Having Lunch at Huss Brewing...

Going to Downtown Phoenix

On Saturday, February 22, 2025, I drove my mom to downtown Phoenix, AZ, so she could attend QuiltCon 2025 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Right off the bat, I will tell you that I don't spend nearly enough time in downtown Phoenix. In a region of never-ending suburbs, retirement communities, mushrooming towns and cities, and various tourist-oriented cities, downtown Phoenix just doesn't seem to get a whole lot of respect or love. To many people where I currently live in Maricopa County, downtown Phoenix might as well be a foreign place to visit. It might as well be terra incognita.      

Poster for QuiltCon 2025

The easiest way for us to get to downtown Phoenix from the Sun City-Peoria, AZ area is to take Grand Avenue/Highway 60 right into downtown. Grand Avenue/Highway 60 runs right into Van Buren Avenue, one of the major east-west streets in downtown Phoenix. After driving a couple of miles east on Van Buren Avenue, I made a right turn and headed south on 2nd Street. Fortunately, there was a rather large parking garage near the Phoenix Convention Center. After parking the car and taking the elevator down to the ground floor, my mom and I exited the parking garage and started walking toward the Phoenix Convention Center along Monroe Street. As we walked, we passed by Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub + TOGO tucked inside the Phoenix Convention Center. We saw people eating lunch outside on the patio and noticed that all of the doors were open. It made perfect sense as the weather was unusually warm for Phoenix in mid-February. The sky was blue without a single cloud. I made a mental note and continued walking.  

View of 1st Street from parking garage.

 

Attending QuiltCon 2025

It turns out that the Phoenix Convention Center is actually a grouping of three buildings. QuiltCon 2025 was located on the third floor of the North Building on 3rd Street and Monroe Street. We didn't actually know which specific building to go to for the convention. Instead, we just followed all of the people that were walking to the North Building. After taking the elevator to the third floor of the North Building, we had our tickets scanned at the entrance and then walked into QuiltCon 2025. 

Walking toward the Phoenix Convention Center.

Skyway connecting the West and North Buildings.

Exterior of the North Building.

Facade of the North Building.

Exterior of the West Building.

My mom loves to quilt, so she was very much in her element by attending QuiltCon 2025. A couple of years ago, QuiltCon was supposed to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, QuiltCon in Phoenix ended up getting canceled. Thus, my mom was especially eager to attend QuiltCon. 

Inside the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center

I don't quilt, but there were some amazing quilts on display for QuiltCon 2025. While viewing all of the exhibits, it occurred to me that quilting is very similar to painting. Instead of using canvas and paint, you use various kinds of fabric in various colors. Plus, quilts don't have to square or rectangular. Plus, I was also shocked at all of the vendors present at QuiltCon 2025. There's some serious money to be made in various sewing machines, types of fabric, various patterns, and in-person instruction.  

Having Lunch at Huss Brewing Downtown

After spending most of the afternoon at QuiltCon 2025, I had exceeded my minimum step count for the day. As a result, I was starting to get hungry and thirsty. My mom and I had considered going back down to the ground floor of the North Building and getting something to eat from the food court. Instead, my mom and I decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at the Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub. After taking the elevator back down to the ground floor, we then walked across 3rd Street and briefly walked through the lobby of the West Building of the Phoenix Convention Center. Since we couldn't find a direct route to Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub through the West Building, we walked north on 2nd Street and then made a right on Monroe Street. We were right back where we had started, at the north side of the West Building. 

Huss Brewing Company Brewpub at the Phoenix Convention Center.

The Huss Brewing Company Brewpub at the Phoenix Convention Center offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The brewpub was surprisingly really busy. Customers appeared to be a mix of locals, tourists, and attendees from QuiltCon. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in February, so I was hoping to be seated outside. Instead, we were seated just inside the main dining area. We were near the bar and near the patio. Plus, there were people constantly walking back and forth. Hey, I understood that it was late Saturday afternoon, and it was starting to get busy. 

Huss Brewing Company Brewpub from across the street.

After our server gave us our menus, I ordered a pint of Scottsdale Blonde, the flagship beer of Huss Brewing. At 4.7% ABV, Scottsdale Blonde is a very, VERY, V-E-R-Y easy beer to drink. The Scottsdale Blonde is one of the first beers I had to drink when I moved back to Arizona after living in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area for 13 years. Wherever I am at, if Scottsdale Blonde is on the menu, I will order a pint of Scottsdale Blonde. It's that good. According to Huss Brewing, Scottsdale Blonde has one two major beer awards. 

• Winner: 2016 US Open Beer Championship Bronze Medal
• Winner: 2018 US Open Beer Championship Silver Medal

Scottsdale Blonde.

Scottsdale Blonde is a German-style Kölsch beer. Here is a good description of Kölsch beer: 

Kölsch is a pale, top-fermented, and filtered ale beer style originating from Cologne, Germany, known for its delicate balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness, and a crisp, slightly dry finish. 

The idea of Kölsch beer is that it is a light and refreshing beer that you would drink on a warm summer day in Cologne as you watch boats sail by on the Rhine River. However, if you like, you can drink Kölsch year-round. For more information about Kölsch beer, check out this article from CraftBeer.com.

Scottsdale Blonde from Huss Brewing.

For a late lunch/early dinner, I ordered "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich. My eyes went right to it. I completely ignored the rest of the menu. Here is how Huss Brewing describes "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich: 

Slowly braised beef, sweet peppers, Italian spices with melted sharp provolone, and giardiniera on a crusty roll. Served with au jus dipping sauce. 

"The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich

Instead of French fries, I ordered the Cole slaw as a side dish. My mother also ordered "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich with Cole slaw. "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich did not disappoint. The sausage was wonderfully spicy. Before I knew it, it was time to order another beer. This time, I ordered the Copper State IPA. 

Copper State IPA from Huss Brewing.

The Copper State IPA paired rather well with "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich. In my experience, IPAs pair well with spicy food. Dare I say, the Copper State IPA was almost as good as the Scottsdale Blonde. It is definitely a beer that I will order again. For additional information about the India Pale Ale style of beer, check out this article from CraftBeer.com. 

As we ate our Italian beef sandwiches, I noticed that the Huss Brewing Company Brewpub was starting to get more crowded. Interestingly, more people from QuiltCon 2025 started to show up at various tables across the restaurant. After finishing our meal, my mother and I walked around the area near the Phoenix Convention Center before deciding to make the drive back up to Sun  City.  

Hiking the L.V. Yates Trail...

Return to Phoenix Mountain Preserve

This past Saturday, May 4th, 2024, I went hiking again.Not only did I go hiking again, I also went back to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. This time, however, I did not make a return visit to Dreamy Draw. Instead, I went back to the beginning: the 40th Street Trailhead. Back on March 25th, I attended a nighttime hike at the 40th Street Trailhead given by REI. It was my first ever visit to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The idea of the hike was to complete a short hike in the dark after sunset with a small group of people. As a result, the hike aroused an interest making a return visit to the Phoenix Mountain Trail. Since that first visit, I have returned to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve for three additional visits. Since the Phoenix Mountain Preserve is criss-crossed by trails, I will probably keep going back for the foreseeable future.

L.V. Yates Trail (#8)

After hiking two nearly identical trails at the Dreamy Draw Trailhead, the Perl A. Charles Trail and the Voaz MTB Loop Trail, I decided to hike the L.V. Yates Trail (#8). As you can see from the topographic map from the All Trails website, the L.V. Yates Trail (#8) is a roughly 5 mile "out-and-back" hiking trail.

L.V. Yates Trail (#8), (Source: All Trails)

My initial goal for the hike was to simply follow the L.V. Yates Trail out to the end and then come back.

L.V. Yates Trail Marker

The L.V. Yates Trail consisted of a gradual rise in slope to two saddle points that are neatly placed 1.2 miles between each other. The first saddle point has an elevation of roughly 1,822 feet. The second saddle point is at a lower elevation at 1,770 feet. The trail also goes through a dry stream bed that lies between both saddle points. The L.V. Yates Trail is also largely rocky. There were several instances on the trail where one foot slipped on a rock as I hiked. Like most of the trails at the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, the L.V. Yates Trail connects with several other hiking trails. Therefore, you can combine the L.V. Yates Trail with another trail for a longer hike. However, with the daytime temperatures starting to rise in the Phoenix metropolitan area, you are going to have to start hiking early in the morning if you want to hike six or seven miles.

My Hiking Route on the L.V. Yates Trail

#304/Ocotillo Trailhead

It just so happens that the L.V. Yates Trail meets up with the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail at the second saddle point. From where the two trails met, I followed the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail to the #304 Trailhead. 

End of the L.V. Yates Trail

From the saddle point, the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail appeared to be a short hike to the Ocotillo Trailhead. The view was deceptive as I had to hike down from the saddle point to a narrow dried-out river bed and then back up an incline. The detour to the Ocotillo Trailhead added another half mile to my hike. 

At the Ocotillo Trailhead

At the #304 Trailhead, also known as the Ocotillo Trailhead, there are bathrooms, drinking fountains, and a place to sit down underneath overhead cover, which is known locally as a ramada. Since the #304 Trailhead/Ocotillo Trailhead is located at the Piestewa Peak Park area, parking is also available. The facilities are rather similar to what you would find at the Dreamy Draw Trailhead. Just a note about parking during my hike. When I arrived at the 40th Street Trailhead at around 9:15 AM, I was lucky to park my car in one of the few remaining available parking spaces. When I arrived at the #304-Ocotillo Trailhead at around 11:30 AM, the parking lot for that part of Piestewa Peak Park was pretty much empty. The reason why the parking lot was empty was the RISING temperature.

Slow Going on the Return

Once at the Ocotillo Trailhead, I went to the bathroom, washed my hands, and then looked for a shady place to sit. After eating my peanut butter Clif bar and drinking some water from my Gregory hydration pack (no leaks on this day BTW), I started to notice just how hot it was. Relatively speaking. One thing that I did not notice was my feet being in extreme pain at my half-way point. My new size 11W Zamberlan hiking boots were doing their job. Once my watch indicated that it was 12:00 PM, I got back up and headed back to the Piestewa Peak Nature Trail. Since I was hiking uphill again, it was extremely slow going. My heart rate was going crazy. My breath was short and raspy. Still struggling with allergies, my lungs were struggling. Then there was the heat. It was starting to get quite noticeable. I had to hike step-by-step up the ridge to get back to the saddle point. It was slow going, but it was my only option. Once I got to the saddle point, I sat down on the bench made out of rocks and drank some water. With the terrain of the L.V. Yates Trail now declining, my pace quickened. After hiking through the dried-out riverbed, I reached another rest area. I sat down for a couple of minutes and drank some more water. I then began the ascent to the first saddle point on the L.V. Yates Trail. Again, my pace on the trail to the saddle point was extremely slow with the sun beating down on my head. Once at the saddle point, I sat down once again on the bench made out of rocks and drank more water. I then began my descent back to the parking lot at the L.V. Yates Trailhead. As the temperatures rose, my pace on the trail began to slow and almost become laborious. Everytime I reached a signpost on the trail, I stopped to drink a couple of sips of water. As far as I could tell, I was the only person in my immediate area of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Occasionally, I would see a mountain biker or a pair of trail runners off in the distance. The parking lot was starting to get closer and closer. I saw the trail map at the edge of the parking lot. I had finally made it back. Apart from my car and two or three other cars, the parking lot was empty. I found a bench at a ramada to sit at. I took a look at my hydration pack and noticed that I had A LOT more water to drink that I had thought.

Once I got back to my car and took off my hiking boots, I could already picture in my mind drinking a large, frosty mug of Scottsdale Blonde Koelsch by Huss Brewing waiting for me.

Scottsdale Blonde by Huss Brewing

Here is the first batch of the photographs that I took.