Scottsdale, AZ: Living High on the Honda

Sash and I riding two up through Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ is a friendly-enough place to stay, shop and eat, but it'll cost you a pretty penny, or two.

Sash and I had never really visited the town before. We had stayed in Phoenix a number of times. But being a craft-beer snob, I wanted to stay where there was a lot of good microbreweries and craft beer bars. Scottsdale seemed like the place.

Moreover, since we planned on staying for a few weeks, we wanted to stay at a hotel that offered full kitchens in their rooms so that Sash could enjoy herself cooking up some favorite recipes. We found a Residence Inn with a Trader Joe's a block away and a craft beer/burger bar right across the street.

But what made our time in Scottsdale enjoyable was the company of friends, new and old. No more than an hour after checking into our room September 9, we were at the Monkey Butt Radio studio with the three hosts, Grumpy, Biggus, and Big Mike. We found stacks of pizza there, but very little beer. I had to change that with a beer run.

We would end up joining Monkey Butt Radio for two more tapings in the coming weeks, and Grumpy and Biggus each invited us to their homes for dinner.

Sash spent a couple of visits with an old high school friend, Kelly. Kelly met us with her daughter in Scottsdale, the first time at a Yard House, and the second at Taphouse Kitchen across the street.

I also got to meet a fellow motorcycle rider, Wallace Roberts. He messaged me on Google Plus about getting together.  So, he rode up from Casa Grande to meet me at a BJ's Restaurant in Chandler. We threw down some brews and talked bikes.

We also got to meet our old friend Paul Malone, the blogger of AZ Harley Dude. We first hooked up with him at Swizzle Stick, a dive bar in Glendale, for a taping of Monkey Butt Radio. The next time, we met over breakfast at "The Place", a very popular family restaurant, also in Glendale.

The three weeks here, we managed to win a new business contract doing social media work for ProGuards, a motorcycle parts manufacturer.

I also got myself back into the gym. I'm working out about 5 days a week the past three weeks. It's mostly cardio work on the treadmill. I like to do a lot of power walking between 8 to 12.5% incline, at 3.0 to 3.4 MPH, and usually end up burning 700-800 calories in an hour.

While we were in Scottsdale, Sash's laptop died.  We went to a Best Buy and bought her a Microsoft Surface Pro 3.  I thought they were cool, so I bought one too, and got rid of my laptop.  They're small, thin, and light, and makes our computer bag a lot lighter.

Scottsdale, AZ reminds me a lot of Palm Springs, CA.  It's a place where wealthy snow birds like to come to.  We're told that when it's cold in the rest of the United States, they come to Scottsdale.  I guess we left just as they were starting to land their private jets up the road.

So now we're on our way to Las Vegas for a week, or possibly more.  As I write this, we're spending the night in Kingman, AZ.

Some photos from our three weeks in Scottsdale...

Our first day in Scottsdale, we were on Monkey Butt Radio	We bought a pair of Surface Pro 3's to replace our laptops	Sash made this shrimp pasta salad and cucumber soup
Sash and I ate out at Yard House in Scottsdale	We met Brian Jenkins from Hatred Customs	Me wearing my motorcycle blogger's t-shirt
Sash taught Rhiannon how to make a Sashtastic	Grumpy Mike explains how oil leaks from a Harley	Grumpy Mike and I hanging out in the garage.
My beer and potato chips at Taphouse Kitchen, Scottsdale	I got bit by chiggers one night out wearing shorts.	Sash at Paul & Jerry's Saloon, Jerome, AZ
Sash and I posing for a photo in Jerome, AZ	Sash riding back to Scottsdale from Jerome.	Me with Wallace Roberts, a fellow rider and Google +er
Biggus made this dominatrix paddle for Sash.	Biggus and Kim invited us to their house for dinner	Biggus and Kim grilled mean steaks and asparagus
Grumpy Mike and Biggus of Monkey Butt Radio	Sash and I were featured on Monkey Butt Radio	Having a light breakfast at our hotel in Scottsdale
Total Wine in Scottsdale has the best beer selection around	Got some routine service at Western Honda in Scottsdale	El Super Burrito in Scottsdale makes a killer carnitas burrito
Chicken fried steak and eggs at The Place in Glendale, AZ	Met Paul Malone, the blogger of AZ Harley Dude.	Stopped at Cycle Gear in Phoenix to find a new visor
We had drinks at Hopdoddy in Scottsdale	Sash was a frequent visitor at Kalologie Spa for massages	Sash met with her high school friend Kelly (and her daughter)