02/11/2024
I'm doing this! Who want to come with me?!
One of the best things about fall is that the Desert Bar reopens. And I’m long overdue for a visit to this far-flung outpost near Parker. I'm looking forward to returning this winter. It can only be reached via a 5-mile bumpy dirt road. Desert Bar, also known as the Nellie E. Saloon, occupies the site of a former mining camp and is a multi-terraced oasis spread across rocky hills, a series of patios and ledges surrounding a cluster of quirky buildings. Everything operates by solar power and is open only Sat. and Sun. noon till sunset Oct-April. Bands perform through the day and the burgers are tender slabs of beef charred from the grill and seasoned with a fine spice of remoteness. Bring cash because they don’t accept credit cards. I can think of no better way to end a long journey, than eating a delicious burger in the middle of nowhere while the band tears into a road song from my misspent youth. Long live sublimely ridiculous road trips! Desert Bar Parker Regional Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Parker, Arizona
Speaking of road trips, don’t forget I’ll start giving presentations on my new book “Arizona National Parks and Monuments” next week. On Wed. Nov. 6, I’ll be at Cochise College in Sierra Vista for a noon lecture (2600 E. Willcox Drive). On Nov. 7, I’m at the Western National Parks Association Store in Tucson (Oro Valley) at 2 p.m. (12880 N. Vistoso Drive).
