Cory_McCloskey's Blog

Day Trip Not For The Faint Of Heart...

If you ever pick up a map in a coffee shop while killing some time in the wonderful, historic town of Williams, just west of Flagstaff, and you deduce that the straight line on the map indicates a straight road south to Jerome, and you think to yourself, "I LOVE Jerome! I think I'll just motor the 41 miles on down to Jerome and enjoy the scenery along the way," you should grab hold of yourself or ask someone nearby to grab hold of you and slap you a few sharp slaps to bring you to your senses, for the map you're looking at is the same kind of map that led the Donner Party along its "short cut" to California. It's a humbug of the worst kind.

Oh, you'll enjoy the first 10 or 11 miles of the "Perkinsville Road" as it winds through mountain meadows and soaring ponderosas, carrying you smoothly south out of Williams upon its beautifully asphalted back, butterflies skittering out of your way as you cut through the pine-scented air, looking forward to stretching your legs and grabbing a cool lemonade in Perkinsville on your way. You'll feel as if you're in a movie as your radio carries the strong signals from Flagstaff, a moving soundtrack supporting each new and more pleasant vista.

Soon, however, a niggling thought will cross your mind.

"Did that sign say 'Pavement Ends 1 Mile,'" you murmur. "Hmmm... Pavement ends...

That doesn't even make sense," you think. "This map shows the road ending in Jerome."

So you shake your head and press on, wondering what kind of mischief those "sign guys" were up to. In exactly a mile, however, your reverie is harshly reined in as it is curtly and obviously illustrated that, while Coconino County is proud of its stretch of this road, Yavapai County prefers to leave the "road" just as God intended it to be: not quite as smooth as an abandoned logging trail but slightly better than a popular goat path.

And, ohhhhh, the quaint employment of dizzying switchbacks and deadly drop-offs causes the mind to drift back to the days when the Perkins family apparently was banished by some sadistic territorial magistrate to live out their days among the endless ridges and valleys that slash across this arid stretch of the West, for you can think of nothing else that could have caused the birth of Perkinsville, which, from what you can see through the dust as you clatter by, consists of one ranch and the terminus of the Verde Canyon Railroad. What could the Perkinses have done to deserve THIS, you wonder. But you cannot wonder too long, for even at the breakneck speed of 20 mph, you must concentrate on avoiding the fossils and granite outcroppings that form your roadbed and wonder if the clunk you heard was merely the anvil-sized rock you just passed over or the mournful sound of your oil pan bidding adieu to your crankcase.

You regret having checked your odometer at Williams, for instead of just pressing onward with a grim determination to make Jerome "whenever you get there," you now know that, considering your laughable pace and the 25 miles left to go, you will not see Jerome for a very long time.

You haven't met another vehicle, and, except for the signs that constantly warn you of the next series if poisonous hairpin turns, human intrusion into this landscape seems to be solely yours.

But hark! What's this? Two wooden crosses at the edge of a 120-foot drop-off. Out of reverence, you stop to pay your respects.  In the stillness of the midday heat you look far below you and see, left at the canyon's bottom, the bumper of the car that must have carried the memorialized to their ends.

At this point, the only thing missing from the scene is the bleached skeleton of the ox that gave out while pulling the wagon...

The miles crawl by as your dashboard's hot needle creeps upward, your engine choking on dust last stirred by the hooves of some long-dead miner's burro.  You keep searching the horizon for the mountainside J that marks Jerome, but your gaze is met only by another mountain.

And just when your teeth feel ready to vacate their sockets from the incessant jarring, the "road" seems to smooth a bit.  It almost seems as if other vehicles might have once passed over this same route.  Could humans be near?  You reach the top of the next long pull up a canyon wall and burst through the crags back into the bright blue...


Cory on the Perkinsville Road just north of Jerome, AZ

Your odometer tells you you're just a few miles from relief, but the relentless landscape mocks your hope.  Still, nothing can bridle your joy as you finally spot Jerome's cluster of rooftops, its houses clinging to the side of the next mountain.

Like a modern-day Archimedes, "Eureka!" rockets from your lips as blessed civilization bursts on your sight.  You collapse on your steering wheel as you drift down the final series of switchbacks past the rusting machinery and tumbledown shacks that mark Jerome's affair with copper.

"Never again," you whisper, perhaps stifling a sob.  "Next time, in a Hummer."

Were you blown away by the Olympics' opening ceremony?

I wish I'd seen all of it, but what I caught was the most spectacular live event I've ever seen!  Communists or not, they put on an amazing show LOL. 

London has its work cut out for Summer '12... 

Goofy Teeth.

The best $12 you'll ever spend.

Do you enjoy the people there?  Do you laugh a lot?

I gotta tell ya...  That 's us.  We laugh constantly!  On the air (inappropriate laughter is our hallmark)...  During commercial breaks...  In the morning meeting...  There are a lot of funny, quick people on our staff, and whatever the joke is, you can count on a lot of embroidery before we move on to the next topic.

It would be a BLAST to do the program with a studio audience!  You'd see the kind of nonsense that makes up our mornings.  I'm not sure who would comprise our 5 am studio audience...  Hmmm... 

Anyway, I know you'd find Ron and Rick and Alexis and Andrea and Jayme and Diane and Alexis V and Tina and Tiffany to be just as much fun in person. 

I speak to lots of children, and I always try to encourage them to remember, as they get bigger, to hold on to the things that they think are fun RIGHT NOW.  One never knows how bugs or the clarinet or juggling or math games or imitating people's voices or building tree forts might figure into one's future.  And don't let any stupid bully or boring uncle ever try to tell you that what you're doing when you're 8 years old is a waste of time.  "Who cares about drawing pictures of horses?"  Ummm...  Art schools with scholarships? 

All I ever wanted to be in school was funny and on the stage in front of people.  I guess it worked out!  (At least the "in front of people" part...)

So thanks again, for tuning in!  We'll be here for you every morning...  Please say hi anytime you see us out and about!

I'm constantly reminded of what a blessing it is to enjoy what you do for a living.  Many might doubt that I do much anyway (LOL) but apparently whatever it is is still considered a commodity worth paying for. 

Today, after the usual two hours doing the weather in the studio, I zipped up to Lake Pleasant for some fun on the water.  And today my buddy, photographer Tom Fergus, brought along his wireless camera, so he was able to be out on the lake with me in his own boat while I took a spin on a waverunner.  What a BLAST! 

The lake was practically empty, so after we went to commercial I headed for open water to see "what she could do."  What she can do is 84 mph.  Yikes.  I'm not much of a daredevil, and it didn't feel like 84 to me, but I'll trust the speedometer.  Of course, as I said, I was the only one around for a half mile or more.  F-U-N!  I don't recommend those speeds on a weekend, but it was quite a ride...

Also, check out the "duck boats", the WWII landing amphibious craft that carry sightseers from land to water and back again along the lake.  We had some fun on one of those, too...

I've been experimenting with downloading movies on my iPod, and I've found it's a great timekiller when you're sitting in the car waiting for a daughter's rehearsal to end or waiting at the dentist or whatever.

I thought the tiny screen would be too much of a drawback, but I've found that the sound is so rich that it helps to overcome the annoyance of a small picture.

You're probably thinking, "I've been doing that for years..."  I guess I always thought a movie would take up too much space, but I just dump it after I've watched it and download another. 

I don't recommend something that requires a huge screen (Star Wars?) but almost anything does well since the soundtracks sound so great in digital.

Right now I have two of the Bourne movies on there...  I'll be the guy squinting. 

Most disturbing video so far this year...

This will be fun!

Come out and meet Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin, the authors of "The Nanny Diaries," Tuesday evening (September 25th) at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas on Scottsdale Road.

I'll be hosting the two for an informal gab about their smash novel and their real-life experiences as Manhattan nannies. You'll have a chance to ask your own questions of the two - it'll be a blast!

Here's a link to the event details...

http://blacktie-arizona.com/calendar/inde
x.cfm?FuseCalendar_ID=2361&CurntDate=09/24/2007&region=
0&FUSEACTION=ShowEvent

Hope to see you there!

Viewers know I love to sing, as I often subject my co-anchors to unrequested and unwanted numbers.  I've had the privilege of performing our National Anthem at a few Suns' games, and it's a thrill to see all of those hands over all those hearts and to watch everyone singing along.

Now I get to live every singer's dream - singing the anthem at a major league ballpark!  The Cubbies are in town, and Saturday night I hope to be a bit of luck for the DBacks (I'm 2 wins for 2 performances for the Suns...LOL) down at the Chase.  And the fun thing is that WGN broadcasts nationwide and carries the opening ceremonies of all the Cubs' games, so maybe my Mom will get to watch back in Pennsylvania.

 It's an honor to sing the anthem anywhere, and I've done it many times at all kinds of events, but I know this is one I'll remember...  Hopefully not because I forgot the words and ended up on SportsCenter.

One of the nation's best zoos is nestled in along the 303 just a few miles north of the 10!  There are bigger zoos, to be sure, but I don't know if there's one that's more fun or more accessible. 

 

Perhaps you've been to many zoos, as I have, and you've no doubt experienced heavy crowds trying to squeeze into limited viewing areas to see animals in the distance.  What I love most about Wildlife World Zoo is that all of their exhibits enable visitors (especially children) to get up close to everything!  And you won't walk your shoes through getting around the grounds, either.  The exhibits are nicely arranged, and there's plenty of shade.

 

I don't know of many zoos, either, where you can feed giraffes!  They'll eat right from your hand!  They also have a boat ride, a train, a skyride, baby animal petting area and a playground.

 

So pack up and head west for some fun sometime soon.  The zoo is about 35-40 minutes from downtown at the corner of Northern and the 303.  Take the 10 west and shoot north on the 303, or pick up Northern near the 101 and head west.  You can also take Bell to the 303 and head south.

 

Check out their website for the latest, and be on the lookout for their big, beautiful aquarium to open in about a year-and-a-half.

http://www.wildlifeworld.com/

Don't you love re-connecting with people you haven't seen in forever?  Mary Jane and I just returned from Chicago where we spent the weekend laughing our heads off with friends we hadn't seen in 25 years.

 

We were all drawn together for the 100th anniversary celebration of the Wheaton College Men's Glee Club in Wheaton, a Chicago suburb.  Hundreds of former members showed up to share in a concert and spend hours and hours reminiscing.  

 

So here's to Kevin Ritchie, Bob Shay, Chris Jahns, Curtis Bashaw, Steve Town, Mike Sension, Bob Kay, Steve Morsheck and all the rest who made the reunion so much fun...  (I include their names just in case they're vain enough to be Yahooing themselves LOL)

 

And just yesterday I got an email from a friend I haven't seen since a summer working together on the Jersey Shore at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference (1977)!  So it seems like old home week around here...

 

So here's a challenge this morning: surprise someone you haven't talked to in years. 

 

Remember that high school friend you lost touch with decades ago?  Look him up and give him a buzz.  How about that history teacher whose class you enjoyed so much?  Shoot an email.  Can you imagine the healing you'd begin (perhaps for you, too) if you were able to track down the kid that everyone bullied in your elementary school and said, "I'm so sorry."?

 

I've been trying to find that kid for years... 

 

 

Hey, hikers!

 

A shout out for the White Tanks park...  Ever been out in the White Tank Mountains?  They mark the western edge of  the Valley.  The park has some really nice trails, and most are an easy hike for anyone.  One of my favorites is the Waterfall Trail, which is a nicely-groomed path that leads to a pool near the top of one of the peaks.  If there's been recent rain, the pool is full and water is spilling into it from above.  If it's actually RAINING, the falls are gushing and the creek that flows from the pool is rushing down the mountain.  It's quite a sight!  Even if the weather is dry, the pool almost always has some water in it...  Good for giving your (leashed) dog a drink!

 

Easy to get to, too...  Can you get to the 303?  When you do, turn West on Olive and it leads you right into the park.

 

Happy hiking!

I get to do a TON of cool things for our morning show, and yesterday was an absolute BLAST!

I got to spend an hour on a Segway, one of those amazing, impossibly-balanced, gyroscopic,  two-wheeled machines that you're seeing around more and more these days.  (I'll post a pic in my pic list...)  They look like they couldn't possibly work, but a computer reads the disposition of your weight on the machine about a hundred times a second and keeps you improbably balanced on those two wheels.

I'd love to see thousands of them zipping around!  If you ever get a chance to take a spin on one, do it!  They're easy to ride and the physics of it all will keep you wondering...

Any of you own one already?  Let us know how you use it. 
 

If you know a little boy (or girl) that loves trains (and most kids do), there's a terrific bunch of Valley guys that can't wait to introduce little ones to some real trains that are just their size.  They're members of a club called the Maricopa Live Steamers, and they have about 9 or 10 miles of track (and growing!) laid down just west of WaterWorld off Pinnacle Peak Rd.  Their trains are much smaller than real ones, but very detailed replicas that are big enough to ride on, and these guys can't wait to share everything they know about rail life.

I was there this morning for the show, and had a blast hanging out with them!  Every Sunday afternoon during the cool months, they offer free rides to anyone who comes out.  Noon to 5.  You can ride behind everything from a diesel locomotive to a real steam engine.

Here's their website:  http://maricopalivesteamers.com/

Have fun!  They run September through early May...
 

(Guess I'd better quit typing in the Webdings font...  But thanks to you who figured it out!  Here's the post in English...)

Wow!

 What a great time in Wickenburg this morning!

A big thank you to Emily Bedoian, the Armenian Flash, for hosting our "Arizona's Most Talented Viewer" contest at her very hip "The Pony Espresso" right downtown on Wickenburg Way.  It's the perfect spot for a good read and a cup of Illy.  Thanks, Emily!  And Jenn and Shannon and Adam and Derek too...

I don't know what percentage of the town was crowded into the place, but the turnout was terrific.  And the singing was excellent!  Our judges had to hear our finalists again before making their decision.  Congrats to Erica, our Wickenburg winner!  Now it's your job, folks, to check out our three finalists under the AZAM tab above and vote for your favorite.

 And by the way, get out to Wickenburg as soon as you can.  What a great town!  Still has that terrific old West feel, and the people are glad to see you... 

See you all Monday morning!  Thanks for tuning in!