SELLING THE SHASTA

Alas, the time has come to upgrade our "Little Apartment on Wheels," to something with a bathroom and shower. We are looking at an Airstream, and have our minds pretty much made up about that. With that plan in order, it's going to be extremely difficult to let the little thing go! We've had so many fantastic trips and memories in this Trailer!

Friends of ours had The Shasta in their back yard (lots of property at their place) for years, just sitting there collecting Desert dirt. The Grandparents were the original buyers, and this camper had been in their family since 1962! My Wife suggested that we take it off their hands, and I was adamently against this, being a life-long tent camper. It needed a LOT OF WORK, but we did most everything ourselves, and I'm not very mechanically inclined. But, we had some help from professionals- Upholstery, curtains,  powder coating, etc. It really came together after a solid year of work and expenses, and we kept improving things along the way, the 6 years we've owned it.

Here are a few photos that I wanted to share of our time with the 1962 Shasta Airflyte.

 First trip ever, Roosevelt Lake, Tonto Basin, AZ. No improvements to the camper yet, obviously.

 The Wife installed new tile flooring.

Then, re-finished the wood inside & got some new cushions.

Tarped & taped while vents & drip trays were being powder coated.

New curtains & upholstery.

The super-comfy, front bed.

New rear window, looking a tad better.

We were constantly making little improvements, such as the sink & stove top covers. (This is the sink, not the stove)!

New tanks & fittings, along with welded-on, permanent, scissor jacks underneath. (No more laying on the ground with scorpions & snakes, aligning stabilizer jacks with frame)!

In Sedona, AZ.

The Breakfast of Champions!

Shower tent/Poop station experiment. With the 1974 Glastron "Swinger" boat, Butcher Hook RV Park, Tonto Basin, AZ.

AC experiment, gone horribly wrong.

Sunset, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, AZ.

Christmas Eve Celebration, Rancho Sedona RV Park. 12 degrees that night. OUCH!

Merry Christmas, with the little, pink, "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree!

Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Site #49.

 Another shot, with my ingenious HD antenna pole/Flag holder,  & Mingus Mountains in the background. Dead Horse Ranch State Park

And, probably our last trip... Homolovi Stae Park, Winslow, Arizona. October, 2014. Nice quiet place if you're ever out the way of I-40.

OK... Well, that oughta' about do it for me, and The Shasta! Have a great Christmas, and bitchin'-Ass New Year! We'll blog again soon, hopefully, with a new Little Apartment On Wheels.

Yours truly... The Phoenix Rover. 

 Crazy Blogging fool.

ERIC'S TOP 10 FAVORITE NFL PLAYERS.

ERIC'S TOP TEN FAVORITE NFL PLAYERS

With the NFL season just around the corner, I thought I'd post my Top Ten Favorite NFL Players list. 

Now the criteria here is MY FAVORITE players, not the greatest I have ever seen. Basically, if you played on a team I didn't care for... Cowboys, Steelers, Broncos, you 'aint on the list. (With the exception of Steve Young). Therefore, you won't see Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, Lynn Swann, John Elway, Roger Staubach, etc. And, I'm a Raiders fan, so there's some bias going on here! Here are my Top 10 favorite NFL players.

#10. DERRICK THOMAS- Kansas City Chiefs

Thomas, drafted 4th overall in 1989, played all 11 years of his career with Kansas City. Since KC is my 2nd favorite team, I had to throw a Chief on the list. Thomas once recorded 7 sacks in one game vs. Seattle, in 1990. He tragical died at age 33 from complications of a horrible car wreck. Hall of Fame, class of 2009.

#9 BO JACKSON- Oakland Raiders

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson was originally drafted by the Tampa bay Buccaneers. He didn't want to play for Tampa, so he simply continued his baseball career with the Kansas City Royals. Tampa forfeited their draft rights in 1987, and Raiders owner Al Davis picked Jackson in the 7th round, 183rd overall. Jackson was not interested in playing for the (Los Angeles) Raiders either, until Mr. Davis presented Bo with the idea of playing both sports. Jackson soon signed with the Raiders, and although his running back career was shortened from a hip injury (game vs. The Bengals, which I attended), it was certainly memorable. Favorite Bo moment: A Monday Night Football game where Bo ran over and through Brian Bosworth, scored a touchdown, and kept running into the players entrance-tunnel. ESPN named Jackson the greatest athlete of all time in 2000. Heisman Trophy winner, Auburn University, 1985. Los Angeles Raiders,  1987-1990.

#8 WALTER PAYTON- Chicago Bears

With the greatest nickname ever, "Sweetness," Payton played for the Chicago Bears from 1975 to 1987. Coming out of Jackson State, Payton is know as one of the most prolific backs in NFL history. This guy was tough! I never recall him running out of bounds to avoid a hit or tackle (Ladainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk). He was a punishing running back for 13 years, missing only one game his rookie season. Super Bowl Champion 1985; 1977, 1985, and 1987 NFL MVP;  9 time Pro Bowl player;  Hall of Fame class of 1993.

#7 BRUCE SMITH- Buffalo Bills 

Smith had a voracious appetite for Quarterbacks, collecting a total of 200 sacks in his career. Bruce was part of that Buffalo Bills teams that went to 4 straight Super Bowls, something I'm sure we'll never see again in our lifetimes. Drafted 1st overall by the Bills in 1985. Played 19 seasons in the NFL. Hall of Fame class of 2009. 

#6 DICK BUTKUS

Named "The most feared tackler" by NFL.COM in 2009, Butkus played 9 seasons for the Bears. In all of those years, the Bears never had a winning season, but Butkus always played with fierce verocity, tossing other players aside like rag dolls. One of Butkus' greatest strengths was his ability to rip the ball from a ball carrier's hands. Although back then the statistic was not kept, it has been noted that Butkus would certainly be one of the all-time leaders in the forced fumbles category. Hall of Fame class of 1979.

#5 RONNIE LOTT- San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lott was a star linebacker for the USC Trojans, graduating in 1981.  Played cornerback, free safety, and strong safety for the 49ers from 1981-1990, and for the Oakland Raiders in 1991. Just when you thought his career was over, he led the NFL in interceptions with the Raiders that year he played for them. Almost everyone knows the story of his finger being amputated in 1985. Hall of Fame class of 2000.

#4 JERRY RICE- San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders.

The greatest football player of all time. Rice holds almost every record for receiving there is. The son of a brick layer, he credited his early training to throwing and catching bricks, sometimes up to two stories high, off the roofs of where his Father was working. Played his college ball at Mississippi Valley State University, and was drafted 16th overall by The Niners. He actually struggled a bit his first season, but went on to become the greatest pass catching athlete in history.  3 time Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Fame class of 2010.

#3 STEVE YOUNG- Los Angeles Express (USFL), San Francisco 49ers

The guy made passing look effortless. I once saw a game in the L.A. Coliseum, the USFL's Los Angeles Express, where he ran for about 200 yards and threw for another 300 or more! When the USFL folded, he had a contract that still pays him to this day (1 million in 2014)! His first NFL experience was with the (horrible) Tampa Bay Bucs, was considered a bust, and then was acquired by the 49ers in 1987 as Joe Montana's backup. Finally 1991 Young replaced the injured Montana, and never looked back. Young had even a greater comeback than Jim Plunkett! 7 Pro Bowls, 3 time Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Fame class of 2005.

#2 HOWIE LONG- Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders

Howard Mathew Moses "Howie" Long played at Villanova University. Drafted in the 2nd round by the Raiders, he played all 13 seasons in The Silver and Black. Nothing was better than watching Howie chase John Elway all over the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, probably my best football memories! Collected 5 sacks in 1 game vs. Washington Redskins in 1983. Is now probably the best known ex-player/analyst on television. Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Fame class of 2000. 

#1 MARCUS ALLEN- Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs.

The greatest short and goal runner in NFL history. At USC, playing tailback, it was almost a forgone conclusion that if handed the ball inside the 5 yard line, Allen would go sailing through the air, over the top of defenders, and into the end zone. He always got up and handed the ball the to refs, never showing off or exuding selfishness, Marcus Allen was one of the classiest players ever. Super Bowl Champion, held the record for most running yards in a Super Bowl until Timmy Smith of the Redskins broke his 192 yard record. Most famous for "17-Bob-Trey-Oh," a broken play in which Allen scored a touchdown vs. Washington in the Super Bowl, 1983. Hall of Fame class of 2003.

Have a great Football Season... Lot's BBQ's, no drinking and driving, root for your team safely, 

and GO RAIDERS!

CINCO de MAYO!!!

I told you my blog wasn't going to be just about the boat and camper any more! First off, sold the boat. Went to a nice, older couple from Payson who can now enjoy it like we did. Second, which is a first, here's a couple of killer recipes for you on CINCO DE MAYO… Otherwise known as National Maargrita Day, here in the USA. Enjoy, and let me know what you think if you try any of the recipes out! Have fun!

Finally said goodbye to the Little Beast!

KICK ASS GUACAMOLE

I’ve been making guacamole for so many years now it’s ridiculous! Growing up in Southern California, my family had Mexican food at least once a week. I seriously consider myself an expert in the field. And, one of the greatest pleasures of Mexican cuisine, is the delicious, creamy goodness known as guacamole.

After trying many different concoctions, varieties, and trials and tribulations making GUAC, I found the best ands most tasty “GUAC” ever, and now I’m going to share it with you.

Truth be told, I all but stole the recipe. A buddy of mine, Rob, worked at a joint called Roscoe’s Downright Dogs, a hot dog joint on Lake Street in Pasadena, California. After eating a hot dog smothered in guacamole, I said,

“I think that was the best GUAC I’ve ever had!”

 He told me how it was made, because I asked, and he used to have to make it every shift he worked there. (Place is still in business, now it’s Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles, 830 N. Lake St., Pasadena, California). He gave me the recipe, and the rest is history. I made 2 minor changes to the original recipe, so I can now call it my own!

There are 2 things you have to know in order to make the perfect guacamole.

1.   You can’t make good guacamole with bad or hard avocados.

2.   You have to make it and serve it: No making it beforehand, sticking it in the fridge, and serving it later.

Avocados should be squishy, soft to the touch. Not brown and semi-rotten or too squishy, but just soft when you squeeze them.  You are going to want to use HAAS AVOCADOS, not Choquette, or Hall varieties. HAAS AVOCADOS are dark, almost black on the outside. They are primarily grown out west & in Mexico, and peak season for them is late January to early May. Other varieties are shiny, glossy, and do not have the same texture, oils, or flavor. Avoid those, always.

INGREDIENTS

4 large, ripe HASS AVOCADOS

2 small, vine-ripened tomatoes

½ medium to large red onion

1 heaping tablespoon of miracle whip

1 teaspoon of Worchester sauce

½ teaspoon of cumin

If you don’t keep Miracle Whip in your home, or you consider it a Ghetto Product, as many do… Substitute a teaspoon of sugar or Splenda with a heaping tablespoon of MAYONAISSE.

INSTRUCTIONS

Take avocados, remove seed from top, slice in half, length-wise, remove pit by slamming large, sharp knife into seed, pull out seed.

Finely chop ½ red onion.

Cut off stem of tomatoes, remove top, and de-seed tomatoes. Dice them into very small pieces.

Add all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Smoosh and mix with large serving fork, or better, with (mashed potato-type) masher, until creamy-smooth.

The Smoosher!

Serves about 6 people.

As far as chips, you can serve the GUAC with your favorite chips, or on warm quesadillas, etc. I prefer On The Border tortilla chips, if you have them in your area. They’re great! Blue Corn Tortilla Chips are also on my top-ten list, plus, they are different and colorful.

(MILD) JALAPENO POPPERS-

STUFFED BBQ PEPPERS

I tried making stuffed, BBQ’d Jalapeno (Poppers) peppers a few times, and they were mouth-burning and painful to eat each time I made them. After some handy Internet research, and trial & error attempts, I finally mastered this fun recipe.

There are 2 essential tools you’ll need before attempting to make this recipe:

1.  Jalapeno Popper Grill Rack

2.  Jalapeño Corer

INGREDIENTS

10-12 plump Jalapeno peppers

1- 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese

1 cup sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Bacon Bits

½ teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

1- 2 liter bottle of 7-UP, or similar soda

Pull CREAM CHEESE out of the ‘fridge, set on counter for ½ hour, until it’s almost room temperature. (You can microwave Cream Cheese if you are an impatient individual, but do not over cook it. Remove foil from Cream Cheese before nuking it to avoid Fourth of July scenarios).

Core and prepare the Jalapenos: Near top of peppers, slice off the top. Take your corer, and core out all seeds and membranes.  (NOTE: The membranes are the hottest part of the pepper, so make sure you get all of that white flesh out of there when coring, without puncturing the sides of the pepper).

Place Jalapenos in large, preferably metal bowl. Soak peppers in soda for 30 minutes. (NOTE; The soda takes the “sting” out of the pepper, and peppers will emit gasses when soaking. I place the bowl outside during this process. NEVER stick your head over the soda-soaking peppers, as they will fry your eyes. Ouch).

Prepare the filling: Take (soft) Cream Cheese with Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Seasoning Salt, and Bacon Bits, and mush all together, using large serving fork.

Stuff the Peppers: Take a small spoon, and stuff the hollowed peppers with the Cream Cheese filling. Make sure you stuff all the way down to the bottom, but do not over-fill! If filled to the top, Cream Cheese will rise a bit during cooking, and it’ll make a mess leaking out over the top. Place the stuffed Jalapenos in the rack.

Fire up BBQ 10 minutes before placing Jalapeno rack on grill. After 10 minutes, place Jalapeno Rack on grill, OFFSET FROM FLAMES. In other words, light one side of the grill, and put the rack on the other, non-flame side. DO NOT PLACE RACK OVER FLAMES! You are essentially baking the peppers with the heat of the grill, not cooking them over flames.

Leave in (covered) BBQ for about 10-12 minutes on low heat, or until Cream Cheese looks brown on top. Let rack sit out for 5 minutes to cool before consuming.

Serves about 4 people.

Any brand of Cream Cheese will do, but I prefer either Challenge, or Land of Lakes. Neufatel (Cream Cheese) has a lower fat content than regular Cream Cheese, and tastes about the same. Hell… Even the Walmart brand does just fine! This is a super lo-carb recipe as well, so eat in abundance and feel no guilt. Serve with copious amounts of ice cold, frothy, craft beer.

HAVE A GREAT (NON) HOLIDAY, don't drink and drive, and see you next time. (Who knows what's coming next)?

-The Phoenix Rover

BAND CAMP

Well, it seems that the whole camping thing has run it's course on my blog. We pretty much store our camper near Sedona and take it to Dead Horse Ranch State Park all the time. That's a tad boring to write about every time we're up there, so I've decided to expand the blog to include other stuff that takes place in my very exciting life! So, from now on, it'll include some cooking and BBQ-ing, my music, and other travel fun.

On that note, in February I attended The Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas! Thanks to my Pal, Loren Wessel, he took me along and picked up the tab! (Yeah… Cool friend, Huh)! Anyways, it was a thrill of a lifetime. The guests included Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Orianthi, and a host of famous musicians who served as "rock counselors."

Basically, this is how the whole thing goes down. You arrive, they have an orientation, and you are assigned a band unit, with a famous musician as your counselor. Then, you practice, get to know your fellow bandmates, and put together songs to perform together at the two concerts at The House of Blues. Also, you work up a few songs to jam with the guest musicians they bring in.

Our band was assigned to play "Running with the Devil," with Michael Anthony, (former) bassist of Van Halen. That was pretty exciting, being able to share the stage with a member of Van Halen! Song went well, got to play the solo, and meet and greet Mike afterwards. He's also from Pasadena, so I had a nice conversation with him about the town where we are both from.

Michael Anthony, Van Halen & Chickenfoot.

Our band called themselves "Fireball," not after the Deep Purple album from 1971, but after the cinnamon whiskey that we partook in at The House of Blues. ($9.00 a shot, might I ad)! Our counselor was Les Warner, former drummer of the band The Cult. He was a great guy to hang out with, telling us jokes, and listening to stories about everything from his childhood growing up in England, to his professional career and experiences.

Les Warner

Part of the experience included recording at the Palms Hotel Recording Studio. The producer and engineer, Mark Gray, was a super-cool Dude, who wasn't hesitant to share stories about the musicians he's worked with: Elton John, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, and many more. He said Usher was a pain in there ass to work with! Very cool getting the inside scoop on so many artists. 

The recording studio experience was very cool! Talk about a plush environment as well… State of the art gear, Marshall amps, couches to lounge and relax on, etc. etc. Spent the day there, loved every second of it!

Now, THAT'S a mixing board!!!

"Fireball," at The Palms Hotel Recording Studio.

(L to R: Les, Jason Ebbs, Sasha, Loren, Ryan, Me, Teo, and Mark Gray, (Engineer/Producer).

We got to jam with some great guitarists… Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, and Joe Perry. The song we chose to jam on with Joe Perry was "Adam's Apple," off the Toys in the Attic album, (1975). He liked the obscure choice of the tune, and complimented us and how we played it after jamming it with him.

Jamming on Adam's Apple" w/ Joe.

Our band, "Fireball," with Joe.

Me and Joe Perry.

When we jammed with Steve Vai, we weren't prepared with any particular tune, as we thought is was only going to be a meet and greet, and not a jam. So, Teofilo, our band mate from Mexico, had seen the G-3 concert with Satrianni, Eric Johnson, and Vai, and they all played (Neil Young's) "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." So, we decided to just jam on that tune with no singing, as it's basically a 3 chord song, where we each took a solo after Steve Vai did his. Cool jam!

Hangin' with Steve Vai.

Eric Johnson gave a lecture the second day, then we got to perform with him twice. What a great artist he is! This guy can just strum a basic chord, and it sounds like an angel singing! I actually got teary-eyed when he was playing. We named an instrumental of his called East-Wes, written in honor of jazz legend Wes Montgomery. Then, later that night, he jammed with all 16 bands at the House of Blues (at the Mandalay bay Hotel).

Lecture & demonstration at The Rock Fantasy Camp Studios.

Rehearsing "East Wes" for concert later that night.

House of Blues, jamming with Eric Johnson.

Jamming at the House of Blues was very cool as well. Crowd was pretty forgiving, considering many of the musicians were amateurs, who weren't used to playing live in from of an audience. Overall, though, every band did their best, and mistakes and blunders were kept to a minimum. 

House of blues concert.

In the heat of the moment!

After it was all said and done, I think the best part for me was jamming with our counselor, drummer, Les Warner. The guy was so funny, helpful, and just a pleasure to hang out with. And, overall, the whole experience was something I'll never forget! Hell… Jamming on stage with Steve Vai, Joe Perry, Eric Johnson, and more, in a 5 day period? It is a fantasy come true!

Here's some more photos from Band Camp:

Danny Seraphine (Drummer for Chicago) w/ Joe Perry

Jason Ebbs, hired gun (great) singer.

Gary Hoey & Tony Franklin (The Firm), All-Star jam

My buddy Loren Wessel, with Tony Franklin

Phil Soussan, bassist, vocalist, songwriter (Ozzy Osbourne)

Sasha, Loren's girlfriend, w/ Rudy Sarzo & Franky Banali (Quiet Riot)

Orianthi, jamming on Jimi Henrix's "Voodoo Chile," w/ Gary Hoey

Sunday Night Jam, House of Blues, final concert

So, that's it for now. I'll be back with more travel, cooking, and music fun! Be sure to follow my group, BANDALISM on Facebook! Ciao for now!