Driving through "Photo Enforcement Zones": a guide for the perplexed.

This post is dedicated to motorists on the stretch of I-10 from the Maricopa County line to Tolleson city limits:

When approaching one of Maricopa County's fixed photo radar installations, you will be warned by at least two signs, one designating the "Photo Enforcement Zone" and another stating that the cameras are located 300 feet ahead. On seeing these signs:

1. If you live more than one county away, do nothing, but remain alert, as some drivers will stomp on the brake. Maricopa County is not serving tickets to Pima County or elsewhere in person, and Arizona law does not consider mail delivery proper services. After 180 days, the county's claim is no good.
   
2. If you have a plate cover lens obscuring wide-angle view of your license plate, do nothing.
   
3. If you live in Maricopa County or an immediately adjacent county and do not have a plate cover, check your speedometer. If you are not driving eleven or more miles per hour over the speed limit, do nothing.
   
4. If you are driving eleven or more miles per hour over the speed limit, gently reduce your speed to "ten over". If possible, do this without applying the brakes.
   
5. Continue to drive "ten over" or at your previous speed if less than ten over until you have passed the cameras.
   
6. Increase your speed to what is appropriate for conditions, if applicable.
   

Do not:

• Abruptly brake at the first sign.
  
• Slow to the speed limit if the prevailing safe speed is greater than the speed limit.
  
• Slow to below the speed limit, "just in case".

And if you are going to do any of the above, please get out of the left hand lane. You cause other drivers to have to apply the brakes, which wastes fuel and could cause an accident.

Drive safely and defensively, and never at a speed too fast for conditions.

Sonoita/Elgin wine area coming of age.

For years, Callaghan Vineyards has been in a league of its own in the Sonoita AVA and perhaps in all of Arizona, producing wines to rival those of California, Oregon, and anyplace else. I dropped in to taste at a few wineries yesterday following a hike near Patagonia and found that things have changed; the Wilhelm Family Vineyards wines impressed me, and I'm not easily impressed by wineries. Their specialty is Albariño, from which they produce a very well-structured white, and they also make a heavily extracted but food-friendly oak-aged Sangiovese. Most of what is produced is labeled "Hawk's Flight" as it's made from sourced fruit. The first estate wines will be released later in the year; given the capability and good taste shown by the winemaker, I have high expectations.

Village of Elgin Winery, too, has quite a bit to offer--and probably the only bargains in the area--buried in its Chinese restaurant menu-like list of wines. Skip the sweet tourist fare and go for their dry reds made from Italian varietals and the perfect Spanish-style rosé.


An interview with Mike Ross, some semi-novel remarks on the budget crisis, and a report on the latest sure-winner lawsuit against Sheriff Joe (hatin' on spics brown people is expensive!) to follow in the next few days. Expect one of those three by the end of Sunday. And as soon as I get his permissions issues settled--does Gmail eat Blogger.com e-mails?--there should be a second co-'blogger.

From the road #3: Concerning beverages, and clearly out of sequence.

On Interstate 8 between the petroglyph site/old state park and Yuma is a non-town called Dateland, site of an old Army Air Force training base--the runways are a little rough but still there--a grove of date palms, perhaps a dozen residences, an RV park, a couple of filling stations, and apparently its own post office, or at least its own zip code.

The billboards would have you think it's a tourist trap a la The Thing or Casa de Fruta or those wacky lopsided "mystery spot" houses one used to find off of highways, but all one finds is a gas station with a gimmick: sales of dates and "Date Shakes."

Date shakes? Much better than they sound: flavorful and no sweeter than the usual milkshake--if you also need gas, it's worth stopping in for one.

Tucson pubs vs Boston pubs

Tucson pubs: great beer selection, crowd keeps to itself.
Boston pubs: measly beer selection, friendly crowd.

I understand the latter to have to do with us being in the West: people are more neighborly in places like Chicago or New Orleans or Boston. But why do Boston pubs have small beer lists? Or why do even mediocre Tucson beer joints (1702 is world-class) like Bison Wiches have such a great selection?

Yes, I just got back from some professional travel. Plenty of interesting goings-on at the capitol: posting will resume soon!