Posts for February 2021

  • IF YOU BUILD IT: 'Field of Dreams' realized through business, friendship by Laurel Darren, Wild Bunch Desert Guides
    02/27/2021... A chance meeting with a top baseball executive has led to a wonderful friendship and annual spring training tradition for the Wild Bunch Desert Guides. While I have reveled in the career successes of “Mr. Diamond” -- including a huge promotion after winning the 2016 World Series with my childhood team and home-state Chicago Cubs – he has been incredibly supportive of my small mom-and-pop specialty shop’s steady rise, too. Suffice to say, we have enjoyed the ride since our first mountain bike meeting in 2015, and become each other’s biggest fan while building our personal “Field of Dreams.”
  • Cancel culture: Why there is a refund policy by Laurel Darren, Wild Bunch Desert Guides
    02/20/2021... A cancellation policy is a necessary protection for a small business in the service industry. However, as an Arizona adventure tour company owner, I am torn by putting myself in other people’s shoes when a last-minute cancellation crops up. We all have been there as a customer, right? But there have been a few nightmarishly notable reasons for a strict 48-hour no refund policy in the past for the Wild Bunch Desert Guides.
  • Open love letter to the real superheroes of the Sonoran Desert by Laurel Darren, Wild Bunch Desert Guides
    02/13/2021... As “The Devil Woman,” I get to be a superhero to tourists by delivering fun and adventure during their visits and vacations to Arizona’s “Valley of the Sun.” However, the unsung heroes for me are the super team making my Wild Bunch Desert Guides a success. Together those talented pros and fantastic human beings make either a guided mountain bike tour or guided hiking adventure an amazing experience.
  • Camelback Mountain Master Class: This is 'F'ing hard' by Laurel Darren, Wild Bunch Desert Guides
    02/05/2021... Look at the spectacular pictures from the peak, and the attraction of a Camelback Mountain hike is easily understandable. I certainly get the allure for visitors to Arizona’s Valley of the Sun, too, as a Midwestern transplant blessed with many unforgettable moments in my memory bank. However, as an adventure tour company owner, I must be honest with my guests -- a guided Camelback Mountain hike is not for everybody.

Recent Blog Posts

Winning selection: ‘Elite Eight’ of Phoenix adventure tours

“Selection Sunday” is March 17. Three weekends after that, “March Madness” for college men’s basketball concludes with the “Final Four” in Phoenix. If making a fastbreak to the Valley of the Sun for “The Big Dance” – or even visiting for spring training baseball or Spring Break from school -- here is an “Elite Eight” list of must-do Phoenix adventure tours.

Phoenix hiking tours: Lights! Camera! Action!

I have heard comparisons before to Drew Barrymore, with everyone from friends to guests noting I have a similar “crazy chick vibe” to the iconic actress and current talk show host. But recently, I got to step into Drew’s shoes for a glimpse into her world under the lights, with a camera crew turning the desert trails for guided Phoenix hiking tours & Phoenix mountain bike tours into a sort of movie set with me starring in a production all about my life.

Phoenix adventure tours guide all revved up

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is fast approaching the 40th anniversary of the classic movie’s 1986 release. While I work hard – and juggle a lot of side gigs with the same fervor – I identify with the iconic film for a couple of reasons. For starters, I am a Midwestern native, growing up a short car ride away from Chicago and its suburbs, the setting for the high school hookie adventure. And like the main character, I believe in playing hard, too – sharing in Ferris’ motto that, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Which brings me to one of my latest thrill-rides …