A Hero

Chris

She was christened Christine, but preferred Chris. 

She grew up when women were told their purpose was to make babies and serve their man.

Chris tried that, getting married and having 3 kids right out of high school. But, her husband's employment was uneven leaving her family perpetually broke.

That is when I met Chris.

She was a youth leader at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Oakland CA.

I was a confused teen. I never related well to kids of my own age. Chris took the time to listen to me and my dreams of becoming an architect.

She assured me I could go as far in life as my dreams could take me.

Chris became my closest friend.

And, when I listened to her, I came to realize she also had big dreams. Her dream was to become a teacher.

But, first, she had to learn to drive.

Enter Francois, a hand-me-down, crap-clutch, 1940 something Chrysler she inherited. It was a one-of-a-kind with its screw-in bistro table in the backseat and pedal-operated Bombay bell.

She drove that car with verve.

Then, between child rearing, church and stepping in to provide a refuge for a homeless teen, she carved out time to attend a community college.

Chris went on to win a full scholarship to Oakland's prestigious Mill's College. She earned a B'Ed degree with honors. Maya Angelou spoke at her commencement.

Days don't get much better than that.

Chris then put her kids in her "seen better days" station wagon and drove them on a one-way "visit" to Coeur d'Alene Idaho. With very little money and no real place to live, that station wagon morphed into a temporary "home".  

But, Chris landed a teaching job and later went on to earn a Masters in Special Education from the University of Idaho. She loved teaching right up to her retirement in 2008.

Her 3 kids grew up bright, strong, safe and healthy.

She was very proud of them and the 5 grandkids and 3 great grandkids they created. 

On August 29th Chris Korbel's spirit passed from this world into the ether where all human spirit comes from and to which all human spirit eventually returns.

We live in a nation that has always produced heroes.

Some wear uniforms and fight fires or go to war,

Some wear scrubs and fight illness 

Some become teachers......

like Chris.

Roadboy's Travels © 2014

Losing A Friend

Good-Bye Mate

About 15 years ago my family fell in love with a pound puppy. He was so small and all alone in his big cage. He was a curious mix of Australian Cattle Dog and Shepherd. You could also see a little dingo in there if you squinted. 

We loved him immediately. My son gave him a perfect name - Rocket! 

Every night when I returned from the office I'd see his face at the kitchen door waiting for me. And when we'd return from longer family vacations he would be over the moon to see us.

He was loyal and strong. Sometimes he was a little too protective. I'd have to tell little kids on a walk that they couldn't pet him. Either way, our little mid-city Phoenix ranch house never suffered a burglary with Rocket on duty. 

But arthritis and cancer can exact a mean toll on dogs too. And they wore down even tough old Rocket. After a good fight he passed from the tangible world to the spirit world about 9:00 am this morning. But, no spirit that strong ever truly dies.

Rocket!

I once saw a bumper sticker that said "Help Me Be The Person My Dog Thinks I Am". 

I'll keep trying Rocket, but I know I'll never measure up.

Roadboy's Travels © 2014

Roadboy's New Mexico

Labor Day Weekend in New Mexico

I happen to love the land and people of New Mexico.  So the chance to spend a few days exploring a few of its treasures was welcome.

The trip began with a drive from Phoenix through Arizona's mining towns of Superior, Globe and Miami to Las Cruces NM. The trip was timed to allow for a dinner in the wonderful little town of Mesilla. The history of Mesilla predates the Gadsden Purchase giving it the distinction of once being part of Mexico. Billy the Kid frequented the bars in Mesilla and Mesilla in 1881 is where he was eventually tried and sentenced to hang.

Today Mesilla's plaza is framed by the lovely Basilica of San Albino and a series of restaurants and homes. The largest of the homes is now the sumptuous Double Eagle Restaurant. Besides good food the Double Eagle is home to the teenaged ghosts Inez and Armando (two lovers killed in a rage in Armando's bedroom by his mother.) His mother then fled to Mexico. 

Basilica of San Albino

Mesilla, NM

Inez' Chair

Over the years the two matching chairs in the Armando's bedroom (the Ghost Room) were repeatedly reupholstered. And although almost no one ever sits in them, the chairs almost immediately begin to show wear in the armrests, back and cushion. Staff and visitors repeatedly report hearing voices, feeling cold air blow from a bricked in window, seeing lights switched on and off and an occasional glass slide across a table.  

The Double Eagle "Ghost Room" 

(Viewed From a Mirror Reflection)

My dinner at the Double Eagle included a wonderful brisket taco, cheese enchilada and big chile relleno. The dinner was a perfect end to the day.

Saturday morning we set out for the 3-1/2 hour drive via El Paso to Carlsbad Caverns. The highlight of the mornings drive was the view of El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak (at 8,749' Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas).

El Capitan

Upon arrival at Carlsbad Caverns we decided to enter using the natural cave entry. 

My last visit to the Caves was when I was about 8 years old. In those days nearly every visitor had to enter the cave using the elevators from the visitor center. I remember getting on an the elevator, then descending endlessly. And then, when the doors opened, we were in a huge modern cafeteria (that just happened to be in a cave). Years later I remember hearing how they now allowed guided tours to use the natural entry to visitors. 

Today anyone in decent shape can enter the cave from the natural entry. Just be aware there is a 1-1/4 mile of switchbacks and you will descend 749'. 

The natural entry eases you into the increasingly cool and dark world of the cave. Then you join the elevator visitors all gawking at the sights of the "Big Room" self-guided tour. All in all the visit (even for a jaded 58 year old guy) was as wonderful as I remember as a kid.

The Bat Flight Amphitheater And Natural Cave Entry 

Descending Into Carlsbad

Once in the cave the scenery changes constantly, from the "Boneyard" to "Fairyland" to the "Bottomless Pit". There are huge stalactites and stalagmites all housed in the Big Room (that encompasses the equivalent of 14 football fields). 

The Boneyard

Views Into A Grotto

Take care in planning the logistics of a visit to Carlsbad Caverns. The lack of lodging in the vicinity and in nearby Carlsbad allows the local Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express to extract nearly $300 / Nt. 

The crazy rates have not gone unnoticed (there were three very large hotels under construction in Carlsbad).

The Only Close-By Motel to the Caverns 

Has Been Closed For Some Time 

Knowing the local hotel situation we had anticipated making a long drive to Santa Fe after our cave tour. We arrived at our Santa Fe hotel about 10:00 pm. 

After breakfast Sunday morning we made a quick trip into Santa Fe to view the Loretto Chapel and once again puzzle over its amazing staircase.

At the time Loretto was built only men sang in church choirs. So choir lofts were accessed by ladders (saving precious pew space). When the Loretto sisters realized their chapel failed to include a stairway they prayed that somehow a remedy would emerge.  

Strangely enough an old carpenter soon appeared who agreed to build a staircase. Once complete he disappeared as quickly as he appeared. He built the stairs out of a species of wood no one had ever seen before and somehow got the double helix affair to actually support itself. Engineers and architects to this day cannot agree how the stairs (without internal steel) support themselves.

The Original Stairs 

(Prior to the Addition of Handrails)

The Stairs Today

After the visit to the chapel we made the obligatory visit to the Plaza, dipping into the Luchese Boot store. While I am certainly not in the market for a pair of $3,000 boots, I enjoy the rich smell of fine leather. 

Lunch was taken in the Creperie in the La Fonda Hotel. Cash Only.

After that we drove north to the shrine and Sanctuary at Chimayo. This little church has become a magnet for those seeking healing. Pilgrims first pray, then scoop up some dirt from the side chapel (to apply to afflicted areas). There are hundreds of abandoned crutches and seemingly every tree has a message inscribed beseeching health and safety.

The Sanctuary at Chimayo

The Garden Walls Chimayo

The Creek and Garden Walls

An Offering 

Garden Walls

After visiting Chimayo we were off to Albuquerque for a last dinner of various green chile entrees. Then it was off to bed.

Monday (Labor Day) was spent on the drive back home. Along the way we diverted off of I-40 into the El Milpais National Monument. El Milpais was filled with lava fields, sandstone cliffs and the huge La Ventana Natural Arch.

La Ventana Arch

El Milpais Sandstone Cliffs

A perfect Labor Day weekend in The Land of Enchantment. An au revoir to summer 2014.

Roadboy's Travel © 2014

Roadboy's Weekend In Tucson - The Old Pueblo

A Spectacular 27 Mile Drive
San Xavier Del Bac - The White Dove
The Hotel Congress, Cup Cafe and Dillinger's Downfall
A Summer Evening Visit to The Arizona Desert Sonora Museum

I have always loved Tucson.  One of America's oldest cities, Tucson is filled with history, is home to lovely resorts, creative restaurants and the much cherished Arizona Desert Sonora Museum.

It is an amazing bargain to visit Tucson in the summertime when spectacular 4 and 5 star resorts (that have no problem selling rooms in winter for  $350 / Nt) offer rates that flirt with $100 / Nt. Now, having said that, beware, many of the resorts add hidden charges (like absurd $29 / Nt. "Resort Fees").

We left Phoenix Friday after lunch as I wanted to begin the visit with a drive on one of America's most scenic highways, the Catalina Highway. Officially, it is the General Hitchcock Highway that extends from the Tanque Verde area of Tucson up to Mt. Lemmon.

The highway, begun in 1933, was a dream of the former Postmaster General of the US Frank Harris Hitchcock. Hitchcock secured the approval for the road and its funding at the height of the Great Depression. 

The execution of the project began when a prison camp was established at the base of the mountain to supply construction labor to build the road. 

Sadly, during World War II the prison camp became an "Honor Camp" where Japanese Americans were incarcerated and forced to continue its construction. 

After 17 years of construction the highway was completed in 1950.  The highway was widened and greatly improved in 2007. 

The completed project delivered 27 spectacular miles of highway climbing to 8,000 feet while visiting several micro-climates. The views at every turn are truly breathtaking and the temperature at the top in Summerhaven was a refreshing 63° (it was 100° at the base of the road in Tanque Verde). 

Summerhaven, after more than a decade of rebuilding is coming to life. The community suffered almost complete destruction in the 2003 Aspen Fire. The Aspen fire burned about a month and destroyed over 84,000 acres. The price of the fire? Firefighting: $17,000,000. Erosion control: $2,700,000. Reconstruction of utilities: $4,100,000. Plus the loss of 340 structures.

The acrid stench of the Aspen fire drifts all the way to Washington DC. One year earlier, recognizing the fire risk, the Coronado National Forest requested $2,000,000 to implement practical fire prevention measures. Of course, Congress in 2002 was focused only on spending requests for the Iraq war. And, like nearly all upkeep related requests from the National Parks, National Forests and National Monuments during that time, the request was ignored. 

Midway To the Top 

 Spectacular Rock Outcroppings Along the Way

The Hitchcock Memorial

(Oddly - No Longer Accessible?)

The Plaque Dedicating the Highway 

A View to The North Among the Aspens 

Saturday morning was spent visiting Mission San Xavier del Bac (the White Dove of the Desert).

I had read that in summer the best time to visit the Mission is in the morning and that proved sage advice.  Construction on the church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. At that time it was part of New Spain. Following Mexican independence in 1821, the mission became part of Mexico. The 1854 Gadsden Purchase resulted in the Mission becaming part of the United States. 

The church suffered earthquake damage in 1887. Lightning struck its west tower in 1939. Leaks in 1989 resulted in beginning of an ongoing restoration which continues to this day. 

San Xavier del Bac remains the oldest European structure in Arizona. 

Note The Restoration of West Tower

(The East Tower Awaits Full Restoraton) 

The Baroque Facade

An Exterior Detail

I had not visited the church since the Interior restoration was undertaken and it is spectacular.   Hundreds of years of grime have been removed from its frescoes and its statuary has been painstakingly been restored. The last time I visited the church its golden lions (flanking the altar) were missing (they were stolen in August 1982. Today new lions are in place. Thanks to Spencer and Gloria Giffords (parents of former Tucson Representative Gabrielle Giffords) who commissioned replacement lions from artisans in Mexico in 1983. The Lions, completed in 1985, were then aged in Gloria Giffords studio for 2-1/2 years prior to reinstallation.

The Chancel

(With One of the Golden Lions)

The West Transept

The Transept Dome

For lunch we visited downtown and ate at the Cup Cafe in the historic Hotel Congress. The Hotel Congress was built in 1919 along with the Rialto theater across the street from Tucson's 1907 Train Station. It is perhaps most famous for its fire on January 21, 1934. As it happened one of its guests was John Dillinger. He escaped the fire via a ladder and was identified by a firemen who went back to retrieve his luggage. He was arrested, escaped custody in Indiana and was killed 6 months later in Chicago on July 22, 1934.

Front - The Cup Cafe's Dillinger Menu

Back - The Cup Cafe's Dillinger Menu

Light in the Hotel Congress Nightclub

Dance of Death Mural 

Nightclub Hotel Congress

The visit was sequenced for an afternoon and evening visit to the 98 acre Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  The complex is part museum, part aquarium and part zoo (with 230 different species of animals). It is only open for evenings on a few Saturday nights each summer. And it is a special time to visit. The animals are more active, there are musicians throughout the grounds and the nightly monsoons frequently create something completely magical.

The Drive to The Museum

(Crossing Gates Pass)

Looking North Toward the Museum

A Mountain Lion

A Fox

An Ocelot

Bighorn Sheep

The Surrounding Views At Sunset

A White Lined Sphinx Moth

(Flies and Behaves Like A Hummingbird)

As if by Irony - A Chance Sighting of Gabrielle Giffords

(Taking a Selfie With Her Husband Shuttle Astronaut Mark Kelly) 

A Summer Storm Roared in Capping Our Evening

Tucson is an on-going story. It is a land of extremes. It owns a rich history filled with heroic people sometimes just living everyday lives. A history filled with joy, music, art and heartache. It offers centuries of myths and legends. And, despite its amazing growth, it remains a true one-of-a-kind.

And it is something very special in summer.

Roadboy's Travels ©2014

The Great Hotel Disappearing Act

Hey, Didn't There Used To Be?

Road warriors tend to notice every minute change in their hotel rooms. And in the past few years the hospitality industry has been busy in their test labs, looking at ways to change operational models, reduce costs and be more sustainable. This has resulted in a variety of new ideas. Many of which have very subtly been implemented.

1. Waste Bins

Where the heck is the garbage can? Since time began there were always two trash cans in every hotel room. There would be one at the desk and the other in the bathroom. Now, more and more the one at the desk is either gone completely or it has been reduced in size, or it has become a multi-compartment recycle / trash bin with both compartments too small to actually hold anything. The result according to the housekeepers? Piles of trash left where the trash can used to be.

2. Little Bottles of Shampoo and Soaps

My routine upon entering a hotel room frequently involves peeking at the amenities. Did they leave me nice soaps? Is the shampoo a premium brand or is it a house brand from China. Hands down the best amenities are provided by Langham Hotels. There you have a box in the bathroom that is filled with every imaginable item. Increasingly, however, I've noticed that many chains (Hilton's Home2 for example) are eliminating bottles of anything. Instead they put those perpetually leaking dispensers on the mirror and in the shower. YUK! There is always soap on the counter or in the tub below the dispenser. I know they say it is more environmentally friendly, but the bottles I take home never go to waste. Many go straight to a local homeless shelter that LOVES to get them.

3. The Minibar

I'm actually good with these disappearing. I can't tell you how many times after checking out a new bill arrives charging me for stuff I did not take.  It got so bad I'd inventory the minibar upon arrival and send a note to the front desk telling them what was missing. The good news is some hotels have now put in an empty mini refrigerator. That is a very good idea. I know lots of travelers who need to take their insulin etc. and those little units are perfect.

4. Morning Newspapers

It used to be if you checked off a little box when you checked in they'd deduct the price of the morning newspaper from your bill. If you didn't they'd deliver a USA Today each day to your room.  Now there is no refund they just leave a short stack of papers on the front counter. This intimidates infrequent travelers who assume they have to pay for a paper. Road Warriors just grab a paper, growl and go on to breakfast. 

5. Restaurants

Increasingly lobby restaurants at limited service hotels (like Courtyards) are being replaced with walk-up limited service cafe's (a la Starbucks). I can't say I miss the hotel restaurants as they were my dining spot "of last resort". 

6. Bathtubs

Make way for the walk-in shower, those soaker tubs are disappearing pretty quickly.

7. Pay Per View TV

On demand movie stations that hijacked the TV and delivered low grade smut are quickly disappearing as we all spend more time on the internet and less time watching television.

8. Phones

Yes even in-room phones are starting to go away. When I walked into the hip Palihotel Melrose in LA recently I was a bit stunned to realize there was no closet, no thermostat and no telephone..... 

9. Robes

Even on executive floors the robes are disappearing. Most of the "one-size-fits-all" robes sure as hell didn't fit Roadboy, I say good riddance.

10. In Room Coffee

The coffee makers are slowly disappearing. OK, this is my line in the sand. If I enter a room and there is no coffee maker I call the front desk and demand one be brought up. Conversely a hotel that delivers quality coffee goes way up in my book.  London's Doubletree Hotel West Ealing will never be mistaken for the Ritz, but it not only had a great tea set up, it had an in-room Nespresso machine! That one feature overcame the small size of the rooms and allowed that hotel to rise in my esteem well above the noisy, confusing, expensive and mostly disappointing new Marriott I stayed in a few days later at Canary Wharf.

11. A Front Desk

Now you walk up to smiling staff at little podiums. Or in the case of an Aloft the "Aloha Desks".

Wait a minute where did my in-room safe go.....

Roadboy's Travels © 2014

William Wrigley Jr.'s Winter "Cottage"

A 50th Wedding Anniversary Gift
La Colina Solana

High upon a hill in Phoenix, in the shadows of Piestawa Peak, rests the venerable Mission Revival Wrigley Mansion. 

The Phoenix Wrigley Mansion

The original 16,000 Square foot "cottage" cost $1,200,000 to build (approximately $20,500,000 in 2014 dollars). Earl Heitschmidt of Los Angeles was the architect. Before designing the Wrigley Mansion Heitschmidt was a key designer of Los Angeles' Biltmore Hotel on Pershing Square. Heitschmidt's later projects include CBS Studios in Hollywood and LA's Park LaBrea.

The home, a wedding gift for William's wife Ada, was completed in 1931 and is the smallest of Wrigley's six homes. It contains 24 rooms and 12 bathrooms. Of the many bedrooms there were only 4 designated for the family. The intent was for the Wrigley's winter guests to instead stay at Wrigley's nearby Arizona Biltmore Hotel.

The Mansion's Main Entry Hall

The Wrigley imprint is found in almost every detail of the home including the rose above the front door, the chewing gum wrapper wallpaper in the telephone room and symbolic fresco references to Ada's French heritage and William's English heritage.

The Phone Room 

With Wrigley Spearmint "Wrapper" Wallcovering

A Rose for Ada 

The Crown Chandelier in the Entry 

The ceiling's were painted by Giovanni Smeraldi (who in 1923 worked with Heitschmidt painting  LA's Biltmore Hotel).

The Living Room

The beautiful tiles in the house were cast in the Pebble Beach Quarry and Tile Works on Catalina Island. Wrigley owned both the tile company and Catalina Island.

Catalina Tile

Door Panel

Woodworking Detail 

The mansion also happens to be where Wrigley died in 1932. After Wrigley's death the family kept the house, using it as one of their winter retreats for many years.

The home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and was purchased in 1992 by meat packing heir and musician George (Geordie) Hormel. Hormel carefully restored the home and enclosed its large porches which expanded it to 19,000 Square feet.  Since Biltmore covenants prevent the building from being used as a restaurant, Hormel opened it as a "private" club, open to anyone, for a token fee.

Geordie Hormel was somewhat of a legend as well.  His life included four marriages (the first being Leslie Caron), numerous children and a successful musical career of his own.

Geordie's September 1951 Wedding to Leslie Caron

Geordie regularly performed in the mansion on its magnificent Steinway until his own death in 2006.

The "Blank Check" Steinway

And the Steinway is not just any Steinway. This was one of only two ever created with a "jukebox" player feature. It was ordered by William Wrigley before the stock market crash and reportedly the Steinway Company offered to release him from the order for the piano. Instead, lore has it that Wrigley sent Steinway a blank check to confirm he still wanted it. The other Player Steinway is in the Smithsonian. Many of the mansion's guests played the piano including Liberace and George Gershwin. Liberace reportedly attempted to buy it but was told it went with the house.

Geordie's Lounge

After 20 years of living in Phoenix I had never made the trek up the hill to see William Wrigley's cottage. Last Saturday I corrected that oversight with a lovely lunch and a tour. 

Ada's Cottage on the Sunny Hill 

1932

Like all good architecture, the building has outlived it's creators and benefactors. And, now 82 years after its completion, Wrigley's Sunny Hill still hosts new generations of Phoenicians and their guests.

Roadboy's Travel © 2014