Trip Report The Dry Heat Expedition (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Disneyland)--UPDATE 6/12 (KSC and DTD)

[dgbg100106]

I have been to in n out also and it was good but I was not doing cartwheels in the streets or anything. I would go back, again, but to me there is just something about a burger cooked over charcoal. so Texas burgers are my favorite, love it when the brisket is mixed in.

Nice DISmeet.

Golf looked to be beautiful from the pictures and the bright sunshine and colors.

Love the pic of Drew winking at you, almost like he knew a little secret.

 

[Leshaface]

So I think the sauce definitely makes the burger. I actually like MCD's and In-N-Out fries equally, UNTIL I ask for 'sauce' packets on the side to dip my fries in. In-n-Out = Winning!

That's awesome that Alison was able to make Disneyland a reality! Love DIS friends.

Whaaat?! You're not going to show us the video!?

Well, Drews reaction to Disneyland is pretty fabulous!

Awesome that you got some golf time in with the boys. And 3 for 1 is a steal! On our honeymoon, we took an all inclusive vacation to Jamaica which included free unlimited golf--this was before DH was a golfer...every now and then, he'll mention what an idiot he was to not partake.

 

[franandaj]

Ok, I’ve dragged this out long enough. We thoroughly enjoyed our burgers. Better than Five Guys, much better than McDonald’s. I don’t know where I’d ultimately rank them on the list of chain burgers, but it would be fairly high, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of these places pop up a little closer to home.

This is sort of the reaction that I would expect from most people. In-n-Out gets so hyped up. It's a good burger, but you have to get the Double Double, for a while I was ordering cheeseburgers to help my waistline, but the cheese to burger ratio, just wasn't right.

The fries, however? Not so hot. McDonald’s wins there. As does Five Guys..

If you don't eat the fries right away, they get soggy and icky fast.

I’ll leave the details out, but suffice it to say, Alison was amazing. The idea went from “this is too expensive, and a bad idea” to “we’d be stupid NOT to go.”

Alison, we literally could not have done this without you, and we are indebted to you forever. Thanks for being an amazing friend..

I'm very glad I could send some your way. You have such a special family (and I mean that in a nice way) and I know how tough it is for you to get to this coast. It touched me when you mentioned about how Sarah may start to get summer jobs and traveling would be more difficult in the coming years. I didn't want you to miss out on this chance for everyone to go. Even if Drew doesn't remember that he went. You have pictures to prove it! It was my pleasure!

Sarah explains that they knew something was going on, since I had the video camera out. And they’d heard us mention Disneyland a couple of times several months ago, so they thought it was a possibility, and it wasn’t a hard leap to make. So, she said, they were excited to go, and much preferred Disneyland to 2 days in the Mojave, but the surprise didn’t hit with full force this time.

Obviously, the moral is: leave your ungrateful kids at home (or in the desert) and go to Disneyland by yourselves..

Sarah is getting very smart!

Ok, maybe that’s not it. The moral is: the kids get self-conscious in front of video cameras way too young these days. Anyway, here they are faking a “we’re really excited” photo:

There is one bright spot. This actually happened: I lean over to Drew in his car seat..

The photos of the kids are cute, but Drew's reaction is priceless!

Desert golf is very different from normal golf courses. You’re either on the fairway, or in the desert. You would think it might be easier to find your ball after a wayward shot in the desert, but that’s not the case. Even if you do find it, hitting off of loose stones is almost impossible. Not to mention the rattlesnakes. So it puts a premium on controlling your shots, and being able to hit various targets.
.

The Desert Golf Course is very stunning, you took some beautiful pictures! And that cactus was crazy!

In my research, I’d found the perfect place for an Oblivious Family TR. A young restaurateur had taken an old bank building and turned it into a pizza joint. And not a chain, but genuine wood-fired pizza. Even better, they kept the drive-through window operating for carryout orders. So we called up Federal Pizza, placed our order, and hit the drive-through 20 minutes later. Then it was just a matter of grabbing sodas and heading back to our hotel room to eat.

What happened to Claim Jumper?

 

[cj9200]

Captain’s Log: Saturday, 26 July 2014...

Alison, we literally could not have done this without you, and we are indebted to you forever. Thanks for being an amazing friend.

You have not spoken truer words.

Sarah explains that they knew something was going on, since I had the video camera out. And they’d heard us mention Disneyland a couple of times several months ago, so they thought it was a possibility, and it wasn’t a hard leap to make. So, she said, they were excited to go, and much preferred Disneyland to 2 days in the Mojave, but the surprise didn’t hit with full force this time.

Obviously, the moral is: leave your ungrateful kids at home (or in the desert) and go to Disneyland by yourselves.

Ok, maybe that’s not it. The moral is: the kids get self-conscious in front of video cameras way too young these days. Anyway, here they are faking a “we’re really excited” photo:

And while we’re at it, here’s a “whatever, you guys are lame” photo:

It sucks when the kids start smartening up. I was able to pull some fast ones on my child but she has caught on to me for a while now. It is way harder to get away with anything. Get used to picture number 2.

 

[KatMark]

I whisper, “Hey, Drew! You’re going to Disneyland!” And he smiles in his sleep.

Honest to goodness, that happened.

BEST PICTURES EVER!

Mark (and my Andy) have had In and Out Burgers. I've not yet had that opportunity. But I am hoping to rectify it when we go to Phoenix in March. I detest Five Guys. I think they are disgusting. We have something called SmashBurger now and I'm told it's like just eating grease. No thank you. It's rare that we go out for burgers anymore because they are just not that good. If we do, it's usually Steak & Shake (and they've gone downhill in my opinion) or Red Robin.

Whatever Alison did, I'm sure it was awesome.

Sorry you didn't get more "surprised excitement" out of the kids. No boogie dance like my husband for his 60th, huh?

I'm going to have to show Andy pictures of that golf course. He would love it. If I'm not mistaken, Des (his girlfriend) has a very good friend who lives in Phoenix...they should go visit her so he can golf.

It appears you had a nice time with the boys. It's always good to have that special time men to men...or so I'm told.

That pizza doesn't look bad for take-out pizza.

Okay, let's get to Disneyland now.

 

[MEK]

And while we’re at it, here’s a “whatever, you guys are lame” photo:

I love that your kids totally play along with this stuff. Priceless!

There is one bright spot. This actually happened: I lean over to Drew in his car seat.


I whisper, “Hey, Drew! You’re going to Disneyland!” And he smiles in his sleep.

Honest to goodness, that happened.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! And now that I've seen how cute he is in person I am sure this was even more endearing.

Yay for the DL hook-up. That is just so awesome and I can't wait to read about it.

Love that golf course. It is really beautiful.

I KNEW there was no way you could pass up and In and Out burger. They really are legend and I hope I get to try one someday. Maybe if you get tired of engineering you could open a franchise here!

Another fun day with the Oblivious clan!

 

[jedijill]

BEST PICTURES EVER!

Mark (and my Andy) have had In and Out Burgers. I've not yet had that opportunity. But I am hoping to rectify it when we go to Phoenix in March. I detest Five Guys. I think they are disgusting. We have something called SmashBurger now and I'm told it's like just eating grease. No thank you. It's rare that we go out for burgers anymore because they are just not that good. If we do, it's usually Steak & Shake (and they've gone downhill in my opinion) or Red Robin.

Whatever Alison did, I'm sure it was awesome.

Sorry you didn't get more "surprised excitement" out of the kids. No boogie dance like my husband for his 60th, huh?

I'm going to have to show Andy pictures of that golf course. He would love it. If I'm not mistaken, Des (his girlfriend) has a very good friend who lives in Phoenix...they should go visit her so he can golf.

It appears you had a nice time with the boys. It's always good to have that special time men to men...or so I'm told.

That pizza doesn't look bad for take-out pizza.

Okay, let's get to Disneyland now.

I like Smashburger. I don't think its like eating grease....they are juicy burgers and the smash fries are the bomb.

Jill in CO

 

[Dugette]

Glad you liked the In-N-Out burgers (despite the fries and lack of "special" sauce). It's been SO long since I had one (maybe like 2006?), but I'd love to try one again now (if we had them), as we have a Five Guys and Smashburger nearby that are our go-to burger joints. I'd like to know how they compare.

Bummer that the kids' reactions to Disneyland were not what you had hoped. I guess they are used to expecting the unexpected. But little Drew, man, he just totally fell for that one. Good to have the youth around, I guess.

That golf course looks pretty fun and unique! Love the cactus-o-golf-balls.

Wow, burger for lunch and pizza for dinner...not a bad day!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Finally getting time to dive into the latest update

So we’re heading just a couple of miles down the road to try out a West Coast institution: In-N-Out Burger.

The Myth…
The Legend…
The… oh y’all get the picture, but you have my attention now.

Whenever I talk to someone from the West Coast, at some point the conversation will turn to food (inevitable when you’re talking to me),

Nearly all my conversations turn toward food at some point, West Coast person of not.

and at that moment, the West Coastie will sigh, shake his/her head wistfully, and mention how much he/she misses In-N-Out Burger, and then give me a chastising look as they wish we had them here on the East Coast.

Like it’s a choice we make…

As if I had something to do with preventing their expansion here. C’mon, people. Like I would stop a burger joint from moving in.

That what I’m sayin’ here.

I have been burned in the past by a burger joint being over-hyped. On the East Coast, Five Guys burgers are all the rage, and that chain has spread through the Atlantic states like Drew’s slobber around our house. Five Guys was hyped for months as the Greatest Burger Ever ® before I finally got around to trying one, and when I finally did it was…ok. Better than McDonald’s, sure, but not the life-changing experience I had been expecting.

Hummm… Interesting.
We’d never heard of the place when a few years back we encountered one totally by accident down on the SC coast. We were blow away by how much better the burgers were then what we were used to. It got to be a Beach trip tradition. One finally came to our area a couple years ago and I’ll say it’s a little different. Still very good but interestingly… a little different. Maybe there are differences in the kitchen standards. I’ve encountered some other chines where that’s true. Showmar’s is a good example of that.

As far as chains go, I liked Red Robin, Fuddruckers, and Delaware-born Jake’s Wayback Burgers better.

Since I’ve already hijacked the conversation and driven it off topic…
I like that list but obviously our experiences are different. “Robin’s” burgers are quite good, but I’ve noticed a dip in the quality of the meat and increase in saltiness. The cooking time seems to vary unpredictably as well (not to mention they are mightily expensive by comparison).

As for Fud’s… we have to go far out of our way to get to one, but heartily agree that those burgers are worth the effort. Well… Tam and Max do. I’ve never had one of their burgers. They made the mistake of putting a steak sandwich on their menu and I can’t not order one of those (oh and they are that good).

Jack’s… that one is an unknown commodity to us. I’ll let you know if I ever encounter one but I think the nearest location to us is an hour and half in the wrong direction. When I do get there though, what would you recommend to ensure that I get the right experience?

A good sign: the place is packed. Well, it’s not exactly good in that we really have to stalk some other families in order to get a seat

Then it’s a lot like being at Disney World, then ain’t it?

It is here where I will disappoint my readers by saying we didn’t order off the secret menu.

Ehhh… I think at least someone in the group should try a new place’s “standard bearer” first anyway. The thing the purveyors think is worth touting needs to live up to its own hype or it may not bode well for the rest of the offerings.

Moreover, I must also disappoint my West Coast readers by saying that we subbed ketchup and mustard for the secret sauce.

The thing that should never ever, ever touch any burger would be ketchup.
(shouldn’t even get near a hotdog either)

I don’t know where I’d ultimately rank them on the list of chain burgers, but it would be fairly high, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of these places pop up a little closer to home.

That’s an acceptable Captain Burger endorsement. I’ll certainly give them a shot…
If I’m ever near one that is.

The fries, however? Not so hot. McDonald’s wins there. As does Five Guys.

But I’ll also remember that caveat.




Ok… back to the actual TR then, what say?

So we decided to try and have the best of both worlds—keep it a secret until the day before, and then spill the beans so we’d have a 24-hour period of excitement. That’s the plan anyway.

Well, I do see your reasoning here.

I should tell you a bit about how Disneyland became a part of our trip…
…
it just didn’t fit in the budget.

Tell me about it…

But Disneyland is the original park, and we were so (relatively) close. Also, the original plan for the trip was to finish our loop by seeing Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. Even non-Disney geeks would admit that Disneyland beats 2 days in the desert, especially as the culmination of a vacation.

Mmmmmmmmm… could be, could be.

In sheer desperation, I put the question out there on the DISboards: was it worth the expense to go if we only had one day? Many of you chimed in, but out of the blue I got a message from Alison (franandaj). The gist of it was: Go to Disneyland—I will hook you up!

Angles do exist!

Anyway, I’ve pulled out the video camera and started rolling. Drew is asleep in his car seat, but the other kids know something is up.

Parents with cameras rolling do tend to be perceived as a threat by the average young’en.

So, she said, they were excited to go, and much preferred Disneyland to 2 days in the Mojave, but the surprise didn’t hit with full force this time.

Not a surprising result based on my experiences.

Obviously, the moral is: leave your ungrateful kids at home (or in the desert) and go to Disneyland by yourselves.

Now you’re talkin!

Ok, maybe that’s not it. The moral is: the kids get self-conscious in front of video cameras way too young these days.

Actually…
I think it’s the parent rather than the camera. Kids have always made every effort not to be themselves when mom and dad are around. I did that, my dad did it, his dad did it; I suspect you did as well. If their friends are wielding the camera however, then a young’ens desire to impress often has a freighting tendency to go too far in the other direction.

The equivalent of the “double dog-dare”. I mean what else is left but a "triple-dare you"? And finally, the coup de grace of all dares...
the sinister triple dog-dare!

And while we’re at it, here’s a “whatever, you guys are lame” photo:

Bet they didn’t have any trouble striking that pose.

There is one bright spot. This actually happened: I lean over to Drew in his car seat.
I whisper, “Hey, Drew! You’re going to Disneyland!” And he smiles in his sleep.
Honest to goodness, that happened.

The whisper tickled his ear.
Of course he smiled.


But I like your interpretation.

Golf is very cheap in Phoenix during the summer. Mostly because only idiots go outside in Phoenix during the summer. It’s even cheaper with their “twilight” rates during the afternoon. Mostly because only absolute morons go outside during the hottest part of the day in Phoenix during the summer.

Morons that are saving their pennies for Disneyland that is.

Desert golf is very different from normal golf courses. You’re either on the fairway, or in the desert.

Bunkers! We don’t need no stinkin’ bunkers!

You would think it might be easier to find your ball after a wayward shot in the desert, but that’s not the case. Even if you do find it, hitting off of loose stones is almost impossible. Not to mention the rattlesnakes.

Yah, rattlers don’t take too kindly to being smacked on the head at high velocity by random hard circular objects falling from the sky.

I failed miserably.

Speaking as a dad (and a husband… devoted or otherwise)

I’m sure that you’ve had to utter this particular phrase more than once.
(even if you made sure that no one else hear you say it)

But we had a good time.

Then it was a good day.

Desert golf presents some unusual hazards. Look closely and you can find some golf balls nobody wanted to retrieve (not mine, I promise!):

A lot of battle scars evident on that particular hazard.
You’d think it’d be hard to hit.

By the time we got back to the resort, it was dark and the girls were getting HANGRY.

Best not tarry then.
No good would come of it.

In my research, I’d found the perfect place for an Oblivious Family TR. A young restaurateur had taken an old bank building and turned it into a pizza joint. And not a chain, but genuine wood-fired pizza. Even better, they kept the drive-through window operating for carryout orders.

Sound’s promising.

Everything went fine until I tried to park back at the resort. There weren’t any spaces at our building…

You foreshadowed that one.
Good that the staff offered to help out a bit.
Speaks well of the resort in general.

we found the pizza to be delicious. Not your usual drive-through fare, that’s for sure.

One more win on one more excellent day of road tripping.
(which is better on the body, mind and spirit then some other types of “tripping”)

 

[afwdwfan]

And—you knew this would happen eventually—we’re all sick of PB&J sandwiches.

I can't believe it!

C’mon, people. Like I would stop a burger joint from moving in.

I know, right?

Better than McDonald’s, sure, but not the life-changing experience I had been expecting.

Almost every burger is better than McDonalds. I mean they taste fine and they're cheap and you always know what you're getting... but I have a hard time even lumping them into the burger category.

Moreover, I must also disappoint my West Coast readers by saying that we subbed ketchup and mustard for the secret sauce. In-N-Out burgers typically come with a secret sauce that is basically a derivative of Thousand Island dressing.


Why anyone would put Thousand Island dressing on a burger mystifies me. Blech. As far as I’m concerned, salad dressing is a condiment that is strictly for pouring over a salad before you shove it uneaten to the side of your plate and devour the meat and potatoes.

Ok... I'm a little surprised by this. You're a burger aficionado and you've never had a burger with thousand island or some similar type of secret sauce on it????

I'm with you on the whole ketchup is better concept, but I've had several burgers from several places in my day that have some kind of secret sauce on them... most of which I have assumed to be some variation of a Thousand Island. It is never necessary, and I wouldn't make any kind of extra effort to order a burger with it. But I find burgers with it to taste fine.

Ok, I’ve dragged this out long enough. We thoroughly enjoyed our burgers. Better than Five Guys, much better than McDonald’s. I don’t know where I’d ultimately rank them on the list of chain burgers, but it would be fairly high, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of these places pop up a little closer to home.

We just don't have many good burger chains around here. Steak n' Shake can be good... other than that it is all fast food. Wendy's has been my go to lately since they updated their menu a couple of years ago.

Alison, we literally could not have done this without you, and we are indebted to you forever. Thanks for being an amazing friend.

That. Is. Awesome.

Sarah explains that they knew something was going on, since I had the video camera out.

Come on, man. You've got to be more stealth with that thing!

And they’d heard us mention Disneyland a couple of times several months ago, so they thought it was a possibility, and it wasn’t a hard leap to make.

Obviously, the moral is: leave your ungrateful kids at home (or in the desert) and go to Disneyland by yourselves.

Or maybe hide the video camera and make darn sure the kids don't hear you talking about Disneyland!

In their defense, they had an idea, yet didn't say anything. They were trying to let you do your whole surprise thing. Seems to me, they're pretty good kids.

You'll just never have to worry about them being professional actors.

I whisper, “Hey, Drew! You’re going to Disneyland!” And he smiles in his sleep.

I’d found a deal here where kids play free during the afternoon. 3 for the price of 1? Sold!

Well, we all know about you and free things...

I failed miserably. But we had a good time.

Desert golf presents some unusual hazards. Look closely and you can find some golf balls nobody wanted to retrieve (not mine, I promise!):

I can't believe you and the boys could play a round of golf, surrounded by cacti, and nobody end up stuck to one. It just seems like the kind of thing that would happen with Scotty around.

Anyway, problem solved, we found the pizza to be delicious. Not your usual drive-through fare, that’s for sure.

It definitely looks good!

 

[eandesmom]

Great update!!!

I admit, I do like the Five Guys burgers and they have great fries, We also enjoy Fatburger. Preyty "over" Red Robin but they are good. Out here though the cult is a small chain of 4 local places called Dick's.

I had my first InNOut in Sept and my verdict was.

Really good burger.

Really lame fries.

Dicks and Five Guys beat them hands down, I even like the Five Guys better. Not a huge fan of the Red Robin ones but I'm not a steak fries gal.

Pizza Drive through, love that!

Fun golf with the boys but pretty funny about the kids. Darn them anyhow getting all jaded and figuring things out ahead of time. You do realize had you NOT gone, under that situation, they'd have been monsters the rest of the trip once they realized they weren't going.

Alison and Fran are the BOMB! And not just because they are connected, but because they are really truly cool lovely people who are a ton of fun to be with.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Reminds me of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"

What's the secret sauce?
Thousand Island dressing. What's the secret sauce at Bronco Burger?
Ketchup and mayonnaise.
Gotcha.

There truly is nothing new under the sun.

Hilarious!!!

Glad you and the boys got to have a little golf outing on the cheap. Looked like fun.

Desert golf is a neat experience. So is riding in a golf cart with my boys.

I'm glad you enjoyed In-N-Out! I love that place! Sorry the kids weren't more excited when you made the big reveal but I bet they were jumping for joy on the inside. Drew's reaction is priceless! I'm really sorry I didn't try harder to steal him this week. The golf outing looked really cool! That poor cactus. Hopefully David didn't jump out of a moving golf cart this time.

Jill in CO

No, everyone kept their arms and legs inside the moving vehicle at all times.

I know that deep down, the kids were very happy to be going to Disneyland. I just wanted it on video, darn it!

And we can still FedEx Drew to you. I'll punch some air holes in the box.

That's cool that you were able to get so many DIS folk together in one place! Isn't it great how we can all meet here and then get together in 3D?

We had a great time! I love it when a plan comes together.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I really don't eat enough burgers. I want to but Melody frowns upon it. So I try to sneak them from time to time.... She prefers a New York Strip or a filet.

You're not allowed to eat burgers?? What is she, a Communist or something?

I'm with you in that 5 guys really isn't that great but the fries are really good. I've been to Jake's once and it was good. Better than 5 guys. Anyway... I'm hungry again.

We're on the same page. 5 guys does have really good fries. So they have that going for them, which is nice.

Sorry you didn't get the reaction you'd hope from the revealing. Juliana had a reaction like that one time when we surprised her. We felt let down. At least you wee able to get some fake pictures of the excitement.

If you can't get it, fake it! These kids get all grown-up and jaded too fast.

Awwww Drew is too cute... he's a smart one too.

Your golf outing with the boys looks like tons of fun. If I was there with you I would of carted you around and drank beer while you guys played. I'm not a golfer.

I once played with a couple of friends, one of whom did exactly that. He said he'd be our caddy. Good enough for us. I don't think he actually did much of anything other than hold the flag once in a while, though.

Drive through pizza joint?

I have been to in n out also and it was good but I was not doing cartwheels in the streets or anything. I would go back, again, but to me there is just something about a burger cooked over charcoal. so Texas burgers are my favorite, love it when the brisket is mixed in.

Ooh, now we're talking. (schedules trip to Texas)

Nice DISmeet.

It was!

Golf looked to be beautiful from the pictures and the bright sunshine and colors.

It was a good time! Really nice course.

Love the pic of Drew winking at you, almost like he knew a little secret.

It was either that, or he had just filled his diaper again.

So I think the sauce definitely makes the burger. I actually like MCD's and In-N-Out fries equally, UNTIL I ask for 'sauce' packets on the side to dip my fries in. In-n-Out = Winning!

Salad dressing on a burger has to be a California thing.

That's awesome that Alison was able to make Disneyland a reality! Love DIS friends.

She made the magic happen! We're so thankful she and Fran helped us out.

Whaaat?! You're not going to show us the video!?

Well...it's pretty anticlimactic.

Well, Drews reaction to Disneyland is pretty fabulous!

There you go. Let's focus on that instead.

Awesome that you got some golf time in with the boys. And 3 for 1 is a steal! On our honeymoon, we took an all inclusive vacation to Jamaica which included free unlimited golf--this was before DH was a golfer...every now and then, he'll mention what an idiot he was to not partake.

We have certain rules we live by. One of them is, "If it's free, it's for me!"

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

This is sort of the reaction that I would expect from most people. In-n-Out gets so hyped up. It's a good burger, but you have to get the Double Double, for a while I was ordering cheeseburgers to help my waistline, but the cheese to burger ratio, just wasn't right.

Julie and I made sure to follow your advice with the double-double. You only live once, right? I think the over-hyping hurt me with Five Guys. By the time I got there, I was expecting burgers sent from heaven itself.

If you don't eat the fries right away, they get soggy and icky fast.

Sure, NOW you tell us.

I'm very glad I could send some your way. You have such a special family (and I mean that in a nice way) and I know how tough it is for you to get to this coast. It touched me when you mentioned about how Sarah may start to get summer jobs and traveling would be more difficult in the coming years. I didn't want you to miss out on this chance for everyone to go. Even if Drew doesn't remember that he went. You have pictures to prove it! It was my pleasure!

We once thought we'd never take a baby to Disney parks. Then we thought about it some more and realized he was free, so it didn't matter if he remembered it or not.

We were very touched that you felt we were worthy of reaching out and helping us. We'll always be grateful to you and Fran for making it possible. And then for letting us drag you all over creation in the heat during our visit. I bet you slept for a week after meeting us!

Sarah is getting very smart!

The photos of the kids are cute, but Drew's reaction is priceless!

Sometimes you just turn the camera on at the right time!

The Desert Golf Course is very stunning, you took some beautiful pictures! And that cactus was crazy!

Clearly there were some golfers there who were just as bad as me!

What happened to Claim Jumper?

We found a couple of new places to try in Phoenix that took precedent. Claim Jumper will still make an appearance.

You have not spoken truer words.

Class act, that Alison lady.

It sucks when the kids start smartening up. I was able to pull some fast ones on my child but she has caught on to me for a while now. It is way harder to get away with anything. Get used to picture number 2.

I hear ya. They get older and you just can't have any fun anymore. Plus I'm terrible at keeping secrets anyway.

BEST PICTURES EVER!

Glad you liked them!

Mark (and my Andy) have had In and Out Burgers. I've not yet had that opportunity. But I am hoping to rectify it when we go to Phoenix in March. I detest Five Guys. I think they are disgusting. We have something called SmashBurger now and I'm told it's like just eating grease. No thank you. It's rare that we go out for burgers anymore because they are just not that good. If we do, it's usually Steak & Shake (and they've gone downhill in my opinion) or Red Robin.

I've never had SmashBurger. I did try a Steak & Shake in Florida one time...I don't remember it being anything special, though.

Whatever Alison did, I'm sure it was awesome.

Sorry you didn't get more "surprised excitement" out of the kids. No boogie dance like my husband for his 60th, huh?

Not even close! Your Mark has obviously matured to the point where he doesn't have to worry about what other people think, so he can dance with joy over Disney trips again.

I'm going to have to show Andy pictures of that golf course. He would love it. If I'm not mistaken, Des (his girlfriend) has a very good friend who lives in Phoenix...they should go visit her so he can golf.

I'm sure he would! It was a really nice course. Another one I like is the We-ko-pa Golf Club. It's on Indian land so there are no houses spoiling the view, and the golf courses are gorgeous.

It appears you had a nice time with the boys. It's always good to have that special time men to men...or so I'm told.

Well, you ladies are always scheduling "Girls trips" to Disney and whatnot, so it's only fair the guys get to have some fun too.

That pizza doesn't look bad for take-out pizza.

A wood-fired oven does wonders for pizza.

Okay, let's get to Disneyland now.

Coming up! But first, a boring detour.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I like Smashburger. I don't think its like eating grease....they are juicy burgers and the smash fries are the bomb.

Jill in CO

I guess I'll have to give them a whirl, too.

Glad you liked the In-N-Out burgers (despite the fries and lack of "special" sauce). It's been SO long since I had one (maybe like 2006?), but I'd love to try one again now (if we had them), as we have a Five Guys and Smashburger nearby that are our go-to burger joints. I'd like to know how they compare.

It's always fun to do taste tests with food.

Bummer that the kids' reactions to Disneyland were not what you had hoped. I guess they are used to expecting the unexpected. But little Drew, man, he just totally fell for that one. Good to have the youth around, I guess.

Hopefully his reactions will be uninhibited for a few years. I still miss Dave's reactions to Christmas gifts when he was younger. Every single present would be met with, "Just what I always wanted!!!"

That golf course looks pretty fun and unique! Love the cactus-o-golf-balls.

That poor cactus. It's obviously seen better days.

Wow, burger for lunch and pizza for dinner...not a bad day!

Nothing but the finest cuisine for our family!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The Myth…
The Legend…
The… oh y’all get the picture, but you have my attention now.

We take our burgers seriously around here.

Nearly all my conversations turn toward food at some point, West Coast person of not.

Good point. It's a uniting force.

Like it’s a choice we make…


That what I’m sayin’ here.

Yeah, we're on the same page.

Hummm… Interesting.
We’d never heard of the place when a few years back we encountered one totally by accident down on the SC coast. We were blow away by how much better the burgers were then what we were used to. It got to be a Beach trip tradition. One finally came to our area a couple years ago and I’ll say it’s a little different. Still very good but interestingly… a little different. Maybe there are differences in the kitchen standards. I’ve encountered some other chines where that’s true. Showmar’s is a good example of that.

Yeah, that's always a possibility. I think overhyping definitely had something to do with it. But I was just unimpressed. Except for the fries, of course. They were really good.

Since I’ve already hijacked the conversation and driven it off topic…
I like that list but obviously our experiences are different. “Robin’s” burgers are quite good, but I’ve noticed a dip in the quality of the meat and increase in saltiness. The cooking time seems to vary unpredictably as well (not to mention they are mightily expensive by comparison).

Yeah, the cost is a factor there. But I don't think I've had any bad meals there. Yet.

As for Fud’s… we have to go far out of our way to get to one, but heartily agree that those burgers are worth the effort. Well… Tam and Max do. I’ve never had one of their burgers. They made the mistake of putting a steak sandwich on their menu and I can’t not order one of those (oh and they are that good).

Haven't tried the steak sandwich. They just opened a Fudd's near us and we were very excited. GOod stuff.

Jack’s… that one is an unknown commodity to us. I’ll let you know if I ever encounter one but I think the nearest location to us is an hour and half in the wrong direction. When I do get there though, what would you recommend to ensure that I get the right experience?

I don't think there's one particular burger or combo of ingredients that rises above any other. It's a good quality burger that is helped by the use of fresh, never frozen hamburger meat. Very good milkshakes, too.

Then it’s a lot like being at Disney World, then ain’t it?

Why...yes, yes it is!

Ehhh… I think at least someone in the group should try a new place’s “standard bearer” first anyway. The thing the purveyors think is worth touting needs to live up to its own hype or it may not bode well for the rest of the offerings.

Agreed. We tried to follow Alison's advice as far as making sure we ordered the double-double.

The thing that should never ever, ever touch any burger would be ketchup.
(shouldn’t even get near a hotdog either)

Now there's where we disagree. I don't understand the absolute hatred some have for ketchup. But then again, I'm sure the folks on the Left Coast are wondering why I'm making such a big deal about Thousand Island dressing.

That’s an acceptable Captain Burger endorsement. I’ll certainly give them a shot…
If I’m ever near one that is.

It'll happen.

But I’ll also remember that caveat.

B.Y.O.F.

Ok… back to the actual TR then, what say?

What? There's a TR here?

Well, I do see your reasoning here.

It sounded a lot better on paper.

Tell me about it…

Disney is a lot of things, but "cheap" ain't one of them.

Mmmmmmmmm… could be, could be.

I'm sure the Mojave National Preserve is nice, and all.

Angles do exist!

And her name is Alison!

Parents with cameras rolling do tend to be perceived as a threat by the average young’en.

Not a surprising result based on my experiences.

We'd had so much success in 2012 with the surprise trip. I guess a lot changes in 2 years.

Now you’re talkin!

If only...

Actually…
I think it’s the parent rather than the camera. Kids have always made every effort not to be themselves when mom and dad are around. I did that, my dad did it, his dad did it; I suspect you did as well. If their friends are wielding the camera however, then a young’ens desire to impress often has a freighting tendency to go too far in the other direction.

The equivalent of the “double dog-dare”. I mean what else is left but a "triple-dare you"? And finally, the coup de grace of all dares...
the sinister triple dog-dare!

Good point. But I was hoping for a little excitement, anyway. It's not like I was asking them to stick their tongue to a flagpole.

Bet they didn’t have any trouble striking that pose.

The whisper tickled his ear.
Of course he smiled.


But I like your interpretation.

Just let me have my fantasy. That's all I ask.

Morons that are saving their pennies for Disneyland that is.

I'm sure I saved at least enough for a t-shirt.

Bunkers! We don’t need no stinkin’ bunkers!

The whole course is a bunker!

Yah, rattlers don’t take too kindly to being smacked on the head at high velocity by random hard circular objects falling from the sky.

I never got close enough to ask them if that was the case. Even the rattlers aren't dumb enough to wander out at that time of day.

Speaking as a dad (and a husband… devoted or otherwise)

I’m sure that you’ve had to utter this particular phrase more than once.
(even if you made sure that no one else hear you say it)

I fail miserably almost daily. But it's also a good way to learn and get better. At least that's what they keep telling me.

Then it was a good day.

A lot of battle scars evident on that particular hazard.
You’d think it’d be hard to hit.

I could nail it. The trick is to aim for the fairway.

Best not tarry then.
No good would come of it.

They had Pop-Tarts in the room. Show some initiative, people!

Sound’s promising.

Can't go wrong with wood-fired pizza.

You foreshadowed that one.
Good that the staff offered to help out a bit.
Speaks well of the resort in general.

They were definitely willing to help out. Policing the "party crowd", on the other hand...

All in all, I'd go back, but not on a weekend.

One more win on one more excellent day of road tripping.
(which is better on the body, mind and spirit then some other types of “tripping”)

With all of our sleep deprivation, sometimes it's hard to tell which one we're doing.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I can't believe it!

Sadly, it's true. PB&J will eventually get old.

I know, right?

Bring on the burger joints!

Almost every burger is better than McDonalds. I mean they taste fine and they're cheap and you always know what you're getting... but I have a hard time even lumping them into the burger category.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm not a hater. McDonald's serves a purpose, and sometimes is good for just making the kids happy. But as far as burgers go...yeah, let's not include them in the conversation.

Ok... I'm a little surprised by this. You're a burger aficionado and you've never had a burger with thousand island or some similar type of secret sauce on it????

No, I think you misunderstood me. I have had thousand island dressing on a burger. And I think it's disgusting. I even hate it on Big Macs, so I never order them anymore. Generally anything that is based on mayonnaise or salad dressing is not going to find favor with me.

I'm with you on the whole ketchup is better concept, but I've had several burgers from several places in my day that have some kind of secret sauce on them... most of which I have assumed to be some variation of a Thousand Island. It is never necessary, and I wouldn't make any kind of extra effort to order a burger with it. But I find burgers with it to taste fine.

I'm not against the concept of someone making a "secret sauce" or a special condiment for their burgers. I love BBQ sauce on burgers, and I've tried some other flavors that have been good. But the thousand island just doesn't work for me.

We just don't have many good burger chains around here. Steak n' Shake can be good... other than that it is all fast food. Wendy's has been my go to lately since they updated their menu a couple of years ago.

I like it when Wendy's offers that pretzel roll for the burger. A pretzel roll is a real weapon when it comes to sandwiches.

That. Is. Awesome.

My DIS friends have continually amazed me over the years.

Come on, man. You've got to be more stealth with that thing!

It's a little awkward. I don't have the budget for Candid Camera-type setups.

I deserved that.

Or maybe hide the video camera and make darn sure the kids don't hear you talking about Disneyland!

In their defense, they had an idea, yet didn't say anything. They were trying to let you do your whole surprise thing. Seems to me, they're pretty good kids.

They are good kids. And they were excited on the inside, or so I'm told.

You'll just never have to worry about them being professional actors.

This is probably a good thing.

Well, we all know about you and free things...

Exactly.

I can't believe you and the boys could play a round of golf, surrounded by cacti, and nobody end up stuck to one. It just seems like the kind of thing that would happen with Scotty around.

Hey, I'm as surprised (disappointed?) as anyone!

It definitely looks good!

It's almost lunchtime here. I'm getting hungry now.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Great update!!!

I admit, I do like the Five Guys burgers and they have great fries, We also enjoy Fatburger. Preyty "over" Red Robin but they are good. Out here though the cult is a small chain of 4 local places called Dick's.

Ok, so I need to add Fatburger and Dick's to the list. It'll probably be a few years before we get to the Pacific Northwest, but I'll need to remember this!

I had my first InNOut in Sept and my verdict was.

Really good burger.

Really lame fries.

We're on the same page there!

Dicks and Five Guys beat them hands down, I even like the Five Guys better. Not a huge fan of the Red Robin ones but I'm not a steak fries gal.

I do like the steak fries, but it could be the fact that they're bottomless that really appeals to me.

Pizza Drive through, love that!

I love finding these places!

Fun golf with the boys but pretty funny about the kids. Darn them anyhow getting all jaded and figuring things out ahead of time. You do realize had you NOT gone, under that situation, they'd have been monsters the rest of the trip once they realized they weren't going.

Yeah, and I try not to think about that! Can you imagine them sulking through the hot desert for 2 days? Come to think of it, this was pretty much a no-brainer decision.

Alison and Fran are the BOMB! And not just because they are connected, but because they are really truly cool lovely people who are a ton of fun to be with.

I agree completely! Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to meet Fran. If I recall, I think either she wasn't feeling up to DL that day or the fact that it was a weekday made it harder for her to come. My memory is a little fuzzy on that one.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Just stealing the photo from MEK's trip report. Here's the proof of the Delaware DIS Meet with MEK, glennbo, and jedijill. If you missed it, Glenn posted his photos a couple of pages back.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Haven't tried the steak sandwich. They just opened a Fudd's near us and we were very excited. GOod stuff.

I’m a sucker for an actual steak.
Slap it on good bread so it becomes portable and it just gets better.

I don't think there's one particular burger or combo of ingredients that rises above any other. It's a good quality burger that is helped by the use of fresh, never frozen hamburger meat. Very good milkshakes, too.

I’ll keep that in mind as well. There are two in SC but not handy to us. One of them would be a half-hour-ish detour on the way to or from where my young’en is going to school so I might consider that at some point. There are five in NC but they’re way the heck out of the way from us; which raises an interesting thought… If it’s as good as you say, I wonder if “someone” should consider acquiring one of their franchises and opening up in the Charlotte area.
Hummmm….

I don't understand the absolute hatred some have for ketchup.

May have come from watching my young’en drown everything in it for years.
The time period when manufactures added color to convince kids to put it on even more things didn’t help either.
Guess I just grew out of it; replaced it with salsa in most instances.
I do still use the stuff to make bad fries edible (assuming there no malt vinegar around) but that’s about it.

We'd had so much success in 2012 with the surprise trip. I guess a lot changes in 2 years.

Yes it does. Frighteningly so.

I never got close enough to ask them if that was the case. Even the rattlers aren't dumb enough to wander out at that time of day.

Kind’a shifts you into a whole new category in this instance then, now don’t it?

I fail miserably almost daily. But it's also a good way to learn and get better. At least that's what they keep telling me.

Admitting the truth is the first step.

As for those “they” folks that keep tellin’ you stuff…
They foul up as much or more, but just haven’t grown up enough to admit it yet.

I could nail it. The trick is to aim for the fairway.

With all of our sleep deprivation, sometimes it's hard to tell which one we're doing.

Hummmmm…
That state of mind; a long drive across some seriously empty (and ridiculously hot) spaces a head of you...

The next driving update could be interesting