Amazing Arizona!!

DAY 1: Our journey began in the city of lights. We flew (for $352 total RT) into Las Vegas in the evening and stayed at The Cosmopolitan. Addy ended up sleeping on the balcony couch and loved it.

DAY 2: No pics but we drove 4hrs to Sedona, AZ! Aaron had developed a skin rash all over his body so we checked into the airbnb, got him some meds, and still made a hike to the famous Cathedral Rock at sunset. DAY 3: 1st offical day in Sedona, exploring trails in our neighborhood.

This amazing trail system started within walking distance of our rental. We made a loop on Mystic, Broken Arrow, Submarine Rock, back to Chapel of the Holy Cross. I think the total loop was 6 or 7 miles.

Here's a picture of Addy at Chicken Point. So beautiful. This trip was originally planned for May but we had to reschedule for September because of COVID.

In the evening we made a short hike up Doe Mountain to see the sunset.

Oh WOW, the sunsets were just magnificant.

Notice Addy on the trail on the way back down. No editing at all!

DAY 4: The Hangover Trail - One of the higher rated, less traveled trails in Sedona.

We made it to the saddle aka the top of the mountain.

Oh, so that's why they call it the Hangover Trail!!

This was the longest hike I've EVER done. We clocked in at almost 9 miles! The kids did great considering. My feet hurt by the end.

Time for a soak in the hottub!

DAY 5: The Grand Canyon National Park. We left around 3am to get there by sunrise.

We hiked the South Kaibab Trail into the canyon. This is at Ooh Aah Point.

The views were big and inspiring.

Everyone made it 1.5 miles to Cedar Ridge except me. My ankle was hurting from the day before and I was being extra cautious.

A crazy thing happened while on the trail. I saw my 1st crush from 3rd-12 grade, Justin Wallace, who I hadn't seen in almost 25 years. What are the chances!? I look very calm but I'm actually freaking out.

The way back up was WAY easier than I expected so next time I'm confident we can make it to Skeleton Point 3 miles into the canyon. Still mad at myself for not going further.

Blessed by a rainbow on our way back!

DAY 6: Our last day in Sedona and favorite hike.

The West Fork Trail trail ends at 3.5 miles but you can continue on through the water to the most beautiful part of all.

This area reminded me of the Narrows in Zion and it was gorgeous.

The kids enjoyed it too since we were mostly in the water and there was no elevation change. I'm thinking we hiked another 8 miles but it seemed way easier than the others.

This is what the majority of the sandy trail looked like, a pine forest, along a creek with ferns and a red rock canyon in the background. Glorious!!

DAY 7: On our way to Page, AZ we stopped at Glenwood Canyon National Recreational Area to hike the Cathedral Wash. OMG!!

This place was other worldly. And it was unique in that there was no designated trail, you had to find your own way down.

Luckily there was another group ahead of us so we could learn from their mistakes.

I heard Benny say this was his favorite trail ever!

I'm glad we didn't see any rattlesnacks on our trip. Just a dead scorpion.

The trail ended at the Colorado River!!

We saw several rafts pass by and everyone played in the water before heading back. BRR! The water was so cold.

After the hike we checked into the airbnb rental, had Mexican for dinner and took a short walk to the very famous Horseshoe Bend.

This place far exceeded my expectations. I mean how cool can a view really be?

Josh thankfully talked me into staying for the sunset. It was a big part of the magic AND the lack of guardrails.

Just breathtaking! It was so funny watching all the posers. People were very creative.

Even Josh got in on the action. Cutest couple pic!

The view on our way back to the parking lot. Note the size of the people for scale. Heavenly.

DAY 8: Kayaking Lake Powell to Antelope Canyon.

After an hour or more of paddling we finally reached the entrance to the canyon.

Lots of kayaks but not too crowded. A nice person offered to take our family pic!

Since the famous Lower Antelope Canyon Tours were closed due to COVID this was the only alternative to see the canyon from the other end.

This kinda looks like the classic Antelope pics.

The closer the walls got, the more beautiful the hike became.

I'm not gonna lie, I had to pray a few times to not freak out thinking too much about being in a tiny crack in the earth out in the middle of nowhere.

The walls were so smooth and pretty.

My sweet babe, always willing to pose with me.

On the way out, we stopped to let Benny swim as he was easily bored with the long paddle back.

Sorry Josh but I just LOVE this picture. It reminds me of a music video.

My annoyed paddle partner resting as we were left far behind everyone else.

We made the mistake of driving way too far out of our way to see the sunset in Monument Valley which we almost missed because the area was closed due to COVID.

DAY 9: After a quick night in Flagstaff, we headed to Phoenix as early as we could to beat the heat and see our 1st SAGUARO!!

We hiked part of the Granite Mountain Loop in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and it was a cactus wonderland, everything I had hoped for.

Each cactus was unique.

I would have LOVED to explore this place longer and hike the entire loop but it was getting really hot, like 100 degrees hot!

One more posed pic by this awesome plant. I only got yelled at once for getting off the trail. HA!

Since our Scottsdale airbnb wasn't ready yet we killed some time by visiting the Musical Instrument Museum. Someone thought it was boring until he found a special instrument in the gift shop from Zelda!

We stayed in one of these condos. On future trips I'll have to take more pictures of the airbnbs!

DAY 10: Quick visit to Papago Park to see Hole in the Rock at sunrise. But I found a better view!

Next stop, the Desert Botanical Gardens.

Pipe Organ Cactus, I'd like to visit the National Park named after it.

Old Man Cactus, so fitting. The kids were extra happy that we visited during doggy day so there were plenty of dogs around to see.

Addy noticed this one had lost it's tip and look at the shape underneath.

Pooltime! Night swimming was also nice because it was warm outside and pool had colored lighting.

After some cold stone creamery we tried to catch a cactus at sunset. But it didn't go well. I got scolded AGAIN!

DAY 11: Good-bye beautiful desert oasis! Hopefully we can come again someday.