Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona: Last night, after setting
up camp, we settled-down to an evening "at home" to watch the football game.
We also sat through a thunder and lightning storm like we have not seen
since our Manila days. For 8 hours, the sky was alive with light, noise,
wind and flooding rains. We lost power for a while; the airport closed for a
few hours and we heard far-off police sirens screaming through the night.
Luckily, we have an inverter, so we did not have to miss a moment of Oregon
beating Arizona! GO DUCKS! We caught-up on email and laundry, I made a loaf
of bread and we had a nice dinner of burritos made with tortillas from
Chretin's Restaurant in Yuma. It rained all night. (Rain on the roof of a
motor home is LOUD.)
A few comments about the RV Park where we will be residing for 8 nights: It
is run by a very organized neat-freak couple... which I suppose is a good
thing. The palm trees mentioned in the park name (Apache
Palms) are strategically placed to be hit by most motor homes while
checking-in. On each palm tree is a small sign stating: "Receive a free
night if you report anyone tossing down a cigarette butt or not cleaning up
after his or her pet." While I checked-in with the wife, the husband
silently stood-by, watching DT unhitch the BC2. He finally spoke when he
noticed our "The George Washington University" decal. He was from Washington
and I guess he determined us to be worthy of his admiration since we were
intelligent enough to send our only child to study in his hometown. He went
from a scowl to cheerfully offering to hook-up our cable and phone in one
moment.
Now, back to our regular program: This morning it was cloudy and we had a
few showers, but it was clearing. Around noon, we decided to be daring
enough to actually explore the territory outside the campground. First, we
headed out to Papago Park and went to a few golf courses to make tee times
for this week. Then we went on a walking tour of Arizona State University.
ASU has a very nice campus, with a diverse mixture of architecture. The new
library is actually subterranean! We walked through the Student Union, which
was decorated for the alumni in anticipation of the Sun Devils beating the
Ducks at next weekend's Homecoming game.
On the way back to Goldie, we searched and searched and searched for a
supermarket and finally found an Albertson's. The supermarket is in the
middle of a huge remodeling project and the parking lot was a mass of
confusion. It was a huge store - you can buy food, Christmas wrap, Halloween
costumes, shoes and model ships in the same store. If you are thirsty, there
is a water store next door. I am not kidding, the store sells water and ice.
That is all. Have I been missing out on something, or is this just a
desert-city-only emporium? It reminded me of the Scotch Tape Store from
Saturday Night Live.
Added later: We had dinner not far from the ASU campus at
Riazzi's Italian Garden, a
family-owned and family-style restaurant. Though not the fanciest or
cleanest joint, the food was pretty good. I had salad Caprese (duh!) and
cheese pizza. Riazzi's also offered a half-bottle (cutest thing you have
ever seen!) of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. (Yeah, I know, it is sad to
only drink half a bottle of that divine nectar.) DT had a green salad and
his favorite: spaghetti with olive oil and garlic with chiles. We, of
course, chatted with the couple next to us as they were having the loudest
argument to decide a bet whether he had eaten the best ravioli ever in
London or Washington, DC. DT settled the debate by offering there is no such
thing as good food in England.