We got a Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4X4 for all the snow we expected on this trip.
We stopped in Twin Falls the first night, and we got to go back to Stella's Ice Cream for the delicious creamy treat!
There was a snow storm on that Saturday night so we had a lot of fresh powder as we drove out to Sun Valley, Idaho.
After checking into the Sun Valley Inn, we headed off to the Sun Valley Club for our lunch reservations.
Joy and I headed out to the Nordic trails after lunch at the Sun Valley Nordic Center.
The horse drawn sleigh is really neat to see when one is on the Nordic Trails in Sun Valley!
I love the groomed Nordic trails in Sun Valley! The fresh powder made the conditions amazing for cross country skiing!
Since the bar closed earlier that day, I did my "apres ski" when I took a short break between hitting the trails. I got my usual Pendleton whiskey and diet along with the fresh baked cookie!
The enjoyed more of the trails after my drink and cookie break! I love Sun Valley!
I hit the pool at the Sun Valley Inn after getting back from the Nordic Center. The water was so warm!
Joy and I are posing by the fireplace at the Inn before dinner. I am wearing my Ferragamo progressive lens which I need for reading now. LOL. I guess I am getting old.
We had dinner at the Ram that night. It is one of our favorites in Sun Valley! I got my Whistle Pig 12.
Our waiter asked if his friend could take our orders. Sun Valley has lots of South American students work there. This girl was from Paraguay.
I loved my rack of lamb!
The sticky toffee pudding was good, but I think Gordon Ramsay has an edge for the signature dessert that he has in his restaurants.
We had breakfast at Konditorrei as usual the next morning. The buckwheat pancakes with granola inside were delicious!
We had a snowy drive back to Boise! There was a major snow storm, but the Jeep handled well!
Once we got back to Boise, we met an old friend of mine, James, at Goodwood BBQ. We got to meet his wife as well. It was a fun time!
The next day, we tried out the Wylder, a new spot known for sourdough crust pizza. A girl we met on the flight out to Boise suggested it. Joy and I loved it!
This was a cool picture I took of the state capitol in Boise.
Before I transition to the Spring Training trip, I should mention my Rangers are the World Champs!
After landing, we went to Mesa Ojos Locos Sports Cantina to hang out. Our hotel was the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Mesa.
Our Chicas Locas "Chica" was very sweet and served up my mezcal drinks with a smile!
We went to Bikini Beans in Mesa to get our coffee drinks after my buddy Edgar landed. I mean this is a guy's trip after all! LOL.
Our barista was super nice and made sure to get our coffee orders just right. She is featured on their Facebook ads a lot too.
We went to Waffle House next for brunch since we do not have those in California.
I paired my blueberry waffle with some grilled chicken!
The Rangers at Dodgers game was sold out so we went to check out the Reds at Diamondbacks game that afternoon.
The Diamondbacks fans were very gracious to us when we won the World Series at their ballpark so I was rooting for them that day.
This is the Reds bullpen. He was sent in to close out the game once the Reds took the lead in the 9th inning.
We went back to Ojos Locos after the game for drinks. I got my Casa Migos mezcal. Our waitress from the night before was working too. They had a "Chicas Gone Wild" event that weekend.
We had a different waitress however that day.
We went to Cholla Prime Steakhouse for dinner.
The amuse was a piece a filet.
We were served the usual sorbet course between the salad and entree to cleanse our pallet.
I enjoyed my filet a lot.
Bikini Beans again? Yeah, the guys like getting their coffee there on these trips. Plus the other two are single.
We went to the Rangers Practice Fields in Surprise later that morning to watch the team train. These are our pitchers including current Ace Eovaldi.
It was great to see the World Champions banner and flag at the practice fields!
Our 2022 5th round pick Chandler Pollard signed a ball for me.
Here is the ball that Pollard signed.
I am working out for the team right here. LOL.
Starting pitcher Dane Dunning from last year walked right by us followed by Eovaldi!
This was our line up against the Cubs for that game on Sunday. Since my Rangers were the defending champs, the game was sold out!
We had the great seats behind homeplate in the shade once again this year. I get a presale opportunity from the stadium since I am a regular.
We got our World Champions sign up at the Surprise Stadium now!
We had a great time at that Sunday game!
We checked into the Hyatt Place in Tempe near ASU after that game. I loved the view of the old Sun Devil Stadium from the rooftop deck at the hotel.
We started off our Monday with a friendly smile from our Bikini Beans barista in Tempe. She was the one who worked in Mesa on Saturday too.
We went to Rudy's in Chandler for some great Texas style BBQ for lunch on Monday before the Rangers game.
One can not have Texas BBQ without Texas ice cream! I love Blue Bell!
We went to Tempe Diablo Stadium after lunch for another sell out game where my Rangers took on the Angels!
World Series Game 1 starter Nathan "Nasty Nate" Eovaldi was on the mound for us that day.
We had decent seats for this sold out game, but we were in the sun!
We walked around the park to get away from the sun. There were a lot of people watching from the lawn by the outfield.
Temple Diablo Stadium reminds me a little of Sun Devil Stadium with the little mountain nearby.
We went to Ojos Locos for some drinks before we flew home on Monday. Our waitress was very sweet.
I had my usual February and March trips in 2024 as well. Joy and I flew to Boise, Idaho for President's Day weekend so we could hit the nordic trails in Sun Valley like we normally do to celebrate Valentine's Day. After our short flight into Boise, we got our Jeep Wrangler Sahara and headed to Twin Falls for the night. That Jeep was super loud! Also, I was surprised it did not have heated seats since it looked like it was one of the more loaded models. Overall, I did not like how the Wrangler handles!
The next day, we checked into the Sun Valley Inn, and then we hit the nordic trails after a nice lunch at the Sun Valley Club. After a great afternoon of cross country skiing due to great conditions from recent snow, we enjoyed another great dinner at the Ram at the Sun Valley Inn. The next morning, we enjoyed our usual breakfast at the European bakery on site, Konditorei before heading to Boise to have dinner with an old friend of mine and his wife. We finished that trip with some great sourdough pizza in downtown Boise at a place called the Wylder! Downtown Boise is super clean and safe compared to the shitty cities of California. The red states do a way better job of managing crime and cutting down homelessness than the liberal blue states!
In March, I headed to Phoenix for Texas Rangers Spring Training! This year, my Rangers were the defending World Series Champions! My friend, Steve, and I headed out to Phoenix on Friday night. After getting into the Valley of the Sun, we went to Ojos Locos in Mesa for drinks. Our lovely and sweet waitress took good care of us, and I enjoyed my Casa Migos Mezcal. We stayed at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Mesa where we had access to the "Elite Pantry," which is like a mini lounge where one can grab complimentary snacks and beverages to go.
Once Edgar got in on Saturday, we headed to Bikini Beans for our coffee in Mesa. Afterwards, we had brunch at Waffle House before catching a Reds @ Diamondbacks game in Scottsdale. We had a large SUV as our car rental so we had no problems getting around the Phoenix area. I do not believe in that EV crap. Give me gas! LOL. After watching the Reds beat our World Series rivals, we went back to Ojos Locos in Mesa for some drinks. They had a "Chicas Gone Wild" theme that weekend. We got some beverages and snacks there before checking into our hotel for that night at the Hyatt Place in Chandler. That night, we went to Cholla Prime Steakhouse for dinner. We enjoyed the food and service at this steakhouse located inside an Indian casino known for their prime meats. After an amuse of filet mignon, we got our salads before the sorbet course to cleanse our pallet. I got the filet mignon for my entree too.
On Sunday, we stopped at Bikini Beans in Goodyear to get our coffee before watching my Rangers practice in Surprise. After getting a ball signed by our 5th round draft pick in 2022, Chandler Pollard, we watched a lot of pitching. Our starters like Dane Dunning and Nathan Eovaldi walked right by us to one of the practice fields. Spring Training is awesome since one is so close to all the players! We met up with another friend of mine from Texas, Tim, for lunch at Oreganos. Then, we all headed to the Surprise Stadium to watch my Rangers take on the Cubs. We had the usual seats by homeplate which I get early access to from the stadium. After the game, we went to Ojos Locos in Phoenix for a drink, but the Mesa location is much better! That night, we stayed at the Hyatt Place by ASU in Tempe. This high rise hotel on campus overlooked the old Sun Devil Stadium too from the roof top pool deck! We had dinner at Pappadeaux Cajun Seafood on Sunday.
We started off our Monday at Bikini Beans in Tempe to get our coffee. Then, we had a great Texas BBQ lunch at Rudy's in Chandler before heading to Tempe for the Rangers at Angels game. Getting around Phoenix is very easy despite the metro area being so large. The roads are way nicer than the shitty state of California where the leftists take our tax dollars and waste them on stupid crap like public transit, a high speed rail to nowhere, and also giving illegals free stuff. I hate California if one can not tell yet! LOL. The Rangers kicked major Angels butt on Monday. I love it when my Rangers beat up on California teams. We had a drink at Ojos Locos in Mesa before heading back home to the People's Republic of California.