Trips

Fall break came with one request from Charlotte: a waterpark, and friends to go with. Great Wolf Lodge in Scottsdale covered both, and it turned out the whole place was mid-costume for Howl-O-Ween — a balloon spider the size of a car in the lobby, a scarecrow at the Adventure Park, pumpkins stacked on every shelf. Three days, three very different speeds. The official poster. Rated PG for pizza, goggles, and one balloon spider. ...

The fair opened Thursday, and we were there on day one. The plan was a two-act night: Charlotte and me early, everybody else after 5:30, and the SkyRide before anything else. What we actually did was whatever the kids wanted, in whatever order they wanted it, and the SkyRide ended up being the last thing instead of the first. Nobody minded. The whole night on one wheel. ...

Update, October 16: rained out. Sunday turned into a washout and we called it. The plan stays here for next year — the wiener dogs will race again. Munich’s Oktoberfest didn’t happen for me this year, so the Valley’s own is getting the job. The Four Peaks Oktoberfest is back on Tempe Town Lake for its 53rd year, and we’re going Sunday. Sunday is the day to go: admission is free for everyone, the wiener dog races run all afternoon, and Monday is the first day of Fall Break, so nobody has to rush home for bedtime. ...

Well. It happened. There was a whole plan — flights, a monorail-adjacent hotel shortlist, a badge, a village hit list four bullet points deep. DEF CON 34 is cancelled. Not a security incident. Not a budget thing. Just real life stacking up faster than a conference notebook: back in the office more than expected, and it’s the first week of school. Something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be either of those. ...

Two low-key, high-fun days back to back: an evening bouncing off the walls at Sky Zone, then an afternoon at the movies for the new Moana. Abby and Lucia came along for both, and it turned into exactly the kind of stretch that doesn’t need a plan to be a good one. 👪 The Crew Me — driver, ticket-buyer, and designated seat-picker. Charlotte — age 8, equally all-in on trampolines and animated musicals. Abby and Lucia — Charlotte’s friends, and very good company for both a jump session and a matinee. 🤸 Sky Zone First stop: Sky Zone, with a Fuel Zone pit stop for Icee’s before anyone was allowed near the trampolines. ...

The circus came to town. The actual, capital-C circus — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey rolled into downtown Phoenix, and Charlotte had never been to one. I remember my first. It was her turn, and she didn’t go alone: GiGi brought Sammy and Nathan along, so it turned into a six-person outing in Section 115. We’d booked the opening weeknight to dodge the weekend crowds, with the bonus of a day off right after for the cabin. Here’s how it actually went — the pick, the seats, the food, and what turned out to be the best act of the night. ...

Two weeks ago we came down the Rim sunburned and smelling like campfire, and apparently that wasn’t enough, because we turned right back around. This time it was just me and Charlotte, and the forecast never budged off “rain.” So the mud run, the movie in the park, the ice cream social — the whole stacked Saturday from the planning board — quietly gave way to something better: a slow, soggy, screen-lit father-daughter weekend where the only real plan was the cabin itself. ...

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. ...

It was a good-night kind of day after all. My daughter and I headed to Tempe for dinner and a show — burgers first, a beast second — and didn’t roll back in the door until eleven. Our friend Khan joined us for the whole evening, which made it that much better — and her husband Giorgio came along for the dinner half. 🍔 Dinner First — The Chuckbox We parked at the Fulton Center visitor garage — no drama at all, and it turned out to be the perfect home base, an easy walk to both dinner and the theater, right through the heart of the ASU campus. Then we met up with Khan and Giorgio at the Chuckbox, the old-school Tempe burger joint that’s been feeding ASU students and families alike since the ’50s — griddled patties, paper plates, no pretense. Charlotte parked herself right at the counter glass to watch the grill work. ...

Update, September 2: this one’s off the calendar for 2026. The plan below stays here for the version of me that tries again — the Wiesn isn’t going anywhere. 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. ...

Some of the best days are the ones you barely plan. We met up with cousin Elana and Uncle Joby for a west-side outing — start with good barbecue, end with a science center, and let the afternoon fill in the rest. 🍖 Eric’s Barbecue – West Side First stop, lunch. Eric’s Barbecue sits in an old Spanish-tile spot on the west side, and the second you walk in you know it’s a real one — graffiti-painted walls, hockey sticks and license plates, an Anthony Bourdain shrine, and the smell of smoke baked into the place. ...

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. ...