It was Nathan's first plane ride, and the first time I've flown with my family. We departed Charlotte in the early afternoon, and Nathan's face was a mixture of excitement, and maybe a touch of anxiety, as the front landing gear gently pulled upward and the objects through the window became a passing blur. I knew the feeling because it all brought back my first flight from Atlanta to Utah at age 16. I know we've had a hundred years of flight, but there still seems to be something slightly unnatural about the whole thing. Nathan's nervousness quickly shifted to awe as he watched the Appalachian hillsides grow distant to resemble familiar scenes from Google Earth. Our first layover was in Dallas, and it surprised me at how quickly we arrived. We had dinner at TGIF in the terminal, and browsed the shops until time for our connection to Phoenix.
When we arrived, I looked down to note that my watch was now three hours off. We had just made a mad dash to catch the racing sunset, and had apparently just missed it. We were met at the airport by Bobbi's Dad, Bill, whom we all call Papa, and his wife, Nita. Then it was off to their home in Sun City just North of town. The ruggedly beautiful scenery of Phoenix and surrounding area would have to wait for the light of day the next morning.
We awoke early the next morning, or at least early for those living in Phoenix. The first thing I noticed was the back patio and yard. There was no grass to be seen, and the trees were well manicured orange trees. I sat out on the patio and had morning coffee, while we marveled at the hummingbirds, jack rabbits, cacti and rocks that defined the landscape. Bobbi, Nathan, Kristin and Papa joined me, map in hand, and proceeded to plan out our excursions for the next few days. Nathan entertained one and all with his ventriloquist dummy, Danny O'Day, and the rest of the day was pretty restful with only a brief trip to the local mall on the schedule.
Grand Canyon Day: The next morning we awoke and got our bags ready for an overnighter. When we left town the first thing I noticed were the mountains and giant suguaro cacti. Not yet out of town, and a coyote crossed the highway in front of us. I must confess that at 44 years old, not a whole lot of things make me feel the excitement I felt over adventures when I was a young, but this sensory bombardment was bringing back the magic. I was a kid again, and I will treasure that. Surprise was the order of the day; I had no idea what to expect.
I'd always thought of Arizona as the place where Wile E. Coyote chased the roadrunner against a repeating backdrop of orange and red mesas, but that naive misconception was about to change. We started our ascent just a few miles out of town, and before we knew it, we were at 3000 feet and climbing. Our ears were popping, and the suguaro were no longer to be seen. In less than an hour we'd gone from rocks and cactus to trees and grassland. The mountains were impressive, rocky and imposing, and not just for a few miles, but for the entire trip. 
We continued to climb until suddenly there was a break in the mountains revealing an overlook into a valley. I could see for miles and the view was breathtaking. We drove further until I saw a brown National Monument sign for the Montezuma Castle. This site features the remains and ruins of the cliff dwelling Sinagua (Si-nah-wah) indians. They carved these homes into the high cliffs above, and came down to farm the lower lands each day. No one knows where they came from or where they went, but they disappeared about 700 years ago. 
These ruins were at least that old, and they were amazing. I stood there just gazing at this would be cover of a National Geographic in awe and great admiration for this lost people. I bought Papa the senior discount card for $10, and it turned out to be the best investment I could've possibly made. It got us into every National Park and monument at no extra charge! We saved $10 bucks right away and another $25 later that day. We were all impressed with the unplanned stop, and the historic and scenic treasure we'd just witnessed. 
From there we took a road west off of Hwy 17N towards Sedona. Everyone had told us to visit, but we really didn't know why. Honestly, I wanted to go because my favorite guitarist, Doyle Dykes, thought so much of the place that he named his signature amp, Sedona. Hey, if Doyle thought that much of it, well, let's just say I was sold sight unseen. We drove for a piece and then we rounded the curve. Wow. 
The first landmark we saw was of the Bell Rock framed on each side by these incredible red rock monuments. To say they're amazing is an understatement. I'd seen them in westerns, but now I was there looking up at them. The mountains just came one after another. We could see the layers of strata, the red clay looking almost like chocolate at times, towering above us in all directions. We found a great place to have lunch and just take in the scenery through the large picture window. 
From Sedona, we drove into Oak Creek Canyon and high up into the mountains. We stopped at an overlook near the top, and saw a tarantula as soon as we got out of the car. Papa, in an effort to get it to move tossed a stick at it. I felt the need to protect it, which might seem a bit odd beings I'm an exterminator and all. Some local Indians had craft tables set up at the overlook. There was some controlled burning going on in the canyon below, so it made for an interesting view. 
Once out of Oak Creek Canyon, we made the remaining trip to the Grand Canyon without delay in order to see it before sunset. We saw signs for elk and mountain lions, and I was surprised at the drive through a forest not unlike the mountains of Tennessee. We arrived at the visitor center, but still couldn't see the canyon. The temperature was probably 20 degrees cooler, and none of us were really dressed for it. We walked down to the nearest overlook, and words really don't do it justice. I was a bit overwhelmed. I couldn't really wrap my head around what I was seeing. It was like looking at a giant painting, or at least that's the best way I can describe. We took the bus and rode over to another point to watch the sunset, and it was beautiful. We drove back to Flagstaff for the night, and tried to process all we'd seen and done.
.
I'd always thought of Arizona as the place where Wile E. Coyote chased the roadrunner against a repeating backdrop of orange and red mesas, but that naive misconception was about to change. We started our ascent just a few miles out of town, and before we knew it, we were at 3000 feet and climbing. Our ears were popping, and the suguaro were no longer to be seen. In less than an hour we'd gone from rocks and cactus to trees and grassland. The mountains were impressive, rocky and imposing, and not just for a few miles, but for the entire trip. 
We continued to climb until suddenly there was a break in the mountains revealing an overlook into a valley. I could see for miles and the view was breathtaking. We drove further until I saw a brown National Monument sign for the Montezuma Castle. This site features the remains and ruins of the cliff dwelling Sinagua (Si-nah-wah) indians. They carved these homes into the high cliffs above, and came down to farm the lower lands each day. No one knows where they came from or where they went, but they disappeared about 700 years ago. 
These ruins were at least that old, and they were amazing. I stood there just gazing at this would be cover of a National Geographic in awe and great admiration for this lost people. I bought Papa the senior discount card for $10, and it turned out to be the best investment I could've possibly made. It got us into every National Park and monument at no extra charge! We saved $10 bucks right away and another $25 later that day. We were all impressed with the unplanned stop, and the historic and scenic treasure we'd just witnessed. 
From there we took a road west off of Hwy 17N towards Sedona. Everyone had told us to visit, but we really didn't know why. Honestly, I wanted to go because my favorite guitarist, Doyle Dykes, thought so much of the place that he named his signature amp, Sedona. Hey, if Doyle thought that much of it, well, let's just say I was sold sight unseen. We drove for a piece and then we rounded the curve. Wow. 
The first landmark we saw was of the Bell Rock framed on each side by these incredible red rock monuments. To say they're amazing is an understatement. I'd seen them in westerns, but now I was there looking up at them. The mountains just came one after another. We could see the layers of strata, the red clay looking almost like chocolate at times, towering above us in all directions. We found a great place to have lunch and just take in the scenery through the large picture window. 
From Sedona, we drove into Oak Creek Canyon and high up into the mountains. We stopped at an overlook near the top, and saw a tarantula as soon as we got out of the car. Papa, in an effort to get it to move tossed a stick at it. I felt the need to protect it, which might seem a bit odd beings I'm an exterminator and all. Some local Indians had craft tables set up at the overlook. There was some controlled burning going on in the canyon below, so it made for an interesting view. 
Once out of Oak Creek Canyon, we made the remaining trip to the Grand Canyon without delay in order to see it before sunset. We saw signs for elk and mountain lions, and I was surprised at the drive through a forest not unlike the mountains of Tennessee. We arrived at the visitor center, but still couldn't see the canyon. The temperature was probably 20 degrees cooler, and none of us were really dressed for it. We walked down to the nearest overlook, and words really don't do it justice. I was a bit overwhelmed. I couldn't really wrap my head around what I was seeing. It was like looking at a giant painting, or at least that's the best way I can describe. We took the bus and rode over to another point to watch the sunset, and it was beautiful. We drove back to Flagstaff for the night, and tried to process all we'd seen and done..
I could live in Flagstaff. The next morning we left the Super 8 and headed for a site called the Sunset Crater Volcano. But even before we got out of town, I was amazed to see the San Francisco Peaks in the hovering distance. They were rugged near the bottom, yellow with Fall aspen up the sides and capped with snow and clouds. They rise over 12,000 feet. Could we really still be in Arizona? We found our loop to Sunset Crater and had to stop just to take more pictures of the peaks.
Down the road the landscape took on a radical change as I recognized and old lava field from an eruption hundreds of years ago. The ground turned black with ash as we came to the base of this young volcano. I hadn't seen anything like this since climbing the slopes of Mt Etna in Sicily about 9 years ago, and those lava flows were only a year old at the time. From there we followed the loop to the Wupatki National Monument. This was another Sinaguan site, and it's amazing how it's resisted the passage of time so well. 
There are no houses closing in, and the only scenery from the site is the surrounding red hills and distant Painted Desert. We spent nearly two hours wandering the site and exploring the details before completing the loop at the Walnut Canyon National Monument. Walnut Canyon also featured some spetacular Sinaguan indian cliff dwelling sites, but you really have to want to see them to get to them. 
Nathan and I was up for the adventure, so we hiked about a half mile down into the canyon. Along the way, there were more than a few sheer cliff drops and some fantastic ruins. Nathan and I was huffing and puffing on our way back up, but it was truly worth the trek into the canyon. From there, we were off to our final adventure of the day.
Apparently billions, and billions of years ago... but seriously, more like thousands of years ago, a giant meteorite slammed into the desert near Winslow, and rocked the western world. 
It left a crater nearly 1 mile in diameter, and it is the best preserved meteorite crater on planet Earth. Impressed yet? Bobbi, Nathan and I took a hike out on the rim and received a detailed presentation by Eduardo on the geology, vegetation and recent history of the crater. Eduardo is latino if you didn't gather by the name, so now everyone can just rest easy knowing that if one is latino AND legal, then he is welcome to have one of the coolest jobs in all of Arizona. 
Providing, of course, he's as good a guide as Eduardo. Anyway, I had always wanted to go see this lesser known giant hole in the ground in Arizona ever since I saw Star Man starring Jeff Bridges back in the '80s. It was well worth the extra 80 miles to see it. The rest of the evening was spent driving back through Flagstaff, down the mountains and back to Phoenix. The sunset on our way back down was unforgettable.
It left a crater nearly 1 mile in diameter, and it is the best preserved meteorite crater on planet Earth. Impressed yet? Bobbi, Nathan and I took a hike out on the rim and received a detailed presentation by Eduardo on the geology, vegetation and recent history of the crater. Eduardo is latino if you didn't gather by the name, so now everyone can just rest easy knowing that if one is latino AND legal, then he is welcome to have one of the coolest jobs in all of Arizona. 
Providing, of course, he's as good a guide as Eduardo. Anyway, I had always wanted to go see this lesser known giant hole in the ground in Arizona ever since I saw Star Man starring Jeff Bridges back in the '80s. It was well worth the extra 80 miles to see it. The rest of the evening was spent driving back through Flagstaff, down the mountains and back to Phoenix. The sunset on our way back down was unforgettable.
Wednesday was uneventful apart from a couple of rounds of putt-putt courtesy of Papa. Nathan had never played putt-putt before, so it was a real treat letting him learn from his Papa. It was very relaxing, but then we did need the rest after that exciting two-day adventure. Thursday, we drove down to Tucson to visit Papa's sister, Pat, and catch in some local Tucson sites. Pat is an absolute joy. Because she lives so far away and is about 78 years old, I had never met her in all of my 25 years of marriage to Bobbi. That is a shame. Her grandkids call her "Grandma Giggles," and it's obvious to anyone who meets her just why she deserves such a lovely nickname. 
We were all just taken with her pleasant sense of humor and amused at how she made a 12 mile drive feel like 40. The desert landscape and mountains were so lovely, that we didn't mind the slow drive at all. She drove us out to Colossal Cave where we took the cavern tour. I think it's fair to say that calling this cave "colossal" might be overselling it just a tad. Spelunking was another first for Nathan, but the cave smelled like an old tennis shoe, and almost all of the formations were broken off. Still, the Sonoran Desert just right outside made the trip worthwhile. We drove past the Rincon and Catalina mountain ranges, and saw one of the most remarkable sunsets of my life! You'll have to read to the end to see a photo of it, but just know that pictures really don't even come close to capturing the fire in the sky we experienced that evening.
We rested up again on Friday before venturing back up the mountains towards Sedona again on Saturday morning. On the way we toured another Sinaguan site called Tuzigoot National Monument. It was incredible, but by now we were expecting incredible. It was nice that it didn't disappoint. We posed for pictures and walked the ruins before heading back to Sedona. We did a little shopping in town and ate at a Cowboy themed restaurant for lunch.
The town was dotted with painters taking part in a Plein Aire event. Once I'd found a gift for my Mom and the Navaho pottery that I had pictured in my head, we headed back toward 17N again. Our last stop of the day was the Montezuma Well. You guessed it; a Sinaguan cliff dwelling (or as Kristin calls it, "cwiff dwelling") site that sits high above a collapsed cavern filled in with mineral water from below. Nathan and I ran ahead to scout out the site out, while Kristin and Bobbi, probably all Sinaguan-ed out by now, took a more leisurely approach.
The next morning came early. We had to be at the airport by 4:30am for our Phoenix to Detroit flight. We finally got back to Charlotte later in the afternoon after losing those 3 hours from Phoenix.
I've commented before on the passage in the Bible, Romans 1:20, on how God, and I paraphrase, reveals Himself to His creation through His creation. I can't help but feeling a little closer to Him after seeing so much more of His artwork on this trip. The whole world does indeed proclaim His glory, and so do I.
