On the Beaten, Bumpy Path

Each spring during the University of Arizona's spring break, the campus is taken over by the incredible and ever-growing Tucson Festival of Books.  Anything and everything book-related is represented, including an impressive array (see the list) of authors giving talks and signing their books.

One of the panels I attended featured three Arizona travel writers, including one of my favorites, Roger Naylor.  He just makes you want to get outside, lace up your boots and hit the trails.  One of the questions posed to the panel was about the most unique place they had come across in their Arizona travels.  The other two authors gave thoughtful responses of places they had found that had almost spiritual qualities.  Then it was Roger's turn.  And he proceeded to wax poetic about .  .  .  the Desert Bar!

I almost laughed out loud, as not a week before, while camping along the Colorado River, we had made our annual pilgrimage to this odd and crazy place.  Literally out in the middle of nowhere, after miles on a bone-jarring, teeth-rattling, rocky road, you are greeted with an almost surreal sight.  Hundreds of parked cars (where did they all come from??) and a collection of structures that can only be described as bizarre.  In the parking lot you encounter the facade of a church, with nothing behind it.

Crossing a covered bridge into an open-air bar, tables are packed with happy people, a band playing the sounds of the 60's and 70's, colorful umbrellas keeping the desert sun at bay, and the bartenders hard at work trying to keep up with the crowd.  Burgers and hot dogs are on the grill, but don't ask for cheese!  There's an inside saloon too, and a popular shop for the shirts and hats, and many levels of seating areas.  Downstairs a new kitchen has added many food items to the menu.

Everything is run on solar power, and, how's this for a business model - they're only open on the weekends, 11am to dark, for a few months a year.

Officially the Nellie E Saloon, the Desert Bar is located in the Buckskin Mountains, just north of Parker, Arizona.  The name comes from the original mining claim on which the bar now stands.  Everywhere you look is some little quirky, kitschy, interesting relic - an old, rusty fire truck, old glass refrigerator doors for windows in the saloon, open-air restrooms that give a view across the desert.  Between the people-watching, the music, and looking at the details of construction, you'll stay totally entertained.

If you want a truly unique Arizona experience, make your way out to the Desert Bar.