Heart Attack Grill - Chandler, AZ

Chandler Blvd.

At the request of my brother, I reluctantly took a mini road trip to Chandler, AZ to taste the wares at Heart Attack Grill. Some of you may have seen this place on the Travel Channel.

The menu is simple: Single, Double, Triple or Quadruple Bypass Burger;(.5, 1, 1.5 or 2lb)all-you-can-eat fry bar and drinks. All the burgers come plain and the customer helps themselves at a topping bar. Also, every customer is given a hospital gown and wristband to wear.

I opted for the 1lb Double Bypass and fries. After about 3/4lb., your intrepid blogger started to really sloooowwww down. I took occasional breaks punctuated with deep breaths and belches. The fries were OK, but I like a thicker cut fry. The burger wasn't bad, but I've had better. They definitely are using their hospital theme and marketing to their benefit - it's a fun atmosphere. With that said, if I make a 2nd trip, I'll opt for a Single Bypass without fries.

Need burgers! STAT!

Old School

All You Can Eat

Note the blood pressure machine

A challenge is thrown down

The Double Bypass with fries

Holy Shit!

The Bill

The waitresses wear skimpy nurse outfits

The Rte. 85 Experience

I left Phoenix on Sunday morning with the intention of driving to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, taking some pictures and posting a blog. Well, that one blog turned into three. There were too many interesting things along the way that piqued my interest to keep it to one blog post. You never know what might happen on your journey towards your destination.

Rte. 85 begins about 30 miles west of Phoenix at Interstate 10 and runs south all the way to the Mexican Border.


Gila Bend, AZ - this town sits at the intersection of Rte. 85 and Interstate 8, which goes between Tucson and San Diego.

Stout's Hotel

Disrepair in Gila Bend

North of Gila Bend on 85

Silhouette and sky

High clouds over the range

Cactus Draw

Ajo, AZ - is a mining town south of Gila Bend and just north of Organ Pipe. Interesting little town with a mix of architecture. There were a lot of small, single-level homes along with a plaza area that resembles a small, coastal town on the Mediterranean.

North boundary

Disrepair in Ajo

Immaculate Conception Church - across from the plaza

Federated Church - across from the Plaza

Looking west from the plaza

The Ajo Plaza

Lukeville, AZ (aka Gringo Pass) - From what I could tell, Lukeville consists of an RV park and a border crossing, and not much else.

Just chillin'

Lunch at the Gringo Pass Cafe

Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l Monument

North boundary

Sidenote: When I saw, on the sign, that this place was a Biosphere Reserve, I immediately thought of Pauly Shore. Is that wrong?

This is a great place to get a feel for the Sonoran Desert. A mix of mountains, broad valleys and the desert landscape. While many would think that the desert is lifeless, nothing could be further from the truth. The desert is arid, not lifeless. As such, you'll find a vast array of unique plants and animals you won't see anywhere else. The flora and fauna are perfectly adapted to limited precipitation, searing heat and the cold nights of a desert winter. I highly recommend that everyone spend a little time in the desert at least once in their life. Good for the spirit.

Visitor Center

The omnipresent, Visitor Center relief map

The Ajo Mountains

Mt. Tillotson

Desert landscape

Organ Pipe cactus

Saguaro Cactus amid a Palo Verde tree

The beautiful, green bark of the Palo Verde tree

Cholla cactus

The Roadside Memorials of Rt. 85

Jebus and Friends

I've seen my share of roadside memorials and they usually consist of a cross or two and some flowers. Not along AZ Rte. 85 - No way, now how! They are not messing around.

On the outskirts of Ajo, AZ

Outstanding!

Underachiever

Good floor plan, but needs some work

Simple, elegant

Simpler, still elegant

Compact, but nicely done

A whole lot going on here.