“The trip across Arizona is just one oasis after another. I like Arizona.” -Will Rogers
With two cameras (and a flash-happy husband) and seven days in Arizona, we captured over 2200 photos. 14 gigabytes worth. And we even had 3 gigabytes to spare.
Surely you don’t want to see them all, so I’ve posted the best on Flickr.
Our itinerary looked something like this:
- Saturday: fly to Phoenix, pick up rental car, lunch with the Rodriguez’s, exchange rental car, drive to Tucson, see where Rob grew up, dinner at Pinnacle Peak, stay at Starr Pass Golf Suites
- Sunday: Mission San Xavier del Bac, Old Tucson Studios, lunch with Rob’s friend Sam, Gate’s Pass scenic drive, walk through El Presidio, dinner at “not-so-authentic” On The Border
- Monday: hike Sabino Canyon, drive to Sedona, dust storm, rain storm, arrive at Montezuma Castle after it closed, dinner at Red Planet Diner, stay at Sky Ranch Lodge
- Tuesday: climb Bell Rock, lunch at “more authentic” Angel’s Mexican Restaurant, climb Cathedral Rock, back to Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Wall, our sunset adventure at Airport Loop Trail, dinner at Olde Sedona Bar and Grille
- Wednesday: drive through Oak Creek Canyon, Slide Rock State Park, drive to Grand Canyon, lunch at Cruisers Café 66, Rim Trail, dinner at Yavapai Canyon Café, stay at Bright Angel Lodge Cabins
- Thursday: hike to Plateau Point, via Bright Angel Trail, dinner at The Arizona Room
- Friday: exit park through East Entrance, late lunch at Cameron Trading Post, stop at Home Depot in Flagstaff, drive to Phoenix, dinner with Adam at Gordon Biersch, and stay at Hyatt Regency Phoenix
- Saturday: quick breakfast at McDonalds, drop off rental car, fly home to Atlanta
I relied heavily on member reviews from TripAdvisor to plan this vacation, from itinerary schedules to hotels, tourist attractions to restaurants. If you want to know more about these locations, check out my own TripAdvisor reviews of the things we did and the places we went. (There should be 25 of them, although some are currently awaiting approval!)
"No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one."
-Elbert Hubbard
We’ve been back in the Eastern time zone for 4 days now. But this morning, reality hit hard as the alarm went off at 7:00 to get ready for work.
We had a wonderful trip. 2200 photos, 1200 miles, over 20 miles of hiking, 7 days, 4 cities. Later this week, I hope to have stories to tell and photos to show. But I’ve got to sort, organize, rename, and make some sense of them first.
Here’s one to whet your appetite.
“A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking.”
-Earl Wilson
Just think, it seems like yesterday, I was just dreaming of a trip to Arizona. Now just two hours separate me from my vacation, and I’ll arrive in Phoenix in just a mere 22 hours.
The itineraries have been printed. The hotel reservations have been confirmed. The last minute items have been bought. The weather forecast has been checked. The bills have been paid. The cash has been withdrawn. The suitcases are packed. The camera batteries have been charged. And the fish has been dropped off with the fish-sitter.
See you next week!
“A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise. Because that is how life is-full of surprises.”
-Isaac Bashevis Singer
Yesterday I called my mom on the way phone from work. I was going home to an empty house, where I wouldn’t have anyone to talk to all night long. So I wanted to squeeze in as much human contact as possible. I also ran to Target to pick up last minute supplies for our trip—one and a half days!! I was taking my time browsing, knowing that I had the whole night ahead of me.
When I got home, I grumbled that there was no mail—that I had walked to the mailbox for nothing. As I walked through the living room, I realized that Rob’s khakis were laid out in the middle of the floor—I don’t think I left them there.
Then there was his suitcase. He was home! He surprised me and came home early!! [He had even hidden his car so I wouldn’t see it when I pulled into the parking lot.] Apparently he had already attended this particular training session, and it took him until Wednesday morning to realize it.
We met back at our apartment to review the results and declare a winner. Even with all of the girls’ points that the boys threatened to disqualify (they were a bit too literal in their judging!), the girls still came out ahead!!
