While scanning our entertainment options on Netflix, Chuck and I stumbled upon the documentary, Blood into Wine.  It is a crazy video about Maynard Keenan from the band Tool and Puscifer making wine in Arizona.  I love wine and Chuck loves Maynard. (He loves metal but Maynard sounded better.)  A trip to visit Maynard’s wine tasting room at Caduceus Cellars was underway.

We landed in Las Vegas so we could spend time with family and friends for a few days before  locating Route 66.  Yes, that is a restroom and yes, I went into it!  Route 66 is a blast into the past (and the desert, blue skies and cactus) so for Michiganians (is that even a word?) it is a whole new world.

Our first stop was in Oatman to hangout with the donkeys. I mentioned (perhaps shouted loudly) that donkeys bite and we shouldn’t touch them!  Chuck clearly ignored me and was not bitten but he was just lucky.

We left Oatman and traveled along Route 66 to a pub in Prescott, Arizona.  If memory serves me, Chuck enjoyed a Ponderosa IPA and I had my first Achocolypse (a very dark beer). We bought Isaac a very cool gift from a second hand store and set off for Jerome.

We drove through the mountains and eventually the pass into Jerome, Arizona. We didn’t find Maynard but we did enjoy a glass of wine from Caduceus Cellars. We hung-out for a while, but Maynard wasn’t there so left and journeyed to Cottonwood.  We had a great time at Arizona Stronghold Vineyard.  As the sun was rising the next day, we were on our way to Sedona to spend the day hiking.

Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness, what an amazing place to spend the day hiking! We located a crazy little brew pub for dinner that served VEGAN hot dogs and tasty beer.

We soldiered on to Flagstaff where OMG!  Chuck said! “We must stop at the best preserved meteor crater on earth.” It should have said, “Don’t miss the best preserved tourist trap on earth!” Seriously what a waste. I’m too ashamed to share how much money we spent to look in a hole in the ground.  It made Chuck happy and if he is happy I’m happy.  The next day we hiked the Mt. Elden Trail in Flagstaff and it nearly got the best of us.

We should have looked at the description closer before leaving the trail head.  It reads, “Challenging!”  I think it should have read, “This hike is FUCKING HARD!.” We headed back to Las Vegas, toured the “Damn” and enjoyed a Black Canyon Stout and High Scaler IPA from the Boulder Dam Brewing Co before heading back to Michigan.

I’d recommend this tour, but I’d skip the hole in the ground.  Arizona has some great beer, wine, food and trails for hiking.