The Adventures of Fric and Frac: Adventure 126: Desert Shadows RV Resort/Post F

Last Night in Phoenix

Not to worry, cheaters sometimes prosper (Just ask Bernie Madoff). The bottom line is we'll play a winner take all game in the morning to decide the Phoenix Open. Watch out Cager, I've got nimbly pegs. Our last day in the Valley of the Sun started with Russ and Kathy picking us up and driving us to Cave City to watch the running of the bulls. Much like the mania in Spain, the Arizonans trapped themselves inside a U-shaped chute, let twelve thousand pound bulls loose (Which were spurred on by riders on horseback), and ran like crazy with the express goal of running as close to the animals for as long as possible. Seems crazy to me, but about fifty runners did it three times. In between, a desert carnival broke out. Drinking, eating, sunbathing, cowboy boot stomping, did I mention drinking? There were painted cowgirls in tank tops and sparkly jeans toting signs that read, "Drink Budweiser." There were policemen, security, and paramedics at the ready in case of illegal behavior, boorish behavior, or just plain injury. In the second run, one runner pushed another down. Another (Quite an old man, actually), went down hard at the start. This meant the firefighters got to apply first aide, which made their presence pertinent. We didn't see the police exercise the purpose of their presence, nor did we see he security engage in any 'bouncing'. I have a feeling that the later the day got , the higher the possibility for these community services. We left after the second run to have lunch down the road at a place called the Spotted Donkey. Everything about the lunch was excellent, including the waiter, and the company. Russ and Kathy dropped us off at the trailer. We did a few things to get ready for pulling out tomorrow, and then we drove down to Russ and Kathy's home in Peoria, which was fun because it was the final corner of the Phoenix Valley for us to see. There the sadness of the evening began. The Zags couldn't hold their lead due to a recurring theme for us. We get exposed physically when we play teams with superior athletes. Even though Coach Few made all the right moves as usual, the end result was a disappointing loss. The only consolation we had was to stuff ourselves with Verenaka and Farmer sausage for dinner. Verenaka is the German version of a ravioli, except that they are larger. The sausage is homemade and was brought to Phoenix by Kathy's sister all the way from Saskatchewan. Both items were one of a kind, and both were fabulous. The only hard part of hanging around Russ and Kathy is that it is very difficult to catch the skinnies around them. Next week, the Bunny and I will definitely have to return to the thin gruel. As for the sad loss the Zags had to endure tonight; no worries, they get to play again soon, which makes life good, especially today.

These guys behind the bulls may have the right idea.

The local firefighters in their ready stance.

In between runs, this man and his friend did a beautiful ceremonial dance.

I think I see the bulls.

Really? Is this a good idea (PITA doesn't think so)>

This is Wade. He won the first run for staying close to the thousand pound beasts. We watched his car keys, water bottle (No drunks allowed to run), and shirt.