GetTheFunOut

"the destination"... "It's not the destination, it's the journey."  These are some of the last words you'll hear over the Verde Canyon Railroad's intercom system* as you return to the station from the four-hour excursion into the wilds of the Verde Canyon (no hidden surprises in naming convention here).  While that expression has become a tired cliché when appearing on some sorority girl's Facebook feed, it's the most apt way to view the Verde Canyon Railroad...and would actually be good to know before departing rather than upon return.  The precision of sentiment expressed by "it's not the destination, it's the journey" should not be taken derisively, or understood to mean that this journey is an effort in futility...instead, it should be taken only to understand that after a two hour ride through beautiful landscape -- consisting of the Verde River lazily winding through it's canyon, the canyon itself, a tunnel, ...

Central Phoenix Start the weekend off tonight (May 17) at the Ren, White, and Brew Summer Kickoff at the Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Phoenix at 50 E Adams.  Runs from 5pm-9pm.  Admission is free, "adult slushies" are available, as is giant jenga, slip-n-slide, bags/cornhole, and more  More info Charlie Murphy at Standup Live May 17-19 - http://standuplive.com Free museums - Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard Museum are free on Saturday for International Museum Day.  https://www.facebook.com/events/357434674356267/  Scottsdale AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival - Sponsored by San Tan Brewery, featuring over 150 local and national beers.  Runs from noon to 6 on May 18 in Old Town Scottsdale.  Presale tickets $25 while available, $35 at the door, $100 for VIP.  Gen Ad gets you 20 samples and a custom 4 oz sample can. Mixology class at Last Drop at Hermosa Inn. $30, from 2-4  Tempe Doobieq at Kiwanis Park...

Verde River at Riverfront Park  You're probably asking yourself "how did something like this happen to me??  I'm a good person, I drive a fuel efficient vehicle...how could I wind up in Cottonwood?"  Calm down.  First of all, that's offensive to people who live in Cottonwood or like going there.  Second, if you'd get over your histrionics for a minute, you might find that Cottonwood is actually quite a nice little diversion and holds plenty of pleasant ways to spend your morning, afternoon, or day.  Just try to stick to Old Town Cottonwood, which is off the beaten path from the Cottonwood you purposefully pass through traveling between Sedona and Jerome.  New Cottonwood, while perfect in its own rite, represents modern Small-Town-America and is mostly populated with strip malls and national names.  Instead, follow the signs for Old Highway 89 until you get to Old Town. First of all...why are you in Cottonwood?  Well, you could be pass...

Tom's Thumb Trail is located in the McDowell Sonoran Preserves of North Scottsdale.  Round trip to the Thumb is around 4.5 miles.  The trail winds up the side of the mountain with back-and-forth switchbacks to the top of the ridge line, where it takes a downhill bend before a final, soul crushing ascent to the Thumb (jk, it's not that hard).  This little bit of up and down puts the total elevation gain a bit over 1,000 feet.  Getting there - it's quite easy to get to the trailhead, as long as you don't make the mistake of searching Google Maps for "Tom's Thumb Trail" and navigating to the result...you will wind up at an alternate trailhead with no parking.  So if you find yourself going through a neighborhood, you are going the wrong way.  (also, if you see signs that say 'no motor vehicle access to mountain preserves,' don't try to rationalize that you're going the correct way and the sign is stating the obvious that you can't dr...

Dusk at the Continental Golf Course pond. I continue to be amazed by how many people I meet who have lived in the Phoenix area for years who have no idea what the Greenbelt is.  Maybe it's a good thing that this little gem is unknown by so many people so those of us who know about it can keep it all to ourselves? The Greenbelt has something for everyone.  Unless you're a bubble boy, then maybe not.  But pretty much everyone else. What is it?  An 11+ mile long multi-use path intermixed with a variety of parks, ponds, and golf courses that runs generally along Hayden from Shea down to Tempe Center for the Arts.  You can just as easily enjoy biking a long section as you can driving to one of the many parking lots along its length and having a picnic.  Today on my short bike ride I passed runners, walkers, rollerbladers, fishermen, exercisers, cheerleaders (or a sorority?), a couple guys throwing a baseball, golfers, dog walkers, families...and that wa...

It's HOT It's that time again - the AC is on and the pool is warming up.  Your car is getting warm and dining on a patio is becoming a questionable decision.  The heat is bearable though, especially when the temperature dips into the low 80s after a week of 90s or hotter, and you're still going on runs and hikes.  Even so, it's still getting warm enough to start exercising some caution when...well...exercising and otherwise getting outside.  Here are a few of the tips I can think of to stay safe. (keep in mind, while I am a doctor, I'm not licensed to practice medicine and, as such, any 'health tips' should be taken with a grain of salt (which incidentally is necessary to help stay hydrated)).

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...