Our 2007 Vacation to the Grand Canyon - Sedona
Leaving For Sedona
(22 June 2007)
Packing up to leave for Sedona was interesting to say the least. We manage to
pack more into our Charger than Chris can get into his minivan! What Chris can't
fit in the passenger compartment, he stacks as high as he can between the back,
back seat and the rear lift gate of the mini van. We fit the overflow into the
Charger. What we can't fit in the trunk, we stack between Mom and Nick in the
middle of the back seat, nearly to the roof.
Once we get the vehicle situation squared away, we take the winding Arizona route 89A down through the mountains to Sedona. It's some pretty hairy driving and Ann really doesn't much like the long drop off the side of the cliff, in places with no guardrail! I keep thinking how wonderful it would be to ride that stretch of road on the motorcycle, but I'd be kind of lonely without Ann out in front. There's NO WAY she would be able to ride that without target fixation right off the side of the mountain.
We drop from around seven thousand feet in Flagstaff down through the Coconino National Forest, to a bit over four thousand feet in Sedona. The route follows the Oak Creek Canyon, cut through it by, you guessed it, Oak Creek. Just before we get to Sedona, we pass Slide Rock State Park, where Oak Creek has carved smooth channels through the rocks it flows over, creating a natural water slide. We'll come back to that.
Nick learns a valuable lesson...
We need to check in when we arrive, but Nick and the kids are ready to explore as soon as we get out of the vehicles. Before we can corral them, Nick finds these prickly pears in the parking lot. Ann and I both warn him not to touch them, which in hindsight is probably the worst thing we could have said. He picks one, carefully avoiding the large, obvious spikes without realizing there are many, many small hairs as well. Before we can even make it inside the office we have an emergency on our hands. Of course, being the wonderful Father I am, I tell him told you so. Wrong answer. I just can't seem to help myself... Nick is in pain, and Ann manages to quiet him some, but it continues to bother him for quite a while.
My other brother and his wife, Matt and Michelle, or M&M as we call them, are joining us on this leg of the trip. We realize there isn't going to be enough room for all of us, so Mom gets us our own suite, but in exchange we have to agree to sit through an hour and a half time share sales pitch - and requisite hard sell follow up - to earn some money to offset the additional cost. I can't remember how many times we said no, but we finally convince them we don't want one. Oh well, a free meal is a free meal.
Matt and Michelle don't want to rent a car, so Chris and Mom drive back down to Phoenix to pick them up from the airport. They wait. And they wait. And they wait. No M&M. Turns out they missed their flight, so Chris and Mom drive all the way back to Sedona. Somehow Matt set their alarm for 7:00PM, not 7:00AM. Matt and Michelle are able to get on a standby flight, end up renting a car anyway, and finally get there at around three o'clock in the morning.
The gang's all here...
(23 June 2007)
Now the fun starts! All three Stewart boys, all together, in one place. Sounds
like trouble...
We decide we want Mexican for lunch, and Margaritas too.
We find the Oak Creek Brewery & Grill for supper, and what an experience! Highly recommended.
(24 June 2007)
Cheers again for lunch?
Ann wants to drive back down to Phoenix to stay in a hotel near the airport the night before we leave. I get lost trying to find the damned airport, driving in circles, pulling my best illegal maneuvers, adding to Ann's frustration and anger with me. Whatever. I've had my fill of it all! Leaving early and not allowing me time to map it wasn't my idea, but it's certainly my fault! We finally figure out there are two different branches of I-17, one to the west of the airport, and one that goes to airport, just to the east of it. You can probably guess which one we took.
As usual, Ann's pissed at me and ready to go to sleep. Way past ready. Certainly not the way I wanted to end our vacation, but at least we're getting on a plane home in the morning. When we finally get to the room, Ann goes right to sleep, but Nick and I aren't ready for bed yet. We go exploring to find something to munch on.
(25 June 2007)
And away we go...
