Salsa Challenge

Well, another fun annual event here is the Salsa Challenge. Basically, lots (I mean 30-50, depending on the year) of groups arrive, make, and let you sample their salsa recipes. The event benefits the AZ Hemophilia Society. For the minimum donation($10) you get as much salsa & chips as you can handle for the afternoon. Plus, there are booths to buy beverages as well, and why not have a cold margarita to boot? Today the winds were up, but that made for a great day in the sun, eating and watching the love bands that also play at the event. They have a margarita mix-off as well, where groups come up with some wild (sometimes awful-sounding) recipes, and they auction off items as well as a sample of the margarita for the winner.

On Sunday, as I had an odd Sunday off, it was simple R & R at the casa. I watched a full day of racing, washed the bikes (and the dog) and just relaxed. Nice to do that sometimes!

Long Beach Grand Prix

Well, another year, another time for me to get away to Long Beach, CA, for the Toyota Grand Prix race. This is accurately billed as an event, not just a race. With 3 days of action, and 2 days of varied types of racing, it really is a race fan's dream. This year, unusually, was quite warm, with temps in the 80s and (unfortunately) record-breaking upper 90s - whew !!! Also this year Caryl accompanied me, the first time she has done that since 2003.

The ride over was uneventful, save for the ticket I got from CHP for failing to see a "no right turn" sign in Palm Springs - jerks !!!!!! We stayed at a European-style boutique hotel right in the middle of Long Beach. A very cool idea, but we agreed the room, however chic, was too small to repeat next time. We are used to big, roomy American hotel suites :)


Saturday was the usual fun - the Pro/Celebrity race, which never disappoints for action, especially in Turn 1. This year Keanu Reeves raced, along with pros like Al Unser, Jr., who incidentally won the race. A couple of wreck pictures to show why Turn 1 is the place to be! Then later in afternoon, the ALMS series raced, followed by a free concert by Puddle of Mud.

Sunday was the scorcher, but great racing nonetheless, with Dario Franchitti winning. Then the Speed World Challenge (SCCA) finalized the race weekend. All the drivers from this series were in an autograph session on Saturday, so I waited in line to have all of them sign the series poster. This should be a great addition to my "man cave " !!!

Also, it was fun to catch up my with my friends Stuart & Lisa ( and of course, their daughter Lily) for dinners, racing, and general merriment. Stuart provided me many good insights on why I should just bite the bullet and retire, and I admit, he makes a pretty good argument for it!

Happy Easter !!

A Quick happy Easter to all. Caryl and I went to church this morning, and then it is off to work for me. Even Coco got in on the action, with her pink Easter bow!









We were supposed to go see the final ever race at Manzanita Raceway with some friends yesterday, but a rare April rain made them cancel and reschedule for today. Guess that means I won't ever get to see dirt track racing at Manzy, as the locals call it. A lesson to all; quit putting off things as the chance to do them may escape you .

Arizona Bike Week

Well, this past week was another good one for motorcycle riders, as Arizona Bike Week was in town. While not as big as Sturgis, it is still a fun time to ride and see thousands of bikes in the valley. The weather mostly cooperated, with winds being the major culprit to a less than perfect week. The usual spate of activities happened, though this year work precluded me from taking in the early week fun. As of Wednesday, though, Cyclefest was is full swing, and I took in several of the nighttime concerts at least - a benefit to living only about 5 miles from where the main event was held. I got to see Gin Blossoms, Blackfoot, and on Saturday Cheap Trick, one of my favorite bands.



Friday was the Mesa Firefighters Benefit ride, and this event just keeps growing in popularity. This year it took a longer ride, which would have been great, except for the construction delay we encountered plus the gale force winds. All in all, still a nice day to be on the bike with friends. The down side of this was the winds took their affect on my health. Allergies from all the pollen being blown around turned into bronchitis, and so while I still tried to have fun, I was sneezing and coughing my way through the weekend. It also took a toll on my bike as well. When I got done with the ride and tried to start it - no go ?!?!?? Thank goodness for AAA, and the fact it happened at the end of the day only a few miles from home!



Saturday we took a ride (on my other bike) with some other friends out to a little town called Wickenburg, and then rode back through Cave Creek to some local biker haunts. As we anticipated, there were throngs of people out that day. We headed home so I could rest up, as we wanted to see Cheap Trick that night.

All in all, another fun week, my health notwithstanding, but that is what makes life worth living.