The End of 2016 and Arizona

This New Year weekend marks the end of our stay here in Arizona and the first anniversary of this blog. Happy anniversary to us! :-) I'll try to post an update from the road next week if we have Wi-Fi.

Here in Sedona, we were surprised with snow for Christmas. Inches of snow blanketed the red rocks and surrounding areas. It was really beautiful! Who knew we'd have a white Christmas this year? Not us! That's for sure!

During our stay here in the Southwest, we've found a new appreciation for the desert and colorful rock formations. For the animals and art. For the changes in climate and terrain. For the diverse communities. If you don't already live here, I'd encourage you to learn more about this part of our beautiful country. It's history and future are quite interesting.

Of course, a trip to Arizona wouldn't be complete without a visit to it's most popular natural attraction, The Grand Canyon. On Monday we visited the astounding geology of this site and were able to see for ourselves the gorgeous colors and vast scenery. It was very cold and snow was on the ground all around the canyon. I suspect we came on a slower day, but there was still a wait at the South Entrance.

Our youngest son loved how the Park Ranger spoke directly to him because he was "bringing his family to the park." He is the one with the fourth grade pass, after all! :-)

Word to the wise if you plan to visit. Park in "Additional Parking". It's actually closer to the Visitors Center and you can avoid the circling cars and people walking in the middle of the lane.

When you're there, it's amazing how the canyon seems to change with the daylight. The picture you take in the morning will look completely different from the picture you take at dusk. Here are a few we took while there.

There are fences at most of the viewpoints to keep visitors safe, but not at all of them. So be careful!

The Colorado River runs right through the Canyon and there are all kinds of activities you can participate in during your visit.

The elk and deer wander freely at the sides of the roads. One thing though: If you visit places where animals roam freely PLEASE don't get out of your car to take selfies with them! They may be beautiful but THEY. ARE. WILD!

Plus, you can get shots that are just as good, if not better, from the safety of your car.

You'd think after spending so much time in Sedona, we would have taken an official tour before now. Nope. We finally took one this week, though, with Pink Jeep Tours and it was great! A lot of what the guide had to tell us about the area, we had already learned on our own. So he adjusted the tour to tell us more scientific things he wouldn't ordinarily have covered with a new crowd.

He also engaged the kids and told jokes, which kept things fun! Here's one for you:

Question: If you have seven pinon nuts in one hand and eight in the other, what do you end up with?

Pinon Nuts

Answer: A difference of a-pinon. ;-)

He told us about how the Agave Plant (also sometimes called a Sentry Plant) grows for decades before it sprouts an enormous bloom. The bloom grows so large, so rapidly, that it kills the agave plant. That's how they reproduce.

He showed us some grooves on a prickly pear cactus where a javelina had once snacked. Now our kids can spot the javelina bites whenever they see them.  See that top pad with the bite taken out?

Another botany lesson we learned was about mistletoe. Most people think of mistletoe as the pretty Christmas decoration that you traditionally kiss under. Actually, it's a poisonous, parasitic plant, that can emulate the look of it's host. If the infestation gets large enough, it will kill it's host. Here's what it looked like in the example he showed us. See the clumps?

Here's another example of how they adapt their look to their host.

Our guide took us off road and we were able to get some great views of our current "home". Here are a few shots of the city.

And here are some of surrounding rock formations.

Do you see those black stripes? That's from the waterfalls that form during monsoon season in August.

We hope you've enjoyed the Southwest leg with us. As always, feel free to post questions in the comments and we'll do our best to find the answers. Also, be sure to follow along with our social media accounts to see what we're up to from day-to-day (see top right for links).

We wish each of you a wonderful, adventurous 2017! May it be filled with joy and new discoveries! Thanks for following along. Now, on to the orange groves of sunny Florida!

- Jen

Close Encounters

When I was a child, my family drove through Flagstaff one summer on our way to see family in Kansas. I have vague memories of traveling through the blazing desert sun in our old brown Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon (complete with rear-facing back seat and paneling on the sides) listening to the songs of the 80's. I'm sure I complained then, as most kids do, but I look back on that road trip fondly now. I have vague memories of roadside shops selling turquoise, silver, and giant belt buckles.  I remember seeing cigarette machines in front lobbies of local diners and motels. The exact details are lost to time, but the impressions remain, and they make me smile.

Being back in this part of Arizona as an adult has been a different experience. I find myself excitedly looking out the window to see what we'll discover and what I might remember. We try to spot things we wouldn't ordinarily see at home in the Pacific Northwest. I love talking to people who live here to get some sort of insight on what their daily normal is that's different from mine. Then I try to point them out for my kids, so they'll notice too.

Being here has been a lesson in changing preconceptions. We came to the Southwest thinking we might have to tread lightly to avoid scorpions. We thought we'd have to be careful of marauding javelinas or striking rattlesnakes. We envisioned dry, toasty days, and wide-brimmed hats. Needless to say, those fears were greatly exaggerated and inaccurate. Instead, we learned that scorpions tend to like the lower part of the state where it's warmer. Sedona has a cooler climate and we've been living in sweatshirts and coats. There is nary a rattlesnake to be seen at this time of year, in this locale, and javelina's do live in our neighborhood but we haven't seen one yet! Maybe it's because of our dogs?

Instead of finding what we anticipated, we've been discovering things we didn't. Things like how startlingly beautiful the scenery is here in Sedona every time you drive down the road. It's like a painting! Like how cacti naturally grow so that they almost resemble a forest. Like how amazingly huge the saguaro cactus is and how astonishingly long its growth cycle and lifespan are! Like how much we've missed having access to "real" Mexican food. We're enjoying ourselves, to be sure, and we've found a new appreciation for this part of the country.

Last weekend we started to explore beyond our own backyard and visited one of the tourist hot-spots, Meteor Crater. It's located just outside Flagstaff, so it isn't far from us. We were surprised to see cattle roaming on the roadside around the site. No fences or anything! It turns out the land surrounding the crater and the crater, itself, is all privately owned! The same family who owned the land when it was "discovered" owns it now and they run a cattle ranch around it.

We visited on a sunny, but windy day, and braved the elements to take the tour around the crater. It's a massive sight to behold and we learned that the terrain is so much like the moon that astronauts trained there for several missions. Outside the visitor building you can see a wall dedicated to them and a boiler plate from an Apollo test capsule.

Inside the building is an impressive museum explaining the history of the crater. How it was formed, how it became a tourist attraction, and things that have taken place around the site. It's all very interactive. You can view the site from the comfort of the building, or you can go outside on one of the viewing decks or take the free tour.

I would recommend the tour because the guide will show you and tell you about things you wouldn't ordinarily get to see and hear. Things like the ruins of a building on the edge of the crater where someone brought tourists at one time. Things like the shiny wing of a plane that crashed into the crater. Things like the cave that was built for people to take refuge from lightening storms. You just have to experience it for yourself to get the full effect!

Another thing I've mentioned before is that Arizona is famous for their energy vortexes and alien encounters. You'll find all kinds of shops that sell things like crystals and aura photos. With all this, you'll also find UFO themed restaurants and souvenir shops. My youngest son and I visited one of these places this week. He loved checking out all the alien decorations at the Red Planet Diner (also known as the E.T. Encounter Diner). We enjoyed milkshakes and the vintage sci-fi atmosphere.

I'll let you know if we see anything out of the ordinary while we're here. Who knows? That could be a whole other adventure! ;-)

- Jen