Arizona Road Trip (Part 11)

Day 7: The Final Vacation Day Our first stop when we got back to the city was the Phoenix Mountain Preserve! We had a few hours before the hotel would let us check in so what better way to waste some time than to take another hike. The shoes we had packed for hiking for

Arizona Road Trip (Part 10)

Day 6: Last Day in Tuscan/Marana Area After hiking at Saguaro we headed back to the Days Inn & Suites to see if the pool felt warm enough to swim with the warmer weather… sadly, it was not even close to a comfortable temperature. The hot tub was frequented and toys were played with outside

Arizona Road Trip (Part 9)

Day 6: Saguaro National Park Saguaro National Park was unexpectedly refreshing in my opinion. It’s such a unique environment compared to what I am used to. We took some time to view the visitors center before heading out to find a trailhead. The visitors center has quite a few fun souvenirs such as stuffed animals,

Arizona Road Trip (Part 8)

Day 5: Heading to Tuscan We went through Flagstaff on the way back from Grand Canyon National Park toward Tuscan stopping for lunch at a diner called Downtown Diner. I excitedly ordered the Country Fried Steak; one of my all-time favorite breakfast meals. I wasn’t impressed with my meal as it was a bit flavorless,

Arizona Road Trip (Part 7: Photographs)

Day 5: Leaving the Grand Canyon In the morning on day five of our vacation we took a bit more time to appreciate the spectacular views the Grand Canyon offers. It was a little brisk, but not bad. The best part about getting up early allowed us to be some of the only people at

Arizona Road Trip (Part 6)

Day 4: Arriving at the Grand Canyon The enjoyment factor I get out of seeing my children’s beautiful brown eyes light up as they experience something for the first time is unparalleled. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon before so being able to set aside some of my awe and wonderment to truly take in

Arizona Road Trip (Part 5)

Day 3: Fun in Flagstaff After our afternoon in Sedona we headed to Flagstaff for the night checking into the Ramada by Wyndham Flagstaff East. We were extremely and pleasantly surprised by the size of this room. It had two balconies, two queen beds, a futon, and a king size bed. The bathroom was a

Arizona: Road Trip (Part 4)

Day 3: Time at Tempe Beach Park and site seeing in Sedona Our third day on vacation we headed out to explore more of what Arizona has to offer. Knowing we would want full bellies we parked at Tempe Beach Park for a nice outdoor spot to have our simple PB & J lunches. It

Arizona: Starting with Phoenix (Part 3)

The afternoon of Day 2: South Mountain Park and Preserve and Paradise Valley Burger Co Following our time at Papago Park and a nice, restful, lunch at the hotel we headed back for more outdoor action. This was our only full day in Phoenix and we wanted to make good use of it. After some

Arizona: Starting with Phoenix (Part 2)

Day 2: Papago Park: Checking out Hole in the Rock and surrounding areas… We decided to spend the second day exploring as much as we could while we were still in Phoenix area. Our first stop was Papago Park. Hole in the Rock is a very popular free tourist attraction. Apparently quite a few other