Arizona Trip - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

On Thursday night (after I posted the other blog), dad and I took our sunset tour through the canyon. Our first glance at the canyon was really breathtaking. I could not get over the sheer size of it and the many layers to the landscape. It seems like something I need to conquer, but not on this trip. 

Our tour included a lot of fun stops along the way, including some with the wildlife and many different points of interest. At one point, a storm came in, so that gave us a different perspective on the canyon. The storm was so close that lightning struck within a half of a mile from us. That scared the crap out of me!

The sunset was gorgeous, although I don't think the pictures do it justice.

After the tour, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. On Friday, we headed back through the canyon to take more pictures and stopped at several Navajo stands to buy some art. I love buying local art instead of going to a gift shop. You also save a lot of money and it goes directly to the artist. The drive was really beautiful. Then, we headed down to Flagstaff. We relaxed around the hotel and I did some research. 

On Saturday morning, we woke up and headed down to Tucson to visit my cousin Gary and his family. His house was gorgeous. He owns a landscaping business, so you can imagine his yard is the best in the area. 

My cousin's pool

front of the house

Dad and I in the back

mountains behind the house

On Saturday night, we went miniature golfing and relaxed at the hotel. It was a fun game of competition, but I got the highest score out of all of us, which means I lost. We enjoyed ourselves and even saw some fireworks on the way back to the hotel. On Sunday, we got up and rode a tram to the top of Sabino Canyon and then hiked part of the way back down. Although the canyon was beautiful, it was really, really dry. Apparently the canyon is much more beautiful in the spring with all of the water, but it was still breathtaking.

Gary and I

On Sunday night we went out to dinner and headed to Gary's house to chat a little more before saying our goodbyes. We talked about Africa and dad was able to look at his genealogy. Tonight we are back at the hotel and preparing to head back to Phoenix tomorrow to catch our flight super early on Tuesday morning. We have had a wonderful trip talking with family, seeing the Grand Canyon, and relaxing. All of the important things on a vacation!

Arizona Trip - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

I had such good intentions to blog while I was in Uganda, but I only took my Ipad and my access to wifi was limited. I did post my pics and will probably post more as I reflect on the trip. I only had about four days at home before we left for Arizona. My dad and I started planning this trip to Arizona back in March/April. We have family in Phoenix and Tuscan and I was interested in seeing the Grand Canyon. When I have vacation time, I almost always travel out of the country, so I thought it was important to see some of my own country this summer. Everybody in the family was busy, so dad and I decided to go to Arizona together. Dad’s sister, my aunt Anna Pearl, is buried in Phoenix, so we knew we wanted to see her grave too and visit with her children.

So, we flew out very early on Tuesday morning and joined up with my cousin Patty on that afternoon. The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Phoenix early and picked up our rental car.  I was impressed with the airport facilities because of the signage and ease of services. There was a huge rental car center where we picked up our car and headed to Moon Valley to meet up with my cousin. The drive was easy and Patty gave us perfect directions. We arrived at her beautiful house and she made breakfast for us. We visited, swam, and tried to catch up on our sleep. Patty is a flight attendance for Alaska Airlines, so we learned a lot about her job and trips. It is my first time meeting her, so it was fun to catch up. She has a beautiful home with impeccable decorations. On Tuesday night we went out to dinner because dad wanted a steak and we were all hungry. I had a delicious homemade chicken pot pie and Caesar salad. It was divine. Then, we went back home and crashed.

 

Patty's House

Patty's House

On Wednesday we got up and visited the greater Phoenix area with Patty as our tour guide. We went to old town Scottsdale and another desert area that I can’t remember the name. Everything was touristy, but it was cool to see some of the souvenirs that they have to offer. After touring around, we came back to the house and relaxed by the pool. I love mixing seeing the sites with a little relaxation and spending time with family. It is the best of both worlds for me.

This morning, we got up and drove to our next point near the Grand Canyon. The view on the drive is amazing as you traverse up and down mountains.We have booked a tour of the canyon for tonight, so we are looking forward to seeing it as the sun goes down.