Scenes from Arizona

It's sometimes hard to believe that we've lived in Arizona for about 10 months now. It's cheesy but true, but time flies when you're having fun. We've had a lot of firsts since moving here. We're still surviving, and surprisingly not hating, our first summer in the desert. We also saw our first dust storm. It wasn't nearly as exciting as I was hoping. We still miss our family and friends very much, but I think Arizona is doing a nice job growing on us.

 don't be fooled... this is turf and not real grass

 watching our first dust storm roll in

 we caught a local 4th of July parade

 trying to stay cool in the pool

 watching a little team roping

 what little boy doesn't love breakfast at the airport?!

starting him young ;-)

Have you ever been to Arizona?

Did you love it or hate it?

If not, come & see it for yourself!

The Grand Canyon :: aka Wow

This is incredibly indicative of my nature, but I worried about our Grand Canyon plans for weeks before leaving. We would only have a few hours there, and I didn't want to blow our opportunity to really experience the natural world wonder. I was concerned that we would have unrealistically high expectations and be disappointed after viewing it from the parking lot or a crowded overlook. Thank goodness we're only about a 4 hour drive away, so we should be able to visit again.

After our Arizona road trip and a stop in Las Vegas, we finally made it to the Grand Canyon. Everyone says it, but it really is one of those places you need to see with your own eyes. I also tend to say this about a number of places, but pictures and videos really don't do it justice. I hope my pictures do this beautiful place at least a little justice or maybe even make you want to visit for yourself!

The night before our Grand Canyon visit, we spent the night at a hotel in Tusayan, Arizona. It's just a couple miles south of the southern entrance gate. It killed me being so close to the Grand Canyon and having to wait until morning to actually leave the hotel and see it. Patience may not be one of my strengths, especially when it comes to travel. What can I say? I want to do it all and with a limited amount of time.

Driving into the Grand Canyon from the south, we were pleasantly surprised at the number of trees and how lush the plant life seemed. I guess I have no idea what we were expecting. You tend to imagine Arizona as simply a desert filled with cacti, dirt, and various other shades of brown. However, you'll find the landscape varies tremendously, especially in the northern mountains of the state. The 48th state has been surprising us since we moved here.

We drove into Grand Canyon National Park, purchased our National Park annual pass and proceeded a parking lot near the main visitor center. All along we're wondering when are we going to see this incredible canyon. We made a stop at the visitor center and gift shop before proceeding down the trail to one of the many overlooks.

We wound our way through the trees and followed signs to the canyon. I couldn't help but wonder how much further until we could see it. (Patience is a virtue.) Then all of a sudden the trees ended and, bam!, there it was. There we were standing in front of the Grand Canyon itself. I can honestly say it took my breath away. Even our 16 month old could sense the wonder of it, because he repeatedly hollered "wow" with amazement. All my worrying about where to park, hike, overlook didn't matter anymore. We were there standing in front of one of the grandest sights in all the world. It was incredible.

Utilizing all of your senses is a must when visiting the Grand Canyon. The sound of the blowing wind next to the giant chasm is indescribable. The sound masks all the noises of daily distraction. No horns honking, planes flying, or phones ringing. When the wind blows and you're standing next to the Grand Canyon, all you hear is the thoughts in your head. That can be a good or bad thing, but I think it helps you really take in the sights.

I wish we would have had more time at the Grand Canyon. That tends to be a theme when we travel. There never seems to be enough time. Such is life though. We enjoyed the little time we did have. Even the littlest adventurer among us seemed to enjoy shaking fences while shouting his amazement into the canyon.

It blows me away that we heard multiple different languages and accents while walking the canyon trails. People from all over the world stop to get a look at this wonder, and all too often we take these types of places for granted. They are right underneath our noses, and we often don't make the time to see the beauty of our own country.

Every now and then we caught a glimpse of the Colorado River down below. It's sometimes too easy to forget that a river, plenty of passing time, and the forces of mother nature shaped this place. The Grand Canyon doesn't give credit to any human for shaping, creating, building, or forging it. Man has designed and built some pretty spectacular things, but natural wonders like the Grand Canyon exist outside of man. Quite simply, it's a place to be enjoyed and experienced.

We walked a rather small portion of trail along the canyon rim, and it's shocking to think that plenty of people make the hike down into the canyon each year. I'm sure that experience is something completely different and one for the record books. Maybe some day we'll tackle the trails leading down into the canyon, but for now we have visions from atop the canyon seared into our memories. Our little guy probably won't remember our visit, but we have pictures to prove he was there.

Thanks for reading!

If you've never visited the Grand Canyon in person,

I hope you'll get to see it some day.

Historic Route 66 in Arizona

Route 66 was always such a mystery to me. You hear about it, but you never really know what to think. I had heard that famous song about getting "your kicks on Route 66" plenty of times, but I had no clue what that actually meant. Apparently, in its heyday, you could get some thrills and have fun while driving the Mother Road. After driving it ourselves, I can see how that might have been possible.

my route 66 patch... read more about adventure patch if you're interested

In its prime, Route 66 took people from Chicago to L.A., or Santa Monica, California. While the road covered about 2,448 miles, we only drove a tiny portion between Kingman and Seligman, Arizona. Maybe some day we'll explore more of the Mother Road. It's amazing to see these small towns that once thrived. They're practically ghost towns today. Travelers gained an interstate to save a little driving time, and entire towns lost their livelihood. It's sort of sad.

antique cars next to the Hackberry General Store

Our Route 66 drive started in Kingman, Arizona. We then drove the stretch of historic Route 66 that veers away from I-40 and takes you through Hackberry, Truxton, Peach Springs, and ending in Seligman. I kept asking my husband to stop or pull over at each small town. Give yourself some extra time to just enjoy the scenery along the way.

another shot from the Hackberry General Store

We would find beautiful old reminders of the towns that were once busy stops for travelers in the past. I loved seeing the old vintage signs from hotels or stores. It would have been fun to see them all lit up in neon welcoming weary travelers.

beautiful old sign in Truxton, Arizona

There wasn't much traffic on the stretch of Route 66 that we drove. It was a little eerie being one of few cars on the road through forgotten Arizona, but it was nice being able to take our time without tailgaters or traffic jams.

the open road

We came across a few places to stop along the way. Hackberry had a general store that was open to visitors. Truxton had a coffee stop and a beautiful old hotel sign. We unfortunately breezed through the town of Peach Springs before stopping in Seligman.

this car was in front of Seligman Sundries

Our one year old enjoyed the cars parked outside of Delgadillo's Snow Cap drive-in. We weren't hungry, so I cannot attest to the food, but we had some really great root beer floats while we were there. I highly recommend stopping! If you're pressed for time and can't drive much of Route 66, at least pop off of the interstate for a little stop in Seligman. You won't be disappointed.

visit the pranksters at Delgadillo's Snow Cap

Today it's hard to get your kicks on an interstate while you're flying through at 70mph. You tend to miss some things along the way. Many of us take part in a trip and we're so focused on the destination that we miss experiencing the journey too. I guess that's part of living in our hurry-up society today. Driving Route 66 was a great reminder to slow down and take it all in while we drove.

Have you ever driven any of Route 66?

Road Trip Across Arizona

There's just something about a good road trip that brings a little excitement into life. You never know exactly what you're going to see. The scenery, weather, plant life, traffic, roadside attractions... they're always changing. The same drive can be completely different the next time you do it. The explorer inside of me jumps for joy every time there's an opportunity for a good road trip in our life!

we spotted this beautiful ranch entrance gate outside of Wickenburg, Arizona

Just recently my husband had a work trip in Las Vegas, so naturally I decided to tag along with our one year old. We survived a cross country move with a 7 month old, so we can pretty much do anything now, right? The drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas really isn't that long, and it was so incredibly picturesque. It's worth experiencing at least once.

we even drove through an area with some Joshua trees... so neat

Once we drove northwest of Phoenix, I couldn't help but realize there's so much of Arizona we really need to see! The landscape is so varied within this state. It's incredible that you can go from desert to Ponderosa pine forest in a few hours time. I know we had this image of endless desert in our heads, but Arizona is so much more than that. I promise.

passing through Kingman and getting a taste of Route 66 history

After hours of driving, we were all in need of a little "pit stop", so we took a little detour from the highway in Kingman, AZ. We came across Lewis Kingman Park. It was the perfect place to stretch our legs, enjoy the lunches I had packed, and change a diaper. The park sits directly on a stretch of historic Route 66 that leads you right into downtown Kingman. We would be spending more time on Route 66 during our return trip from Las Vegas, so we passed through Kingman pretty quickly this time.

After getting back on U.S. Route 93, we noticed a few historical markers along the roadside. Curiosity got the best of us, and we stopped to read one of the signs. We learned that this stretch of the road drove us right near a few ghost towns that had once been booming mine towns of the Wild West. Mineral Park happens to be one of those towns. It was even the county seat at one point in the late 1800s. I hope to return some day and visit these Arizona ghost towns!

Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the view from an airplane. However, there's something special about seeing this land from a car. It's funny how sometimes we move, with such focus, towards a destination that we miss some special things along the way. A road trip is a great way to slow down a little bit and see some of the things we all too often miss when we're in a hurry.

Later this week I will be back with some tips on visiting Las Vegas with kids. I hope you'll come back! Happy Monday everyone.

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U.S. Route 93 in Arizona

Arizona ghost towns:

Mineral Park

Cerbat Mountain ghost towns

Get Cooking

There's nothing like a good home cooked meal to lift your spirits. Not that my spirits are in desperate need of lifting, but a tasty meal never hurts. I'm on a quest to find some good summer recipes to combat the Arizona heat. I just cooked some fantastic meatball-stuffed spaghetti squash, but let's be honest, having the oven on in 100 degree temperatures isn't the best of ideas.

If you're not hungry now,

you might be after looking at these images.

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spaghetti squash stuffed with meatballs

sesame breaded chicken wraps with sriracha sauce

mexican soup with chicken topped with avocado

Let's be real here...

Soup isn't a great idea in the summer heat either.

Anyone have some good summer weather

recipes that they are willing to share?

Snapshots From Arizona

Well... I haven't posted anything on this blog since last year. That doesn't seem that far behind us, but it really is when things have changed so drastically since then. Last October we still lived in Florida. A little over 4 months later, and we're living in Arizona with a baby who is getting dangerously close to being a one year old. I had no idea that time could pass so quickly.

I just wanted to share a few glimpses of our life lately. If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have already seen a few of these snapshots.

Who knew that piping hot drinks would be so popular in the desert? I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of choices we have when it comes to local coffee.  I'm excited to try this coffee from Press Coffee Roasters.

more local Phoenix coffee:

Cartel Coffee Lab :: Bergie's Coffee :: HG Roastery

Our little one has recently taken a liking to books. Maybe he is his mother's son after all. Don't mind the Christmas book. He loves the Little Blue Truck books and his puppet finger books. Oh, and don't forget anything involving puppies!

Since moving to Arizona, I'm really enjoying our selection of grocery stores. I've been cooking quite a bit. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! There's nothing like a good breakfast burrito to start the day off right. Now if only we had some Durango Diner green chili to top off this meal. Darn!

We have an almost-one-year-old. I think I might cry! He's growing and changing every single day. It just blows my mind. Every day I remind myself to enjoy every single little thing, because I won't get these moments back. Lately this little one enjoys being outside, feeding the ducks, pushing dining room chairs all over the house, and eating cantaloupe.

Surprise! More food. I told you breakfast was my favorite. We recently moved into a rental house, and the kitchen is much bigger than necessary. I'm loving it. I've been getting a little OCD with organizing, and I finally fixed our spice jar situation with these free printable labels and these spice jars from World Market.

Moving across the country again has been a hectic thing, but we're slowly getting settled into our rental house. The living room is coming together nicely, and I finally purchased the reclaimed wood coffee table I'd been stalking at West Elm for quite some time. The coffee table "really tied the room together". (Any Big Lebowski fans out there?) It's fun decorating a new space, but boy do we still need quite a few things. I think settling in will be a slow process.

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So that's our life lately. Lots of food, enjoying our baby boy, and some furniture shopping.

Happy Thursday!