Saturday, February 19, 2022

Saturday, February 19, 2022, AZ

Road trip day! We are off to Parker, AZ - a 4-hour drive to the west where we will check out the Desert Bar - a local landmark since 1983 that is on property that was once a copper mine.  About 5 miles outside of Parker, a 5-mile drive on a rough and crusty desert dirt road through the Buckskin Mountain range takes you to a solar powered oasis that is the Desert Bar. From the parking lot, you walk past a church building constructed of all steel, then through a steel covered bridge that leads to a sprawling grounds filled with areas to purchase food and drinks, patios to sit and eat, the Nellie E Saloon, and a lower level stage where bands play music on weekends. Speaking of weekends, the place is only open October through April and only on Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm. Most of the structures are built of concrete and steel.

We waited in a long line for an hour to get burgers that were ok - nothing spectacular - that cost $32 for 2 burgers and an order of onion rings.  Oh well, we were there for the experience - had a couple of beers and listened to a very lively and good band before heading to the Best Western for the night.

The route to Parker and the road to the Desert Bar



The grounds of the Desert Bar