25 Arizona Road Trip Report

  

4/24-

Direct flight from Birmingham to Phoenix.  Because of this, I was willing to chance it and risk missing the baseball game because of a flight delay.  I had almost 3 hours between the scheduled landing and the start of the game.  The flight went off as scheduled but traffic was a little rough on the way.  Still, I had about an hour to spare.  

I wanted to see an evening game because I figured that the roof would be open.  It was.  The stadium was about average.  A good venue but not one that will leave a lasting impression.  It was a pretty good game even though the D'Backs lost in extra innings.  Ballpark number 19 is in the books but it's been a while since I've seen a win for the home team.  I got a drink on the way back, where I met a nice younger couple.  

4/25-

Up with the sun and on the road heading north to the Grand Canyon.  It was almost 4 hours from Phoenix.  Last time I was here, weather was bad.  Not so this time.  Every day was mostly sunny or crystal clear.  It was about 90F the first day in Phoenix, about 70 at the Grand Canyon and 75 in Sedona.  When I was back in Phoenix at the end of the trip, the temp had dropped to the low 80s.  

I stuck with the Rim trail and stayed for about 4 hours.  Words cannot do it justice and neither do the pictures but I'll give it a try.

From here, it was slightly more than 2 hours to Page and Lake Powell.  I hoped to arrive before sunset, which I did.  I kinda wish I had gone to Horseshoe Bend because the sunset view is better than the sunrise.  I was tired and didn't want to get back in my car so I opted for a short hike at sunset.

4/26-

Sunrise trip to Horseshoe Bend and a couple of photo ops at Lake Powell.  I did briefly cross into Utah but only met the lenient standard.  From there, the destination was Sedona with a lunch stop in Flagstaff.  

The first hike was Devil's Bridge, which had several challenging staircases.  On the way back, I took a wrong turn, which added about a mile and a half to the hike.  Fortunately, I had plenty of daylight.  With such beautiful scenery, I didn't mind it too much.  Dinner was a steak and I met a nice older couple from Pittsburgh.  

  

  

4/27-

I feared parking issues on a weekend this time of year.  First stop was Slide Rock Park.  In the summer, people get in the water but today wasn't warm enough.  It was still worth it for the scenery.  It was only about 9 AM when I got back to Sedona for the trails but parking lots were already full.  I got lucky and sneaked into a spot just after another car left.  Bell loop would have been a nice place to run but I elected not to do so.  

  

My preference for a 2nd hike would have been Cathedral Rock but it required a shuttle with a long wait.  I opted for a short hike at nearby Red Rock State Park.  It was about 2 hours back to Phoenix.  I decided to check out a wave pool called Revel Surf Park.  I could have rented a boogie board but with a price of $75, I passed and simply got a beach pass.  Perhaps George Strait was right.  There really is oceanfront property in Arizona.  LOL.  

4/28- 

Just enough time to hit South Mountain Park for a short hike just after sunrise.  It offered distant views of the Phoenix skyline with cacti and palm trees.  The return flight back to Bham also went off without a hitch.