Arizona

In August of 2007, I packed my car and set off to Phoenix Arizona. I was looking forward to this trip a long tome now and it was finally here. I was planning on staying out west for a few months so I had a lot to accomplish in a short period of time. Now, I had lived all over the Valley of the Sun from Apache Junction to Ahwatukee for most of my adult life. I have 3 best friends there today who really want me to move back. When they found out that I was coming to Arizona to do this, they were more than happy to take me in. I arrived in Phoenix the day after I left Ohio and stayed with my friend Bryan Dunn and his fiance Desiree in a town just west of Phoenix called Buckeye. They opened their home to me to which I appreciate more than they will ever know. It felt good to be back in the desert again, I actually prefer to live there. But I was there on a mission to go to all of my favorite bars, my old hangouts and watering holes! Bryan, or the Hippie as we affectionately call him, was looking forward to my project. I don't know who was more excited, him or me?! The other thing I was looking forward to was taking in some outdoor photography. Arizona is a photographers canvas! It is an absolutely beautiful state and diverse in every way. From desert to tall pines, sunshine to snow and mountains everywhere. Lakes, rivers, dams and one of the worlds' largest municipal park, South Mountain Park which is just south of Phoenix and covers 16,500 acres. All of this makes Arizona so wonderful to photograph. Another friend, Dallas Horn suggested that I go to Prescott Arizona and visit Whiskey Row. With that, I began to plan out my journey.

It began very simply. I decided to go to the local grocery store and see what the local microbreweries were distributing. One local beer stood out and it has a brewpub! It is Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe Arizona. The store carried Four Peaks Kilt Lifter and 8th Street Pale Ale. I bought both beers and thought that these were some of the best beers I have had since I got to Arizona. I figured that this was going to be my first stop. Since it is one the east side of town, I thought I would stay at my best friend of almost 30 years, Ed Fritz. First things first. I had to stop at Four Peaks Brewing Company. When I got to the brewpub, I was impressed right from the start. The building the brewery is housed in used to be a warehouse where a creamery sold both milk and ice to people in the neighborhood. It's original construction built in 1892, is made of red brick and is built in the classic mission style. I couldn't wait to get inside and see the rest.

Four Peaks Brewing Company, Tempe, Arizona

I was greeted at the gate and taken to the bar inside the brewery. I asked if I could take some pictures for the book and it was no problem. I ordered a Four Peaks Hop Knot IPA. Since I am a huge IPA (India Pale Ale) fan, I was very pleased with this brew. As expected, it was a perfect IPA. A lot of hops and a strong malt flavor. Th copper color made this beer an immediate favorite of mine. It's strong 6% alcohol presence was a welcome as well as its' dry finish. I then went on to the next beer, the Raj IPA. The Raj is more generous with he hops, and the bitterness was a fine accompaniment to this beer. Even with an alcohol content of 7%, it is a very drinkable beer.

Four peaks offered a cask conditioned ale which was drawn from a beer engine. Fantastic! I won't elaborate more. When you find yourself in Tempe, definitely check out Four Peaks Brewing Company.

Four Peaks Brewery

I could have spent the whole afternoon there but I was alone and driving! This is only the start of my Arizona trip. More on my Arizona trip to follow!!

The Beginning

When I began the process of writing this book last year, I had no idea where to begin. I have learned a lot between now and then. It was suggested that I start a blog on the subject to see if there is any interest out there. After retiring from the federal government in 2006, I had way too much time on my hands. I wanted to do something that was interesting and informative at the same time while having fun in the process. I loved photography, but really didn't have the time to really explore the interest. The first thing I did was buy an expensive, professional DSLR camera and I went out and took pictures, mostly of landscape and my son's baseball games.

I had an idea early in 2007 to write about my favorite bars and taverns. Since my wife and I traveled the country a lot with her job, I have been to a number of really cool bars, some dives and others that had rich histories that dated back to the late 1800's. So with camera in tow, I began my tour of bars and taverns in Arizona in August-October 2007. The intention was to write a book about my favorite bars, which totaled about 25 at the time, in Arizona, Colorado and Ohio (Where I currently live).

The first bar I visited in Arizona led me down a path that would soon lead this project way out of control. You see, as I was taking pictures in the first establishment someone came up to me and asked if I was doing a story about the bar for the paper or a magazine? When I told him I was writing a book about my favorite bars and taverns his eyes lit up and said what a great idea it was and if I like the place I was photographing, he had more suggestions for me. It was like this at every place I went to! Before I knew it, my list of 25 had grown to over 40 in less than 2 weeks of starting out on this journey. I now have over 80 bars, taverns, pubs, saloons, micro pubs and microbreweries under my belt with literally an endless number to do!

In future entries, I will include a sample chapter and share photographs of some of the most interesting bars. I think what I am trying to do here is to get people to start thinking back to a time when the corner bar or tavern was a meeting place, your place. A place where no one judged you and you can have friendly and sometimes not so friendly discussions with friends or other patrons in the bar. As I point out in the book, bars should not be looked at as just drinking places but as an American institution full of memories, history, laughter, love and even sorrow. We have toasted happy events in bars and have also drowned our sorrows. Bars are the embodiment of Americana and I hope you all think so as well.

I will end this post for now with two things to note.

• The picture of me in my profile was taken at the Royal Oaks in Youngstown, Ohio. At least 6 generations of my family have drank in that bar and it holds a lot of memories for me.
• The working title of the book is: On and Off the Beaten Path. The Hitchhikers Guide to Bars, Taverns, Pubs, Saloons, Micro Pubs and Micro Breweries in America.