The Haboob Made Me Do It

When the mighty haboob of 2011 took over Metropolitan Phoenix last week, the only logical thing for my roommate and I to do was to situate ourselves on the front patio (white wine in hand), and sit back and enjoy the show. Haboob neophyte as I might be, this was quite the show. A shot of the haboob onset from our front patio for your viewing pleasure:

After the haboob rolled out of town (the fifty mile- wide monster that it was), the only logical thing to do, was head to the car wash. Except all of Arizona seemed to have the same idea, and I'm not one for waiting in line in 115 degree weather for something that's not life threatening.

And, I remembered I had this mountain of quarters from an office lunch run (seriously people - who gives you SIX dollars in quarters for a sandwich. Whatever), which led me to entertaining an idea I never thought I'd consider. Maybe I was feeling a little deranged on this particular day, but for whatever reason, I began to turn over the idea of the self service car wash on my block. Allow me to set the scene before I get the haters and nay-sayers. This is the self service gas station from hell. Somehow, despite residing in one of the sunniest and most dry climates in the county, it's dark, damp and sinister-like. It's on the corner of homeless and homelesser, adjacent to a foot trafficked taco stand called "El Norteno" (which I will admit, I have patronized a time before), and butts up against a narrow alley which is a gang graffiti hot spot. It's so old and run-down, I don't even think it has a name. Keep in mind this is on my block, but that's just how downtown Phoenix is. I like to call it "urban."

I needed some assurance.

"Do you think I'd be safe taking Sam through the car wash on the corner?" I asked my roommate who was starting to become one with the couch.

"Yeah, just expect a few homeless men to approach you, and if they do, spray them with the squirter. It has high pressure," he barked.

"Do you think there're rats in there?" I asked.

Without skipping a beat, "No...but probably cockroaches. Make sure you spray off the car first with water, then scrub with the brush 'cause that dust isn't gonna come off with just the sprayer..."

"Oh ok..." I was wavering. Could I really do this and survive? I laced up my running shoes, snatched the pile of quarters, and headed out the front door before I could convince myself otherwise. Creeping through the alley, I made a left at the corner and shot into one of the dark slots. Swinging my legs out, I screamed as I nearly stepped on a black wet glove. Gross. Timidly, I carried my quarters to the machine and $1.25 later, I was up and running. $3.25 and 7 minutes later, I was pulling out with a sparkling clean Sam and an accomplished feeling that I may had just uncovered a hidden gem.

Mighty Haboob - you may have instilled in me a love for self service car washes. We'll see...