Trip to Phoenix (April 2016)

This post is a few months late, but time seems to slip away from me. In April, Dave flew to Phoenix for a work conference. The day the conference was over, I flew down to join him.

As I flew into Phoenix, I had to be sure to get a photo of the dessert. Everything was brown, but it was warmer weather so I was looking forward to that.

View of the dessert as I flew into Phoenix.

Later that evening, Dave and I went to dinner at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey River in Tempe. It was a cute little area, near Arizona State University and most of the restaurants had outdoor seating, which was nice in mid-April.

We both enjoyed a beverage on the outdoor patio.

The fried pickles were amazing

My jalapeno hamburger was delicious. 

As we took the light rail back into Phoenix we enjoyed a nice quiet evening without children. We both love our children dearly, but it's always nice to get away as adults. On Wednesday morning, we received superb shuttle service from our local hosts, Doug and Maggie Nichols. He is the former Johnston Police Chief. Dave got along well with him when they worked together for seven years. They used to go golfing a few times a week and Doug helped Dave a lot when he first became the Community Development Director.

After the Nichols picked us up, we headed to Grand Canyon National Park. It was nice to be able to ride along and view the beautiful Arizona scenery. Once we arrived to the Grand Canyon, we grabbed a quick lunch and set out to view the different areas of the Canyon. Every area was extremely breathtaking. Words and photos can't describe this place - you need to experience it for yourself.

As we toured the different areas, one of the areas we saw a helicopter fly in low. At first we thought it was a tourist helicopter, but as it hovered for 10+ minutes we realized they must have been looking for a missing person. After seeing some of these drop offs, if someone fell off of one of these areas the chance of survival would be very slim.

I was still at least six feet from the edge - which was a straight drop down, if I slipped. 

Janet, Dave, Maggie and Doug 

Doug and Maggie at one of the bus stops

After we finished touring the Grand Canyon, we made our way to Williams where we stayed the night. On Thursday, we went to tour Montezuma's Castle and see the red rocks of Sedona.

Montezuma's Castle was something unique to see. To think that people lived in these stones is crazy with only five foot ceilings. 

View of Montezuma's Castle

After we left the castle, we made our way to Sedona. As we got closer, you could tell it was Sedona because everything was red - even the sidewalks and buildings. 

Our lunch spot - we sat on the patio and it was delicious. 

After lunch, we did a little shopping. We had to get the kiddos some souvenirs. I just had a carry on so we had to ensure we didn't get anything too big. After we left Sedona, we made a swift stop to get a good view of this bridge. We did drive over this bridge, but from the bottom it doesn't appear too safe. 

Dave trying not to get too close.

After we finished touring, we headed back to Cave Creek where the Nichols live. They have a beautiful home with an amazing backyard.

I am relaxing and taking in the view.

After we came back, we relaxed for a bit and went to dinner at Harolds Cave Creek Corral. It was delicious food, but we were all ready for bed after that.

The next morning, I went hiking with Maggie and Dave went golfing with Doug. The gold course looked absolute amazing! The hiking was fun, but thankfully we didn't run into any snakes!

My hiking trip was fun and the Sagura (cactus) were awesome. I never realized they were so large, but some are 200 and 300 years old.

This saguaro is probably 300 years old. 

You certainly wouldn't want to run into this Saguaro

This is what the saguaro look like after they die. 

I'm enjoying the great hiking weather

This is how the more expensive houses are built! 

These type of cactus were everywhere. I loved hose these turned purple. 

After we spent time hiking and Dave went golfing, we came back to relax before dinner. Dinner was great because we got to meet Doug and Maggie's daughter and son-n-law and enjoy dinner on a nice golf course.

The next morning, Maggie and Doug took us to the airport. We were sad to be leaving our good friends, but excited to get home to our kiddos.

View leaving Arizona