November 13, 2025
We flew to Phoenix from Appleton to the Mesa airport for this trip. The direct flight was excellent. It was a breeze to secure the rental car from Alamo (through Costco) before heading out to Dave and Ann’s house in Sun City West. The traffic was horrendous even at 7:00pm at night. A charcuterie board and wine awaited us when we arrived. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 14, 2025
After coffee and chatting with Dave and Ann we made a 50 minute drive to Pinnacle Peak Park in Scottsdale where we hiked 2 miles RT where excellent views of the valley were had. Trail (4 mile RT, Scottsdale). In the evening we all headed to the Stand Up Live Comedy Club for a hilarious night of stories from three comics. The MC was Patrick Keene, followed by Pauly Casillas (from Tucson, AZ) and then the headliner Kyle Kinane. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 15, 2025
Again after coffee and chatting Lori and I headed to an Artwalk at Trilogy in Vistancia. It was not a large art show but we did find a 3-D dice tower and Uno card holder to purchase as gifts. Since it was sunny and clear skies we headed to Lake Pleasant and hiked 4 miles RT on the Maricopa Trail. We were disappointed with the trail because it never got close to the lake. The drive to the Discovery Center was very roundabout and just as we headed to the car it started to rain. Ann prepared an excellent chicken dinner for us. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 16, 2025
Luckily there was a Packer bar nearby which was only a 5 minute drive so we could watch the Packers beat the Giants with other Packer fans. After the game we headed to a Goodwill store but didn’t buy anything (lines were too long). In the evening we taught Dave and Ann to play Reganwerman. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 17, 2025
The highlight of the day was a Food Tour booked via Viator. The food tour along Roosevelt Avenue (known as the RoRo district). The first stop was at Taco Chelo where we sampled Sonoran Taco followed by a stop at Arizona Wilderness DTPHX (a brew pub) to try a steak burger, Wilderfries in duck fat. Loria and I also purchased a cider sampler. The third stop was at Pomo Pizzeria for a slice of Margherita Pizza with Pomo Lemondrop alcoholic drink. The final stop was at Match Market and Bar where we sampled dumplings from Lovebite Dumplings followed by a Tuxedo Cake and ice cream. Lori went to a different Goodwill where she made a couple of purchases and we taught Dave and Ann the game of Skyjo. Stay: Dave / Ann
November 18, 2025
We said goodbye to Dave and Ann around 11:00 and drove to our hotel (which wasn’t ready yet) so we hit yet another Goodwill where Lori made another purchase. Supper was at Red, White, and Brew with Tim and Susan Pickering before relaxing for the remainder of the evening in the hotel. Stay: Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix/Gilbert
November 19, 2025
We lazed around in the hotel room before leaving for the Mesa airport (15 minutes away) at 11:00. The flight home was uneventful.