangeroutlet.com/Glendale  Saturday Great Arizona Bike Festival (Mesa) -  http://ht.ly/jOnud Peoria Arts Festival - http://www.peoriaaz.gov/events/eventsID2new.aspx?ID=43528044 Cabela's (Glendale) Lady's Day Out - http://espanol.cabelas.com/stores/store_info.jsp?pageName=015 Gilbert Art Walk (San Tan Village) - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=621337971213868&l=fe598a7a44 Scottsdale Library Ultimate Play Date - http://www.scottsdalelibrary.org/ultimateplaydate Sunday Ra Sushi sushi eating contest - Ra location...

Last weekend I took a trip up north to Payson...or so I was told when I agreed to go.  After getting just outside of Payson, we plugged the final address into GPS and saw that there was another 60 miles yet to drive.  Hmm, apparently "Payson" was shorthand for "north and not Flagstaff or Prescott."  The final destination was actually Overgaard, an hour northeast of Payson and on the Rim.  I traveled with dreams of fishing and hiking.  Those dreams were dashed when we topped the Rim and found the ground still covered in large patches of snow.  Any hopes I had that this was somehow confined to the roadside were crushed by the internet when I found the Forest Service website indicated that the major lakes were likely still ice-covered and that the roads were impassible. Oh well, I thought, there will still be plenty to explore and plenty of time to do it. As we made our final approaches to Overgaard, we started to pass signs of civilization.  ...