Goodbye Arizona. Hello rain.

Robin and I took a break from baseball to check out the Botanical Gardens in Scottsdale. The Sonoran Desert exhibit was fascinating. Seeing how the Native Americans lived in the harsh settings showed innovative adaptive behavior we should tap into today.

We stayed at the Ramada Plaza in Glendale, which is centrally located and has a great breakfast buffet. They have renovated since Robin and I were there last year. Kind of a Yuppie weird motif. The ventilation system was so bad that you could hear conversation from the next room....clearly. Kind of weird. The motel was infested with teenage ballplayers that caused havoc in the pool and hot tub. When we checked out, I grabbed the receipt and handed it to Robin and commented about the double tax. (State and City) She noticed a $65 charge from the cafe that we did not use. I had to go back and have them check the receipts and sure enough, they made a mistake. I wonder how many people would not check the receipt and pay that "mistake?"

Rob and I drove across the desert to Palm Springs Thursday. We called the Best Western for a room for the night and were quoted $179. I told them I was a gold card Best Western Member and AAA member and they knocked the price to $169. I said no thanks and used a coupon for the Palm Court motel for $47. Their rooms were clean and their pool and hot tub area was huge and accessible. Very nice. Thursday night was Main Street on Palm Canyon Drive. A fair street fare, but the Arcata Plaza celebrations and Farmers Market blow them away art wise, veggie wise, music wise and people wise. (Although I did like the "Nearly Willie" dude that imitated Nelson.) And people of Palm Springs, get your dogs and children under control!

We left the high desert today and ended up in Sacramento in the rain. Looks like we will drive home tomorrow in lousy rainy weather. Oh well. I look forward to seeing green again!