A city with an odd mix of tropical palm trees and desert surroundings. We knew going into Phoenix that this is a very large city but we didn’t imagine things being quite as spread out as they were. The land of 70* weather and pools was upon us.
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In the greater Phoenix area there are so many museums, zoos and other adventures to choose from. Since that could get really pricey, we decided to just pick one. A perk to choosing this wildlife park was that I got in for free since it was by birthday month! How nice! This lowered the cost significantly and made us feel better about choosing this adventure over others. We had a great time at this park, with a 17-foot Python that we could pet being the highlight!
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How in the world were we going to pull off a Thanksgiving dinner out in the middle of nowhere (boondocking outside of Sedona) with no hook-ups and no friends or extended family to spend it with? Well, lucky for us we have the sun for power, great internet for Skyping and love from friends and family that travels wherever we go. It’s like the book says, “Wherever you are my love will find you ” (If you’ve never read that book, you should! If you’re anything like me, you’ll cry your eyes out).
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As a last minute decision, based on advice from folks we talked to, we decided to spend a few days in the Sedona area on our way from Flagstaff to Phoenix. We’re glad we did, and we’re adding Sedona to our list of places-to-come-back-to! We explored the touristy shops downtown and found a great boon docking spot just outside the city.
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On our honeymoon trip we had visited the Grand Canyon North Rim. Since we weren’t hiking down into the canyon, we had just walked along the rim a bit and checked out some viewpoints. It was pretty, but far from our favorite of parks based on that experience alone. This time, at the South Rim, we decided to hike down into the canyon (not all the way, but a little bit!). It was a whole different experience, and left us wanting to come back and hike down farther!
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Back in Portland we have a tradition of taking the girls on a Christmas steam engine ride each year. Since we’re traveling, we wanted to do something else special for Christmas. We had considered doing a Polar Express train ride, but then we found the North Pole Experience event in Flagstaff.
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A likable city! Hurray! We had originally reserved 3 nights at the KOA here, but ended up extending to 5 days as there was much more we wanted to explore in the city.
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Although the landscape was not as picturesque as many National Parks, it was fascinating seeing and touching the petrified wood that was over 200 million years old! We felt that a half day in the park was all we needed, but we’re glad we made the detour.
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Exploring the ancient Aztec Ruins of the ancestral Pueblo people was so interesting. Ir really put how our life now is into perspective. Lucky for the girls, the doors of the ruins were just their size making exploring that much more fun.
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At Canyonlands we had a little preview of the kind of structures that the Ancestral Pueblo people built to store their food, but at Hovenweep we had the opportunity to see many different Pueblo houses and structures. The skill of these ancient builders was apparent in their handiwork, and being in the presence of their ruins made us ponder what life must have been like for the people that lived here 800 years ago.
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