Gila bend makes Jerome quite the day trip. I would hit that on your way in/out or camp overnight. Locals kind of avoid Sedona. Sure the hiking and scenery are great and there’s the whole vortex thing, if you’re into that... but Sedona as a day-trip is a strip mall of souvenir shops, overpriced restaurants and the commercialization of new-age culture. You can expect to see one or more midwestern dads in cargo shorts with a camera around his neck explaining to his bored children what “hippies” are. There’s plenty to see in Jerome, so I would focus on that.

The Raku glass blowing gallery in Jerome was a really cool experience. Sat and watched him blow a wine glass and was able to buy it when he was done. The rest of town is pretty small, but consider the mine tour. It is the whole reason that town was there. Also, the big hotel used to be a hospital, and is said to be very haunted. I think their restaurant is still called The Asylum?

Another cool day/ overnight trip is SR88 into the Superstition Mountains. You may remember a Newsletter from summer ‘08 (ish...?) where Blair wrote about the Lost Dutchman’s gold. Well, that’s where you’d find it. There’s also a couple ghost towns worth checking out. Go down 88 far enough, you’ll get to Canyon lake. Good camping and boating lake. A little further down 88 and you’ll find Apache Lake. There’s great camping, but also a restaurant, bar and hotel at Apache. I lived there for a summer and worked in the restaurant, so this is a special place for me. Watch for bighorn sheep.

Mill Ave is the college-town strip in Tempe. Not quite my speed, but it’s got poppin’ nightlife. Remember: ASU SUCKS (Bear down). Better yet is oldtown Scottsdale if you can afford it. Think: dress code meets dust-town. Yuppies, bimbos, blow, and DUIs.

Golf is everywhere, but if you golf you already know that.

Biosphere 2 is a really cool tour, and commonly overlooked. Good Groupon deals, too. It’s a couple hours away, but doable in a day. At the base of the Catalina Mountain, this is the neighborhood I grew up in, and it’s my favorite place in the world.

Salt river tubing is always a good time. You can rent a tube and take the bus up-river, and float back to your car. The weather will probably still be flirting with triple digit temps in mid October, so...

Zia Records is great. It’s not quite Amoeba, but you can spend some time there.

If you see an Eegees, get one. The sandwiches are pretty standard but the Eegees “slushy” is where it’s at. The flavor of the month is always fun but watermelon is the best, and I think you can get it year round now.

Also, Nicos, or Los Betos are going to be the best burrito shops. They’re kind of dingy but the food is great, they’re everywhere and usually 24/7. If a Mexican restaurant looks like they hired an interior designer, their customer base is probably snowbirds and international tourist, and their food reflects that.