Sunday, September 25, 2005

Armchair Travelogue ~ Arizona

In 1999, my daughter and I flew to Phoenix, picked-up a rental car, drove to Flagstaff,
checked in to our hotel, jumped back in the car and drove to the Grand Canyon. I left home early in the morning and by the time we got back to our hotel, I had been up for about 22 hours straight. My husband refers to it as the mile a minute trip. The problem was we only had 3 1/2 days for a vacation, and we wanted to pack as much into it as possible.

The top two photos are of Taliesen West, the compound of Frank Lloyd Wright. I doubt there is anyone reading this who doesn't know he was one of the greatest architects who ever lived. Taliesen is in Scottsdale, AZ, very close to Phoenix. You can see much better photos than mine at:

http://sandy-travels.com/taliesen.shtml and read about it at:

http://www.franklloydwright.org/index.cfm?section+tour&action+taliesenwest

The bottom two photos were taken at Sunset Crater, located just outside of Flagstaff, AZ. This crater last erupted in approximately 1,000 AD. Read about it, and view photos at:

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_sunset.html

The bottom photo is of petrified tree roots which were burned and blown out of the ground when the volcano erupted. Can you imagine standing next to something from nature which has been around that long? I cannot imagine that the wood didn't disintegrate over time.

After we toured the grounds of Sunset Crater, we drove through Oak Creek Canyon, to Sedona. That is a lovely area of the country and I enjoyed it a great deal. The only problem we had was a flat tire; it happened on the back roads where we had gone to get a good view of the Red Rocks. A cactus spine was driven in sideways in the tire and it lost air rapidly. Being Sunday, we couldn't find a gas station open that had a replacement tire, so we had to put on the spare and drive all the way back to Flagstaff's airport, to trade our rental car for another one. Later, we returned to Phoenix and checked into our hotel, The Camelback Inn. Using that as our base, we toured Phoenix and the surrounding areas, including Scottsdale. It was a good three-day vacation, but if I ever go back there, I'd want more time, especially in Flagstaff and Sedona. Read about Sedona and the canyon here:

http://www.arizona-leisure.com/sedona-oak-creek-canyon.html











18 comments:

rashbre said...

Great photos and trip.

I've been to Arizona, partly along the old Route 66, via Williams and on the steam train to the canyon. I also visited Sedona - loved it - and it's on my list of 'must return to' places.

rashbre

Bec said...

Hi Kenju, here via Michele's to let you know that yes, Dave's jokes were truly, truly awful! Also, thanks for dropping by our blog: it's actually Kim who is about to burst with baby number three - I already have three but perhaps cheated because my 2nd and 3rd arrived together!
Love the holiday pics,and the idea of reviving old snaps. Sounds like a memorable trip!

The Mistress of the Dark said...

Funny you should mention Frank Lloyd Wright. I'm going to be driving past Falling Water later today.

Lovely pictures as ususal.

This time I'm here via Michele!

Hope you have a lovely Sunday.

Peter said...

Yet another great armchair trip with you, thanks.

Duke_of_Earle said...

Hey, Judy.

I'm back from vacation and dealing with Rita, so maybe I'll be a little more regular in my visits now. I'm getting caught up with all my blogroll friends, and I just LOVE your "40 things" about 3 posts down. It bothers me that I can relate to some of them.

Thanks for the comments you made while I was away!

John

OldHorsetailSnake said...

I once stayed at the Camelback Inn. I also once played golf at Saratoga, Wyoming. I bet you didn't. Hoss 1, Judy 0

carmilevy said...

FLW: my hero. His influence transcends his profession, and I wonder when we will see the likes of him again.

Your travelogues are amazing. I always feel as if I'm along for the ride with you.

Guess who sent me today. I would have come on my own regardless. Will be updating my sidebar later today - long, long overdue.

MorahMommy said...

I love the pictures and comments. Makes me feel like I was there. Especially loved the one with the roots and the one above it. What a view.

I've always wanted to see Pheonix. Hopefully one day we'll get there.

Here via Michele!

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to say that I have not yet visited Phoenix. I think it is that old thing about trips to places close by....it just isn't that far from California, but one of these days we might just drive over and discover this wonderful place for ourselves.

Jamie Dawn said...

Part of our driving vacation last fall included the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and the Painted Desert. It was really beautiful. We drove through the Petrified Forest and got out and walked around and took photos. Because it is called the "petrified" forest, I think of the forest as being "really afraid." Silly of me, I know.
Too bad you had that flat tire!

poopie said...

I sure hope I get to see that stuff before I die. I'd take 3 days! Poopsie 0- Hoss'n Judy tied at 1.

Margaret said...

I was in Arizona only once--about ten years ago. I will never forget the beautiful vistas. Michele says hi.

srp said...

Spent a week once in Phoenix with my ex-sister-in-law. We didn't get to the Grand Canyon so that is on my list of places to see. I really liked the area or rather my sinuses did...no sinus congestion. Found a lemon tree with lemons the size of large grapefruit..it only took the juice of one to make a pie that would twinge your cheeks and pucker your lips. Also, the yards with rocks, some painted green and the fact that on weekends instead of gardening, or mowing grass the people go out and rake their rocks.

Traci Dolan said...

Fascinating, I would love to visit that part of the country!!

And Fife Street Shoe Shop is still there.

Hale McKay said...

Anything west of the Mississippi is a place I have never been. But see your pics and other bloggers' pics is the next best thing.

utenzi said...

Off topic here, Judy. I finished the book, Rule of Four, and I was quite disappointed. I really expected a lot more out of it. There was a lot of potential and it just never seemed to go anywhere. Very close to a waste of time. What did you think, Judy? You mentioned it was confusing but you didn't say if you liked it or not.

Weary Hag said...

Great pics. I had a wonderful stay in Flagstaff back in 1980. It was the last overnight stop on my way from NY to NV. It snowed heavily in the night and I recall being so floored that it snowed at all in AZ! Boy, was I a naive young lady back then. :)

Paul Nichols said...

I was born and raise in Southern AZ. I'd go back in a flash!