Remembering Arizona

This summer the stars have aligned in such a way that we have not been able to take a vacation. It's just been one of those years. We have a few things in the works for later 2022 and 2023. But, this summer has basically been a bust. However, in celebration of summer vacations and travel of all kinds, I thought I would tell you about one of our favorite vacation trips from years past. For decades we did the same thing every summer. We visited our families out-of-state. We were extremely fortunate to have family with property on the coast in Florida & South Carolina. So, family visits were wonderful get-togethers with beach and pool activities. We rarely went on vacation. Instead, we visited our families. That’s what we did while the kids were growing up. For years. It was wonderful, but it was always predictable.

When our kids became older, we were itching to branch out and do something different, go somewhere we had never been before. Several ideas were tossed about, but a quick Google search for airline prices and accommodations quickly shut down those suggestions. Too pricey. Undeterred, I sat at my computer and literally searched for "cheapest place I can fly in July." Thus, the plan for the trip to Arizona was hatched. You see, summer temperatures could be brutal in Phoenix, Arizona, so airfares were exceptionally cheap. Temperatures could reach the 100’s(F), which would be miserable. My thoughts? Miserable? Shmiserable. We’re from the South, where it’s really hot.  We can handle it! So, I booked 6 round trip airline tickets to Phoenix, Arizona, and I set out to plan the vaca.

There are two schools of thought when planning a vacation—1) Stay in one place & immerse yourself in the culture, explore everything there is to see, and, basically, settle in. 2) Explore the surrounding areas, pick up to relocate, and branch out to hit many highlights in that part of the country. I went with option #2. I figured that while we're all the way over there in Arizona, we should explore all that we could see. I mean, who knew if we would make it back there again? What all could we do without pushing too hard? The problem with this approach is that you find yourself moving around a lot to hit several different locations. But, the beauty of this approach is that you get to see a larger variety of places. Taking into account all of the interests, stamina, and personalities of our 6 family members, I crafted a vacation for the books, one that everyone unanimously votes as one of the top family trips we have ever taken. Let me get out the slide projector to show you my vacation pictures, lol.

After arriving in Phoenix, we rented a car and immediately headed north to Sedona. Ahhhh, Sedona. Breathtakingly beautiful. Astoundingly serene. Magnificent. I would go back in a heartbeat. Absolutely loved it. We explored the Red Rocks State Park via rugged jeep tour and by hiking trails that we discovered. After a particularly challenging hike through the rocky terrain, we arrived at a lookout point, thinking we had blazed a trail and charted a unique course into the rocks, but we were soon greeted by a vanload of tourists who took a more cushy route in an air-conditioned vehicle. Didn’t matter that we weren’t the only people on this magnificent overlook, though, because the views were so spectacular. Just stunning. Later, we made a tranquil visit to the Amitabha Spiritual Stupa and Peace Park, which was a very moving experience.

After a few days, we reluctantly left Sedona and headed to the Grand Canyon. That hole in the ground is something to see. While I had been there when I was a child, I appreciated it much more this time around. The views and the colors were ever-changing, depending on the time of day. We took off on one hike down into the canyon. The plan was not to reach the bottom, but to go as far as we felt comfortable, and then turn around and hike out.  Some of us were not in ideal physical shape for the brutal heat. Some of us, meaning me. I fell out. I got lightheaded and succumbed to the heat—Go on.....leave me behind….save yourselves! My family did not abandon me, they rallied around and nursed me back to heath to help me navigate out of the canyon and to the nearest shade tree. Thank you, family, for having my back! The Grand Canyon leg of the trip was definitely the most challenging, because we spent the night in a room in the National Park that was the single HOTTEST place we had ever slept. Sweltering heat. Like a sauna. We were sweating up a storm.

Next, we drove north to Page, Arizona, on the Utah state line. Here, we enjoyed a stunning sunset at Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. We also explored Lower Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon of epic beauty. Dangerous heat had threatened to cancel those plans, but our tour was rescheduled to 6:00am, before the heat set in. As our guide led us through the twists and turns of the Canyon, I snapped a gazillion pictures, and I dispute the claim that I pushed everyone else out of the way to get the best vantage point. I would never do that. Never. In Page, rejecting the touristy lodgings, we stayed at the coziest, quaintest, retro hideaway on The Street of Little Motels.

Here we are hiking through the slot canyon, and exiting from the hole. And, here is our lovely old-timey motel.

On our final vacation day, we visited Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. In researching the lake, I was repeatedly advised to book a 2-hour boat tour to see the beautiful lake surrounded by canyon walls and sandstone rocks. My aversion to ‘tours’ kicked in, and I researched deeper.

Ultimately, we decided to rent a speed boat on our own and navigate the lake untethered by guides. I have never been happier with a decision. We frolicked in the crystal clear waters, explored deep narrow fingers of the lake, and followed our instincts as we charted our own course for the day. It was the best day we have ever spent on a lake. When the 2-hour tour bus passed by our boat, we saw the fully clothed tourists standing on the deck looking out upon the lake. We overheard a few wistful “that looks like fun!” comments as we jumped and splashed and played in the water by our boat with our blowup alligator raft we named Edna. We were SO thankful that we were making our own fun instead of watching someone else have all the fun. We didn’t want the day to end!

As our trip wound down, we were ready to head back to Phoenix to catch our flight back to Atlanta. My family really are good sports, because, on our way to the airport, they let me detour 1.5 hours out of the way so I could be Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona, celebrating The Eagles. It was a great pitstop, where we had a blast on the famous Route 66.

I can’t tell you how much we loved our trip to Arizona those few years ago. I really enjoy exploring new places. I enjoy researching and looking past the standard tourism stops to find other interesting things to do, too.  When I identify a travel destination, I scour the internet to find all the nuggets of wisdom from previous travelers. I want to find out what the guidebooks say and, also, what the people say. I’m partial to finding off-the-beaten-path gems that don’t come up in the top ten lists. I like to mix up expected adventures with unexpected adventures. The day may come where I tire of packing up and moving around, but for now, I’d rather hit as many sights as I can when I am far away from home. I’m a big proponent of “What else can we do while we’re there?”

What about you? How do you like to travel? Any fun trips that I should know about? I’m always looking for new destinations to add to my bucket list!