Snowy Minnesota could be seen only in the rear view mirror, they were headed for the Phoenix area to enjoy great golf and great food, spectacular hiking and spectacular food and beautiful weather and beautiful food. Did I mention food? There are hundreds of good restaurants in the Phoenix area, you would think it would be easy to walk right in and find something special; the really good restaurants have a long line of enthusiastic patrons that resemble the lines for the next Star Wars sequel.
For those fortunate enough to travel to Arizona each winter, the wonderful variety of desert golf courses and great restaurants makes planning the trip a two-phase adventure. What immaculate desert golf courses will be played? Will it be a wonderful dinning experience from the past or a chic new culinary adventure?
For God’s four-legged creatures, populations thrive (and lines form) where nourishing food is found in abundant supply.
Their round was arranged by their hometown golf pro, who spends his winter working at Trilogy Golf Club at Powder Ranch in Gilbert, AZ. The price was right but the 2:40 tee time meant they might run out of daylight before they run out of holes. Their pro who had joined them for their round said, “it will be close, but we will make it. No problem.” As they approached the 16th green, the pink/orange glow in the western sky signaled the end of another wonderful day of golf. The warming winter sun was rapidly sinking into the horizon, creating a variety of photo ops…. and the need for a sweater.
As their carts approached the 17th tee, he noticed, not one but several, rabbits busily enjoying the feast provided by the superintendent on the lush green rye grass that surrounded the closely mowed tee. The view down the fairway from the elevated tee was a seen from Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS; only they were rabbits…… not birds. Rabbits were everywhere, hundreds of them! The pro explained that the ‘wash’ (a wild area that runs along the 16th and 17th holes) is a perfect habitat for rabbits. The native, protective desert plants that form Br’er Rabbit’s briar patch have thrived from a, near-by irrigated from a produce farm. The excess water drains through the wash on the course. The residents of Trilogy keep the desert coyotes, the rabbit’s main predator, at bay. The homeowners use whatever methods are necessary to reduce the coyote numbers to protect their pets from the opportunistic feeding habits of the coyote. The rabbits, which rest in the shade during the sunny daylight hours, come out to dinner as the sunsets. If I were a rabbit, I would stand in line to get my turn at the fine meal served each evening by the crew who grows the grass at Trilogy.
On their way back to their hotel in Scottsdale, our Minnesota Snow Birds had to stop at three of their favorite dinning spots to find a ‘shortish’ line.
