Got up and headed back to the airport to
meet my sweetie, who was coming in on WN
from BWI. Her flight was an hour early,
but they spent much of that time waiting
for a gate, just like the real airline.
Lunch on WN consists of Lorna Doones and
a couple of other similar snacky things.

Met our friends Carl and Ellen for lunch,
which turned out to be the only flawless
meal of the whole trip. We went to a local
joint in downtown Scottsdale called Frank &
Lupe's, very nice indeed for what it is.
The chips and salsa were excellent, the
former obviously homemade and with just
enough grease to make life wonderful, the
latter just spicy enough, with some smoke
flavor and some tomatillo flavor, quite
yummy indeed. My Carol had the chalupa,
just wonderful, the tortilla crisp and
sturdy, the fillings fresh, a good size
layer of carne adovada in the middle; my
carne adovada plate came with good standard
rice and black beans; the meat itself was
tender, relatively lean but with enough
little nuggets of fat to again make life
wonderful. Carl and Ellen both had the
poblano relleno, which comes with a pair
of enchiladas - a big and yummy meal. The
sangria tasted of raspberry, which wasn't
bad. Negra Modelos are $3.25.

We said goodbye to Ellen, who had to work,
and went off to the Beeline and to Four
Peaks Wilderness, where we spent several
hours lost and in peril for our lives, as
Carl climbed and descended sheer cliffs in
his Jeep, laughing maniacally all the time.
Unfortunately, we found ourselves way far
from nowhere and without a cell signal at
sundown, so missed dinner with jan_az.
Some gorgeous scenery out there, though.

Carol's travel agent Marnie had been taken
by her firm to this place, the Hospitality
Suites right on the Scottsdale-Tempe line.
She recommended it, and so we stayed there.
It's an older place, lacking the coolest
amenities, but it's clean, smells ok, with
decent-sized rooms, free breakfast and
cocktail hour, and three heated pools. Plus
the working-class clientele really love the
joint, making it a happy place; it's nice
to be away from blase worldly spoiled
people now and again. I'd go back. Ok, so
it's two miles from a decent restaurant
(the on-site one advertises stuff like
nachos and double-stuffed deli sandwiches),
and there is not so much eye candy, but for
69 a night for a very comfy king suite,
who's complaining.

We were truly not hungry at dinnertime but
eventually stopped in at the Sugar Bowl,
a Scottsdale institution for 50 years, and
a recommendation from someone at work. At
8 it was hopping with young dating couples,
families with ravenous children, and even
a few old folks. I had the chili burger,
which was beefy and tasty but with extremely
beany and fartiferous chili, sided with a
nice glass of limeade; Carol's patty melt
passed muster, just barely, but the famous
"Camelback soda," really just an ordinary
ice cream soda with I guess a big old extra
scoop of ice cream, was enthusiastically
reviewed.