We left for our Arizona trip the Sunday morning after the Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure Race V. Julie and Doug flew in from Charlotte to join us. We stayed at the Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix. It’s called the Camelback Resort because it sits at the base of the Camelback Mountain which we climbed several times during our stay. The resort and the 2-bedroom unit were very nice. That afternoon we went to the main tourist shopping and eating area in Scottsdale and were surprised to find most everything closed on a Sunday afternoon. We lost count of the number of restaurants that were closed before we found one open for lunch. After lunch we went for a hike up Camelback Mountain which turned into more of a climb due to the steepness of the slope.
Monday we ventured south toward the Tucson area. Our first stop was the Casa Grande Ruins outside Coolidge. Built more than a thousand years ago and occupied for several hundred years by the Hohokam people; the main building was the most intact of all the dwellings. The really had small doorways. From there it was onto the Saguaro National Park named after the Saguaro Cactus which grows in abundance in that area. Lucky for us the cacti were blooming at that time. We also did a short walk to a viewpoint over the desert which had some pictographs on the rocks drawn by the Hohokam. Our next stop was San Xavier Mission outside Tucson. It is one of the most beautiful and best preserved of all the Spanish missions built in the Southwest. Our last stop was at Colossal Cave, which is a rare dry cave. This means that the stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and etc. are no longer forming. In this particular cave it had been dry for over 1000 years. On our way back we stopped in Tucson for dinner and found there main tourist area closed. They must have known we were coming. Eventually we found El Charro for dinner.
The next day was a stay in the area day. We hiked up the backside of Camelback Mountain which is more difficult than the other side and requires a lot of bouldering. Spent some time at the pool and then played a disc golf course in the desert. The baskets blended in with the terrain so well that the only way we could find them was the little red flags attached to the tops.
Wednesday was the day Julie wanted to go to the Sedona area, so off we went. Our first stop was the very well preserved Montezuma Castle built by the Sinagua people and then to the Tuzigott Ruins also built by the Sinagua, which were more extensive but not as complete as Montezuma Castle. Then we went to
Cathedral Rock at Red Rocks for some hiking that included going to the healing vortex in Oak Creek at the base of Cathedral Rock. Then we drove through Sedona into Oak Creek Canyon to Slide Rock State Park for some more hiking. Although we brought swim suits we decided the water was too cold to give slide rock a try. That night we ate dinner at a nice brew house in Sedona.
Although we had a couple days left at the time share we decided to go to the northern part of the state since it too far to drive back to Scottsdale.
Our first stop Tonto Natural Bridge gave us the opportunity to hike on some very steep trails, go under the bridge, and eat lunch with a heard of Javelina. From there we went to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Both geological marvels as many of the sights were. While there a storm arose with winds in excess of 60 miles per hour that made it difficult for us to walk around. We spent the night in Flagstaff so we could head up to the Grand Canyon the next day.
We started the day early on Friday with a visit to Walnut Canyon, more Sinagua ruins, this time built in the wall of the canyon. From there we went to Sunset Crater Volcano, walked in a crater and in a lava flow field. Very cool! It was also a cold, cloudy day and it snowed a little at the volcano. The weather had us wishing we were back in Phoenix. We entered Grand Canyon National Park from the desert side. Our first stop to see the canyon was at the desert view. We not only saw the canyon but also the Painted Desert that we saw closer up the two days before.
Saturday we were determined to hike the Grand Canyon down Bright Angel Trail to the Colorado River and back. Julie and Doug did the same trail but didn’t go as far. It’s about an 18 mile trip from the rim to the river to the rim, nine miles down and nine miles back up with a 5000 foot elevation change. There are warning sign everywhere saying, “Do not attempt to hike down to the river and back in one day”. We did it in five and a half hours. Our next time there we plan to go South Rim to River to North Rim and back again nonstop, a trip of about 45 miles with 24,000 feet of elevation change.
Then it was off to Las Vegas via Hoover Dam. There are two things going on a Hoover Dam, one is that Lake Meade is 40 feet below normal, not as bad as Lake Powell which is 80 feet below normal, and the other is major construction in the area as a bridge is being built across the canyon above the dam. Quite an engineering feat, just like the dam was.
We spent two days in Vegas. Our first night there we went out on the Strip which is always crowded and interesting. We saw grandson Mike and took him bowling at a 60 lane alley, went to some of the free shows at the casinos the best being Freemont Experience and the Bellagio water show and Conservancy. We really liked the Bellagio, Venetian, and Paris casinos. Actually they are much more than casinos. Each one is a city in itself with hotels shops, dining, shows and of course gambling. We spent a total of less than $20 on that. We were really disappointed when we went to Star Trek at the Hilton and the Borg Invasion 4D broke while we were waiting in line to get in to see it. We got a refund and maybe we’ll try to see it next time.
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