Today, we arose at the butt-crack of dawn to get to my aunt and uncle’s house by 8am, pick up the parents, and set sail for Sedona and the Grand Canyon. Jen and I had made a similar voyage back in February, but Kate had never seen either Sedona or the Canyon and our parents hadn’t been to the Canyon since 1978. Thankfully, dad drove the first half and last fourth of the trip, so we were all able to catch some much needed shuteye before we hit Sedona.
For those who have never been there, Sedona is an amazing landscape of red rock formations. Their size and color is truly breathtaking. Today, it was a fairly clear day, so we went into town and stopped at this little chapel built into the base of one of the rocks. It’s a common tourist spot with great views of the entire valley. After snapping away a bunch of pictures, we hopped in the car and went into town to do some souvenir shopping. Although we left empty handed (save the Ass Kicking Peanuts), it was still fun to walk around and see all of the Native American pottery.
We then journeyed towards the Canyon via Highway 89A, which follows Oak Creek along its twisty journey through that canyon, up an impressive set of switchbacks and into a nice viewing area befor dumping you out back on the interstate just south of Flagstaff. Highly recommended.
From there, we pressed on towards the Canyon. After waiting in the car for an hour just to get in, we finally got out to the rim. Even though we had been in the same spot just 10 months before, the Grand Canyon is, in a word, awesome. I’m not talking Awesometown awesome or the surfer dude “Awesome!” style awesome. No, we’re talking legitimately awe-inspiring awesome. We hit the three major points before the useful light began to fade in the day and we had to head for home. If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, you should definitely go. It isn’t one of the Seven Wonders of the World for nothing.
We returned to Bill and Carol’s and had some great leftovers heated up and ready for us. After that came dominos, naturally. All in all, a busy, yet awe-inspiring day. Tomorrow: Taliesin West.
Oooo, sounds like you had a thrilling time at the Grand Canyon. What’s the temp out there in the West? Probably a bit warmer than our snowy, but great Christmas in Wisconsin :)
I love that you linked to Awesometown.
The weather here is wonderful! 70s during the day, 50s in the evening. Loving it out here and having a fantastic time!