It is really is a long way down that holiday road. Today, we drove around 300 miles from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. Granted we could’ve done it in a shorter distance and a quicker time, but why? I really do feel like I have been channeling my inner Clark W. Griswold and will probably continue to do so. I have stopped at more roadside scenic overlooks than ever in my life-and for good reason.
Our morning began bright and early in Phoenix. After a quick, made to order breakfast of french toast for the girls and omelets for the boss and me, we were off by 7:05am. My research brought to light the option of stopping off at a small attraction just off I-17. 10 minutes after it opened, we pulled in at Montezuma’s Castle National Monument. There was a 5 dollar per adult entry fee. Or we could pay the 80 bucks and get the America the Beautiful Pass that provides entry to every National Park for one full year. Since this trip will essentially make the purchase a wash, I went ahead and did so. My expectations for this stop were limited, but I can say that I was greatly surprised by how cool the cliff dwelling was. Seeing little sights like this as we travel bring much of this history to life for the girls. At the time, it was the highlight of the trip. That was soon to be replaced.
It was a short drive from Montezuma’s to our next stop in Sedona. It was a short drive, but I can’t explain how the landscape changed and the rocks turned red, and how, and how…. It truly was breathtaking. If I had never seen the Grand Canyon before, I would think this to be the best ever. This was what Lucy did. I am certain as we drove into town she was figuring out to which Arizona college she should apply. Each turn brought new vistas with ever changing sun angles. I could try and explain but there is absolutely no way that I could do justice. As we drove into town, we decided to stop at the Chapel of the Cross. This is a neat little diversion and if it is on your way somewhere, I say go. Otherwise, it is a difficult place to park with a difficult walk uphill with a limited view. Yes, it is impressive that they built a church into the mountainside, but in hindsight something I could have probably skipped.
From there we stopped at a completely over the top, kitschy store on the way into town. While initially I was really jacked to stop in such a weird, artsy place-I was soon overwhelmed by the number of items in the store. Even though they had tons of stuff, they had tons of the same stuff. It feels like the kind of place that tricks you into thinking that stuff you see on vacation in the enchanted surrounding of Sedona will be awesome back in North Carolina. Somehow, I don’t think that desert chic will play in our neighborhood. I bought a sticker. That’s it.
My shopping highlight of the day was the Katchina House. It is off of the beaten path, but you should by all means visit. There are several rooms of Native American art and handicrafts that will boggle the mind. When you walk in and they ask if you’d like to browse or get a short tour-do the tour. These ladies give every room meaning and really give context to the art. We spent longer than expected there and purchased items. As we ventured into other parts of Sedona and saw similar art-we understood the meaning and significance. It also is interesting that all of the art is made by local artisans. Our three pieces will be arriving at our house soon.
By now, we were ready for lunch. Picazzo’s got great reviews and was nearby. Also, we were hungry. Like, really hungry. It bears to mention that the place had all gluten free pasta and the pizzas were made in a dedicated brick oven. Since it was lunch I got the pizza of the week with a pesto base, diced tomatoes, spinach, olive oil, and garlic with a side caesar salad. Yum! I devoured the thing. Lucy got spinach and cheese cannelloni, the boss got puttanseca, and Ethel rocked the kid’s pizza. Since everything was good for me, I sampled some of each. Everything was wonderful and the boss and I even split a prickly pear margarita. If you have gluten issues and are in Sedona-go here. Quickly.
From there we knocked around the uptown Sedona area for a bit. This is the part with the main “shopping” area. Be sure you read this to mean “tourist”. After about 10 minutes I had seen enough t-shirt shops and was ready to head north. So up we went into the hills. I was honestly not surprised for the changes in landscapes that we encountered. At one point, we were climbing so much that I thought we had reached the top of the state. Shortly, we were in Flagstaff.
When going to the Grand Canyon, most people will enter through the south entrance. My advice is to take the long way up Highway 89, turn left onto State Road 64 and enter at the East Entrance. The scenery is fairly drab, but you can make good time and you go through part of the Navajo Reservation. The America the Beautiful Pass was great because we pulled up to the guard house and within 10 seconds were on our way. The kids got their first look at the canyon and as with everyone who has ever seen it, were blown away. Lucy was a bit disturbed by the heights and Ethel was taking it all in. Pictures won’t work, words won’t work. Nothing can describe the awesomeness of the canyon. Like someone once told me years ago-it is like trying to describe the color green to someone. It is impossible. Every single American must visit this place.
After stopping at as many scenic overlooks as we could, we eventually made it to the Yavapai Lodge. Check in was in the same building as the Canyon Cafe. It was painless and soon we were off to the market to purchase a few things to make the time here pleasant. We pulled up to our extremely old-school building. The girls were at first skeptical, but entering into our really clean, modern, but older room was awesome. We opened all of the windows to get some cross-ventilation as there is no AC. While doing this we saw a Mule Deer out back doing his thing. Apparently, the wildlife fun comes included. They also took down my address-they like to send out a mailer.
All in all this was a full day. We saws tons of things. Montezuma’s Castle seems like three days ago. Now, we are bedding down and preparing for our hike tomorrow morning. Bring it!
