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If Airborne chooses me for the Flight Crew, my next race photo will show me on a much more colorful ride.

A few days ago, Airborne Bicycles started taking applications for this year’s Flight Crew. It’s not a race team – more of a group of brand ambassadors. They fly the Airborne brand (or ride, but I like the metaphor) and where its livery (again with the flight metaphor) to promote Airborne.

So why would I want to promote Airborne Bicycles? The number-one reason is they make moderately priced bikes for real people. I have nothing against expensive bikes and the people who ride them – just watch me drool at first sight of a Form Cycles Prevail. But more than such finely wrought beauty, I also love value. That’s the Airborne Bicycles universe – all the bike you need, none of the extra digits in the price that you don’t.

Why would Airborne want me out there on one of its bikes, in its jersey? ‘Cause I am plugged in and switched on when it comes to Arizona mountain biking. ‘Cause I’ll always stop to help another rider, a hiker, an equestrian. I am not faster-than-thou, but I have enough skill and speed to have a lot of fun. I am a mountain bike missionary with a voice and an audience.

Airborne Bicycles knows this from my application and from a past encounter with me. I hope that’s what it takes to put me astride one of its crazy Goblin 29ers!

So if you’re so inclined, Tweet to Airborne or post on its Facebook wall. Tell them Wandering Justin (@wandering_j on Twitter) is the right guy for the Flight Crew. You can even use the hashtag #JustinForFlightCrew. And pass it on!

Comments

• January 25, 2012, Carolyn @healthkitten.com writes: Done and done!
• January 25, 2012, WanderingJustin writes: Woo-hoo! Resistance is futile, Airborne Bicycles!

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Racers on the starting line of the inaugural Fire on the Rim race in 2011. (Photo by Brandee Schaffner-Lepak of Global Bikes)

I have some great new stories on Examiner.com thanks to a great tip from Brandee at Global Bikes (she’s also a Mountain Bike Association of Arizona board member and a photographer who provided the photos used for the stories). The two stories are all about the Pine-Strawberry area and how the communities have turned to mountain bikers as allies in fighting future wildfires.

More news about Pine-Strawberry will also be on the way soon: The Mountain Bike Association of Arizona is pitching in a nice donation to the Pine-Strawberry Fire Reduction Committee, Inc. along with a few other groups throughout the state. It’s clear that MBAA is serious about going beyond racing to make mountain bikers a more organized and effective user group.

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Wandering Justin near the perlite quarries of Superior, Ariz.

Here’s an off-kilter self-portrait I took near the perlite quarries of Superior, Ariz. There’s plenty of hiking, and it’s a great place to find the semi-clear obsidian nuggets known as Apache tears. Just bring your rock hammer and some eye

Bring a rock hammer and dig up some Apache tears.

protection!

It’s also a great place to hold a hillbilly triathlon of shooting, ATV ridin’ and beer drinkin’.

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Probably the coolest protective gear on the field.

Light drizzle, a chilly wind, 45 degrees and overcast … it’s finally winter in the desert. I’m warm thanks to my Army battle dress uniform, gloves and balaclava.

And every run, dodge, dip and duck through the ruins of Sasco, Ariz. also keeps the chill away. The abandoned mining town is filled with foes firing torrents of plastic 6mm projectiles at me from replica assault rifles – I’ve lost count of every M-4, M-16, MP-5 and AK-47 I’ve faced.

This is my first-ever experience in an organized Airsoft game. And it’s a heaping slice of deep-fried gold.

Never heard of Airsoft? I think of it as paintball done right … the guns function better, they’re less awkward, there’s no dye getting everywhere. The very realistic-looking weapons spew plastic balls somewhere between 300 and 500 feet per second. My Echo1 rifle, one of its RedStar line of AK-47 replicas, straddles the middle. It’s not fancy or pricey, but it helps me hold my own. No malfunctions, just steady performance.

The pylons lead to the way to what's left of the mining tunnel. Lots of ambushes and betrayals here ...

My Monolith team – one of several teams in the game – has only four people. We’re overmatched and outgunned, with nary a true machine gun or sniper rifle among us. We try to compensate, bribing other teams (like Free Stalkers and Bandits) to harass, harry, heckle and harangue the team standing in as the Russian military.

The entire day of fun is the result of some hard work put in by a go-getter named Darr. He displays ambition, serious organizational chops and a real love for this game. Throughout the day, people rave about his scenario, which he based on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl video game. The remains of the smelter and skeleton of the mining operation fill in nicely as a slice of the abandoned, irradiated Russian city called Pripyat. Darr has everything right: the game area, his ability to improvise, the props and layout. Success requires negotiation skills, duplicity and wariness (for the inevitable betrayals).

Max, David and Henry were my Monolith teammates.

About 30 minutes pass before the teams open fire on each other. Until then, it’s a crock pot of diplomacy, misdirection, evaluation. I love the tension, especially next to the premature release of so many flavors of paintball games.

I learn a lot about Airsoft and the people who play it. They are professionals, college students, high schoolers. Some sit back to take advantage of cover, firepower, superior numbers. Others make and break deals at will. Some sneak through the creosote and ruins, unheard and unseen. Others stomp around in heavily armed herds. In short, there’s something for everyone.

But here’s what worries me about Airsoft, especially in Arizona – there are few convenient places to organize awesome events like this. And too few people willing to do the heavy lifting of contacting the owners and managers of empty spaces. Sasco is terrific, but remote. I can think of several places within 30 minutes of the Phoenix area that would be perfect.

And the Airsoft industry needs to work harder to get more people involved. It should target every single World of Warcraft/Call of Duty/Halo fiend. If one out of every 50 uninitiated people permanently attached to gaming systems wound up on a field with a decent Airsfoft replica in-hand, profits and advocacy would soar. I’d also hit CrossFit gyms and all the people who love stuff like the Warrior Dash … fitness pays dividends in Airsoft. I could see a smart Airsoft shop (or manufacturer/brand) even holding a biathlon – running with your Airsoft replica and stopping to use it to hit targets every half mile. Provide loaners for people who don’t have their own – a perfect introduction.

Me!

From there? Get players talking about finding viable places to play just as much as they talk about gear (your fancy hop-up and tight-bore barrel will be more fun if you have more places to put them to work).

But those are thoughts for another time. For now, my bottom line: All credit to Darr for his imagination, thoroughness and commitment to crafting a really outstanding time for the Airsoft players from the Valley to Tucson. Поздравляю!

Check out Darr’s YouTube slideshow, and do note the groovy pirate-metal soundtrack. Avast!

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The city of Scottsdale, Arizona, has the biggest division between north and south since a bearded guy in a stovepipe hat was the U.S. president.

Here are the perceptions: the north portion of the city … moneyed, Botoxed, uppity, soulless. The south … working-class, aging, dull. How much of it is the truth? Like every stereotype – perceptions born from somewhere and something, yet not applicable to every or any single person.

My recent move back to south Scottsdale brings it home for me. Sarah and I were recently out and about, dropping into Press Coffee (the only good reason to go to the cougar preserve known as the Scottsdale Quarter). She needed to use the rest room, so I bumbled around some of the shops. I wandered into Lululemon, a yoga-wear sort of place. My hope? That I’d find a CrossFit class close to our new place. I checked out a bulletin board at the front of the store.

One of the cheery-chipper girls who worked there sashayed over to see what I needed and proceeded to explain the bulletin board. I bit my tongue, holding back a comment like “Thanks, but I’m really good at this whole reading thing and actually have this all figured out.”

Just to be nice, I explained my quest … that I’m a recent transplant who is now further away from the awesome Core CrossFit in downtown Phoenix. And I’d like to find someplace closer to south Scottsdale.

“I don’t know that we have any information about ‘south Scottsdale,’” she said. And yes, she used the “finger quotes” around “south Scottsdale.”

Subtle snobbery, but snobbery nonetheless. It’ll be interesting to see other forms of the north-south Scottsdale divide manifest as I settle in a bit more.

Comments

• February 6, 2012, Heather writes: A retail sales associate that earns around $10 an hour showed Scottsdale snobbery? Wow, that's when you really know that the people are delusional. I went into an AJs in Phoenix and one older cougar wanna-be clerk harassed a Latino cashier- she kept saying, "you live in the needy part of town. I live in a different city than you (Scottsdale). You live with needy people." I wanted to smack some sense into her- I couldn't believe how demeaning she was being to this articulate attractive and professional young man. I finally said, "Do you work here? You are really distracting and I'd like to be checked out if you don't mind.". Anyhow, I couldn't believe that a Scottsdale CASHIER would actually think she is better than another cashier because he lived in Phoenix. She a cashier for Christ's sake! They both earn the same $12 an hour (if they even make that). Laughable... I'm from LA where the cost of your McMansion buys you a condo.
• February 6, 2012, WanderingJustin writes: Yeah, it's pretty crazy. Phoenix has some crazy-nice neighborhoods, so there's no way any intelligent person could make a Phoenix < Scottsdale argument. I know what you mean about those LA home prices. I'm one of those oddballs who think LA is very cool, but the traffic and cost of living keep me away. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
• February 6, 2012, Heidi from Savory Tv writes: Hi Justin, I'm very new to the area and am trying to figure out the ins and outs of PHX, including culture and politics etc. So I've been browsing your blog a bit hoping for enlightenment :) I've not experienced Scottsdale yet but have heard about the N/S differences. I'm expecting the north area to be similar to the very wealthy ski town where I recently lived in Colorado. It seems many of the great restaurants are there, so I'll be making my way over very soon, hoping to put my finger on the pulse of the local foodie scene. One thing about so many cities, such as Chicago, SF, Denver etc, is that the true gems seem to be *always* outside of the hipster "place to be" regions. I hope that in my future urban exploring I find a few of those jewels. Hope you are well, and I'll be back to visit! Cheers!
• February 6, 2012, WanderingJustin writes: Cool, welcome to the area. Let me know if there's anything in particular you want to find. North Scottsdale wants to be like one of those cool ski towns ... but it lacks the skiing! I think Arcadia is where a lot of the foodie scene takes root. Places like Beckett's Table, for instance. And I like the growth in ethnic foods here, especially the proliferation of Asian foods. We could use more of it.

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You'll see this all over Phoenix in the late summer. (photo by Balaram Mahalder)

Don’t let the headline fool you. I’m not turning into a dating website (though I offer my friends lots of dating advice that they never take). But dates are on my mind.

The Phoenix area is full of big, beautiful, bountiful date trees. Come the end of summer, they begin to hang heavy with fruit. Before it ripens, though, landscaping crews scurry about. They cut the branches down and toss pounds upon pounds of growing dates into the trash. At grocery stores and farmers markets, these same dates sell for up to $10 a pound.

That’s right: Every date tree that gets pruned is a wasted opportunity … to make money, to even feed some people. Sure, they’re tasty. They’re also a great source of potassium, iron and fiber. Yet they just wind up in the trash.

To the best of my knowledge, only Arizona State University is smart enough to harvest and sell its dates (and olives!). The university invited volunteers to prune the plants and take the harvest home. Sure, they’re not a revenue source. But at least the dates aren’t feeding and breeding legions of flies in a trash bin.

Every other municipality and property owner with date trees is squandering a great renewable resource. Considering our economy and the growing interest in being green, is there a better time to tap into an easy, ready-made source of urban agriculture?

I’d love to hear from our local city governments and property owners: Why do they allow this waste to continue? Help them do the right thing: Write to your city council representative. Knock on a nearby business owner’s door and say “hey, I’ll harvest ‘em.” Figure out a way to harvest your own tree.

Comments

• December 21, 2011, - ArchitectureTravelWriter writes: [...] one of my favorite bloggers, and one of the funniest people I know, wrote a stellar and brief post about a despicable urban agriculture practice happening in Phoenix. Think of it this way: would you [...]
• December 22, 2011, Harvesting city date trees — City Farmer News writes: [...] Read the complete article here. [...]

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This post is sponsored by airportparkingreservations.com, which has helped more than 2.4 million people save time and money on parking at more than 85 major airports in North America. Check out the airportparkingreservations.com blog to read information about the latest airport news and issues. You can also follow its Twitter account.

Sky Harbor about to fall under the veil of a monsoon-season haboob. (Wikimedia Commons)

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is in a constant state of change. Perpetual construction, evolving security protocols and the addition of a “people mover” to connect to the Metro Light Rail shake things up with every visit. Fortunately, I’ve spent enough time here to understand Sky Harbor’s flow. This is my insider guide to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

It's a busy summer evening at Sky Harbor.

The Layout
Sky Harbor has three terminals numbered two through four. T4 is the biggest, the most modern and also the most generic. The visitor experience varies greatly, with the nicest portions serving Southwest Airlines. T3 is smaller, older … but possessing a certain kitschy 1980s Arizona charm. Then there’s T2 – which was once super-cool but completely ruined by the TSA’s security effort. It once had an eye-catching, airy entryway. Everything has shrunk to accommodate the security lines. But there’s something very cool about T2 … more on that soon.

The Players
Despite its name, Sky Harbor is really an overgrown domestic airport. It’s a major hub for Southwest Airlines and US Airways, both of which hog T4. And while US Airways flies to places like Tel Aviv and even Helsinki, it sure doesn’t do it from Phoenix. A daily British Airways flight connects Sky Harbor to London. American Airlines (T3) isn’t a major player here, nor is United (T2).

The Big Secrets
These are my two biggest insider secrets about Phoenix Sky Harbor, and I’ve never seen any other blog mention them.

Hawaiian Airlines - a way to fly international from Phoenix without a stop at LAX. (Photo by Dylan Ashe)

First, try to book flights on airlines serving Terminal 2. What? The oldest terminal? Yes. Because it’s small, the odds of getting lost or missing a flight due to a gate change or long TSA line plummet. You can also walk from the West Economy lot directly to the terminal in moments – the only place st Sky Harbor where that’s possible. Airlines serving T2 include United, Alaska Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines.

My second tip is for international/intercontinental travelers. Phoenicians are generally forced to San Francisco or Los Angeles for intercontinental flights. Both are pretty harried airports, but LAX is definitely worse. If you’re headed west to the International Date Line, you have another option: skipping West Coast connections with Hawaiian Airlines (at T3). It has daily flights to Honolulu, which can then connect you to Japan, Tahiti, the Philippines, Korea and (drum roll, please) Australia. I haven’t flown Hawaiian Airlines – but considering their interactions with followers on Twitter, it seems this is an airline that gets it … that wants to make air travel fun.

Plethora of Parking
There’s really no shortage of cheap parking at Phoenix Sky Harbor – you have choices between the Economy lots on-site, plus private off-site parking. If you’re into planning ahead and you leave yourself enough time, off-site parking is a solid option. You’ll find it a bit more secure and generally less-crowded. Another bonus: They’re easier to get to. Recent construction has completely changed most of the roads leading into Sky Harbor. I can no longer drive in relying on memory. It’s a roadscape in flux, and you can just leave it to the shuttle driver if you park off the grounds.

US Airways - a big dog at Sky Harbor.

If you want on-site covered parking, you can find it right at the terminals. But be prepared to pay through the nose. The covered parking at the East Economy lot is far more affordable, but you’ll have to catch the shuttle to the terminals. This can be a factor if you’re running late or facing summer heat (the bus stops in the Economy Lot reflect a lot of heat).

Grabbing a Bite
I rarely eat at Sky Harbor. There’s usually time for me to grab a snack at home before showing up for my flight. If I run low on time, though, there are some options beyond the usual fast-food, bland, greasy megacorporation options: Several local restaurants will open at Sky Harbor. The standouts: Cartel Coffee Lab, Press Coffee, Le Grande Orange and Barrio Cafe. I’d like to see Pita Jungle set up shop, too – and not like its mall locations, but with its actual sit-down menu.

Keep this info in mind whenever your flights take you to Sky Harbor. You’ll be in, out, well-fed and less frustrated. You might even have a little fun.

Comments

• September 29, 2011, girl from arizona writes: Another informative post Justin. A couple points. First - a sponsor? Awesome! I am now inspired to find a beer sponsor for one of my posts. Second - I used to like T2 when I was making more trips to the NW but I think the security lines make it a big cluster now. I'd warn people - stay out of the middle line - that's the one that feeds you through the Xray machine and it moves slooooow. Third - We've got good local coffee at T4, now let's get some more local brews.
• October 6, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: You know you make me want to take note of each thing you say about airports and planes. Goodness knows I'm going to pass through one you've mentioned. You offer the a veteran's perspective that makes the reader feel prepared for whatever airport comes their way-- even Germany's Frankfurt airport, my worst experience thus far. Although admittedly sitting on the tarmac each time you use Shenzhen International airport in China isn't exactly entertaining either. I love your posts. They make me want to take notes, or at least bookmark them in Mozilla, so that I'm prepared for my next flight!

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I always had fantasies about flying in one of these. Carl's T-6 brought me a little closer.

I catch the 10 p.m. newscast as it’s about to go to commercial; the anchor teases a story to come in the next segment.

“A vintage airplane crashes in the desert, killing two,” she says.

It could be any vintage plane, any pilot. But I know it’s not. I turn the TV off. Moments later, my phone rings. It’s Alexa, a friend and colleague at The Arizona Republic.

“Justin … there’s been an accident,” she says.

“I know.”

Where Pilots Are Born

It’s an ungainly beast, this T-6 Texan. No enemy fliers feared it. The Japanese didn’t give it an ominous nickname like “Whistling Death.”

But the sunlight and its deep-blue coat of paint make it look just enough like Pappy Boyington’s F4U-4 Corsair to reach the 6-year-old boy I used to be … the boy that refuses to miss an episode of Black Sheep Squadron.

And really, the Texan made the Corsair – and the P-51 Mustang and sundry other American fighters. Or at least the most important part of those planes: the pilots. Yes, every fighter pilot of the era started here. A few hundred hours in a Texan, than into planes twice as fast, twice as powerful and heavily armed. Into the fray against the Luftwaffe or the Japanese.

Carl's Texan before it got a darker-blue coat of paint.

Carl Schmieder is only 6o … too young to have flown in WWII. But he’s a member of Cactus Squadron, an aerobatic outfit flying Texans to their limits at airshows. He’s fairly short, fit, genial. But I expected to see him in a vintage flight suit. In his striped button-down shirt and slacks, he looks like a jeweler sneaking out of work. Which he is.

I climb into the cockpit behind him. There’s a plaque bolted to the instrument panel: “Intentional straight and level flight prohibited.”

The Takeoff Roll

The radial engine harrumphs to life. The vibration reaches me at the cellular level. I’m more excited than I’ve ever been. We taxi, wagging around so Carl can see what’s in front of the Texan’s elevated cowling. We gather speed, and we’re in the air.

The next hour or so is the stuff of my dreams. Carl starts slowly, with aileron rolls. It’s the first time I’ve ever been upside-down in an airplane. A laundry list of combat maneuvers follows: Cuban 8, Immelmann turns, steep banks, barrel rolls. Carl explains every maneuver – I hear the still-awestruck young boy in his voice. He’s done this countless times, and the little boy still lives.

I learn what a four-G turn feels like. I grunt and tense every muscle in my lower body – quads, core, arms … all clenching to force enough blood into my head to stay conscious. Still, I feel an invisible electric blanket cranked to “HIGH” settle over me. The edges of my vision distort just slightly. It’s amazing.

Back Down to Earth

We land, and I’m physically wrung out, nauseous, over-heated. Carl slides the canopy, and I drink the air. It smells of exhaust and is barely any cooler – but it’s refreshing as lapping water straight off an Icelandic glacier.

I’m delighted … maybe as much as Carl. He got to fly – and share the magic of aerobatic flying.

But Carl is gone, along with his final passenger and his priceless, dynamic piece of flying history. The National Transportation and Safety Board report can tell you why. A sad piece of aftermath: The Arizona wing of Cactus Squadron disbanded after the crash.

Maybe we shouldn’t embrace risk. No aerobatics, no mountain climbing, no polar expeditions. It’d save lots of lives.

But it would sure make living a lot less interesting.

You can read my original story from 1999 about flying with Carl. And you can read this story to see how Carl shared his love of aerobatic flight.

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Espresso ready to go (photo by Cyclone Bill)

I really should keep a more careful eye on the Arizona Coffee blog. It could’ve saved me a trip to Sola yesterday that ended with me looking forlornly into a closed coffeehouse.

Here’s the deal: Sola Coffee Bar (on 5th Avenue in Scottsdale) changed hands and will soon be re-born as a Cartel Coffee Lab, the third of its kind here in the Valley.

In its original incarnation, Sola was an unusual place: Top-flight coffee, to be sure … the surprise was that a local church owned it. But the only outward trace of churchiness was being closed Sundays. Other than that, it’s the usual collection of coffeehouse hipsters and caffeine fiends. The barista crew was extraordinarily friendly. That’s an element that I hope Cartel continues – some people find Cartel’s crews a little too Third Wave Coffee-gung ho.

I predict some good things for the change, though. Sola was already excellent, but I think Cartel owner Jason will push the quality even further.

In other Arizona coffee news …

I’m also waiting impatiently for Black Cat Coffeehouse on 48th Street and Indian School to open. My curiosity is fully engaged – Black Cat will be right near a high school, which could mean it will go the easy route and sling high-sugar coffee-lite icy drinks for the kids rather that the route of a Sola, Cartel or Jobot. But I can’t resist any place with a cat theme, so I’m flying reconnaissance regularly to wait for it to open.

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Comments

• September 5, 2011, Nichole L. Reber writes: I happen to have just ordered a plate of pesto pasta and cappuccino at one of my favorite cafes in Lima, Peru, when I opened to this post. Makes me think of my hours and hours spent studying, reading, and writing in cafes in Chicago. What brands of coffee do they serve at Sola/Cartel? In Chicago, even in Florida where I later lived, Intelligentsia was big.
• September 5, 2011, WanderingJustin writes: Hey, Nichole! Cartel roasts its own, and supplies many of the better local coffeehouses - some have Cartel roast to their specs, though. I don't think anyone is using Intelligentsia here (though I had it in Chicago, and it was right on). I don't see much Lavazza or anything imported ... the local roast is the big thing here.
• September 11, 2011, Marlene writes: True espresso in only in Naples ;) IT A BOMB there!
• September 11, 2011, WanderingJustin writes: Marlene, I so don't buy into that sort of exceptionalist thinking. It's like New Yorkers saying that only good pizza is in New York. You can find great espresso all over the world - but let your tastebuds rather than the stamp on your passport be the judge.
• February 10, 2012, Nichole L. Reber writes: Walked into Cartel in Tempe last week. Enjoyed the young art on the walls, thrilled to the warm scent of roasting beans right at the register, ogled one of the baristas. Did not, however, relish the latte. Momentarily I'm resting my weary writing bones at XTreme Bean. Better, though not superb latte-- + I can smoke from my outside table. At least we're not relegated to Starbucks!

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