Two weeks ago we came down the Rim sunburned and smelling like campfire, and apparently that wasn’t enough, because the News board filled right back up with reasons to go north. This weekend the White Mountains are throwing everything at once: a mud run in Show Low, a free movie under the pines in Lakeside, an ice cream social at the Taylor pool, and a small-town stage musical for good measure. Meanwhile the valley forecast says 103°. ...
A company holiday landed on Friday, so we strung it into a full long weekend up north — trading 100°+ valley heat for cool pine air and the kind of small-town 4th of July you can’t get in the city. Five of us in one truck: me and Charlotte, GiGi, and cousins Sam and Nate. (Steven, Rachael, and Ryha couldn’t make the drive this year — missed them.) 🚗 Day One — The Drive Up Loaded and rolling from GiGi’s right on schedule — five of us in the truck, walkie-talkie on the console, spirits high. ...
Different kind of trip on the board: a work one. I’m headed to KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2026 — the Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s flagship conference — in Salt Lake City. It’s four days of Kubernetes, platform engineering, and the whole cloud-native circus at the Salt Palace. But a work trip doesn’t have to be all badge-and-ballroom: my rule is fly in the day before and out the day after, which buys two easy evenings and a free morning to actually see the town. Here’s the plan — logistics first, then the fun. ...
This one’s a big swing: the real Oktoberfest — not a valley beer garden, but the 191st Wiesn on Munich’s Theresienwiese, where the mayor taps the first keg and a quarter-million people say O’zapft is! on day one. This is a solo trip now: me, one bag, a festival plan, and enough flexibility to chase the quiet part after the tents. The soft landing could still be Weilheim in Oberbayern, with lakes and Alps close by, or it might bend west into Switzerland first so I can spend time in that small Black Forest town and make a proper watch hunt out of the route. Still very much in the planning stage — flights to book, a weekend to lock, and the countryside base to pick — but here’s the shape of it. ...
A quick first-class hop over the desert, two nights at the Grand Californian, and a 3-Day Park Hopper between Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Park. Just TJ and Charlotte, chasing rides and fireworks and one very good castle photo. Three days, three rides ✈️ Friday – Wheels Up & California Adventure We left Phoenix mid-morning on American flight 3171, lifting off at 11:04 AM and touching down in Orange County by 12:31 PM — a quick hour-and-a-half over the desert, and Charlotte got to ride up front in first class (unicorn water bottle riding shotgun). ...
Spring break came with boarding passes, a suitcase full of princess gear, and the kind of countdown that makes a kid ask “how many more sleeps?” more than once. We flew from Phoenix to San Diego, spent a little time by the harbor, and then climbed aboard the Disney Wonder for a few days of ocean air, shows, dinners, port stops, and pure Charlotte magic. Wheels up for San Diego ...
We headed up north to the pines for the 4th of July weekend — a chance to cool down, unplug, and let the days shape themselves. With a rough idea of events and a few favorite stops in mind, we left room for discovery, because the best memories don’t always come from a schedule. 🌤️ Weather Outlook (July 3–6) Trading desert heat for mountain air: Thursday (Phoenix → Heber): ~104°F in the Valley, but just ~77°F up in Heber. Friday (Heber & Show Low): Sunny, ~85°F, light breeze Saturday (Heber): Warm mid-80s, some late-day clouds Sunday (Heber → Phoenix): Mostly sunny, high ~86°F on return 🍔 Day One – The Drive Up & a Crown Stop Thursday, July 3rd – the start of our long weekend up north. ...