Tuesday, January 6, 2009

DAY 13 - El Paso to Phoenix

Tuesday morning we were up and out by 8am. It was only a five hour drive from Deming, NM to Phoenix. We planned to do lunch somewhere along the way but didn’t expect to experience one of the better all around bbq places on the trip.

Zena took the navigator spot


We saw some great mountain ranges on the drive; this looked like the mountains had a blanket of clouds over its back


We pulled into Tucson and since neither of us had been we explored a bit. We checked out 4th Ave., a bit of the University of Arizona campus and finally
Mr. K’s BBQ (see review below). It was an unlikely spot to get solid ribs, smoky beef and pork slices, tasty sides and one of our highest rated sauces.

We finished up the drive with a two hour trek into Scottsdale. We took a nice walk near the Phoenix Zoo and walked around downtown Scottsdale’s shopping areas. It had a Santa Fe feel, but with a little more city vibe.


Phoenix scenery


Mama D. exploring a park outsdie Scottsdale

Phoenix mountains have unique designs and erosion caves


Being our final evening we decided to do a nice dinner at one of Scottsdale’s premiere steakhouses - Mastro’s City Hall Steakhouse - www.mastrosrestaurants.com/cityhall-main. It is part of the Mastro’s Steakhouse family so it was no surprise the rib eye bone-in was one of the best steaks I’ve had in my life.

Mom and I leaving Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse in Scottsdale, AZ


At dinner it slowly set in that Wednesday is our last day of this epic BBQ Road Trip. A wave of reality hit and the thoughts of going back to everyday life came crashing in, which is fine in most aspects, but the freedom of travel will be missed. We lived it up and maximized the trip so no complaints.


Downtown Scottsdale at sunset


More Phoenix scenery


Zena was on the scent and dove face first into a gopher hole


On Wednesday we’ll explore Scottsdale a bit more and then make the six hour drive back to Orange County.













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