La Bocca is more-or-less on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona. It's surrounded by a few chain restaurants, campus gear stores, a head shop, a variety of shops and is under offices for the university. La Bocca opened about a year and a half ago in a space that has apparently seen a few restaurants come and go.

Inside is upscale without being too fancy for the college students that surround the area. This said however, one in my party overheard someone walking by saying "this is where my parents took me..."

My party and I sat outside for lunch and I ordered a Pizza Margherita. In short time it arrived on a peel and looked like it was tossed by a life-long pro. The contrary is true, however: owner and restauranteur Julian Wright, who also owned and sold a couple successful nearby restaurants has no history with pizza. He must be a quick study.

The crust was nicely charred on the edges and crispy while maintaining a hearty chewiness. The cheese, sauce and basil were balanced and tasted fresh. It was a bit drier than most I've had of this style but I have no complaints. The pizza overall looked beautiful and vibrant. Light and refreshing.

Service at La Bocca was spot on and well-timed. It's a nice gem in Tempe. Those who I was with frequent La Bocca. I'll probably go back for dinner next time with wine.

La Bocca
699 S Mill Ave
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-967-5244

The latest addition to my coffee table is The Best In Tent Camping: Arizona. Regular readers of this site may think this a strange purchase for me but I'm friends with one of the two authors, Kirstin Olmon. Her and her partner Kelly Phillips got what I'd consider a dream (but unfortunately temporary) job: travel around, camp, and write about it. Being I've camped and gone on numerous hiking trips with Kristin before I certainly trust her judgement -- I pre-ordered the book the moment I heard it was available.

The Best In Tent Camping: Arizona is a beautifully put together book with clear campground maps, a detailed rating system and most importantly, personal snippets of their travels and detailed descriptions of the grounds and surrounding areas. Pertinent history and description of the foliage and environment flesh out each entry. Each site gets about three pages of material and there's fifty campgrounds covered.

Here's how detailed it gets: a short excerpt from their notes on the Los Burros Campground in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest:

The three large, open sites closet to the fence best accommodate campers with horses, and two small corrals stand between sites 11 and 12. These sites have great views, if little shade. Spacious site 10 is marked for a host, but Los Burros is not currently hosted. The road forms a rough loop, with sites 8 and 9 and the trailhead at the end. Inside the loop, sites 4 and 7 are a bit overgrown but also have a view, and a nice oak partially shades site 4. The rest of the sites lie inside the tree line and are well shaded. Sites 5 and 6 have sizable tent areas, and site 2 is set back from the rest with some undergrowth for privacy. All have steel fire rings with flip-up grills and metal picnic tables, and there's a vault toilet between site 6 and the trailhead. Parking is at the sites, but trailhead parking on a busy day may encroach on site 8.

From the Tuweep/Toroweap Campground in Grand Canyon National Park:

There is nothing like entering Grand Canyon National Park at the South or North Rim. There's no entrance station, and (you may be pleasantly surprised to learn) no $25 fee. You can stop at the tiny Tuweep Ranger Station to pick up hiking information or an area brochure, but if you require backcountry permits, it's best to get them in advance. The ranger who lives here year-round also has patrol duties and may not be available. The campground is only 5.4 miles past the station, but it's the most difficult stretch of road. Here the slickrock is exposed, and large, sometimes sharp, rocks are waiting to eat your tires. Once you turn left into the campground, hop out and check your vehicle, celebrate your achievement, and check for loose bolts!

Well detailed for a camping guide and at times edges upon reading like a travelogue. It's all over the state: from the KP Cienega campground off El Camino del Diablo in the San Francisco Mountains to the Alamo Canyon Primitive Campground near the Mexican border through the Grand Canyon to spots within a overnight-trip range of Phoenix and Flagstaff, The Best In Tent Camping: Arizona is two thumbs up from me.

Now I need to book my next trip back to Arizona.