In the fall of 2022, Tim and Monique went on a trip to the state of Arizona.
The main purpose of this trip was to see The Grand Canyon, which Tim had never done, but there were so many great sights and surprises along the way. They picked up a rental car at the airpoet which took much longer that it should have, then drove to Flagstaff that night. This would be their base of operation for most of the trip. The first day of sight-seeing was all about the Grand Canyon.
They made the easy drive to Williams where they would take the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon Village. The train itself was clean, smooth, and very comfortable. There were drinks and snacks available along with entertainment in the form of a singing cowboy. All this while enjoying the views from the observation car on the way there. In order to save a few bucks, they chose coach for the return, but did not feel short changed in the slightest. Tim was told by friends that seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time was hard to describe. They were right! Words seem inadequate when trying to explain the immenseness and grandeur of this natural wonder. Once the shock of the seeing the canyon subsided, they took a short bus tour to see different vantage points then walked through the village, seeing the museum, shops, and having lunch. They boarded the train and prepared for a relaxing reflective rail trip. This was briefly interrupted by a good old fashioned train robbery, where they had guns and demanded money. They were told by staff that it was appropriate to tip the "actors" in the form of submitting to there hold-up demands with a small gratuity. The day was topped off with a great dinner at the Grand Canyon Brewery in Williams.
Day two of their travel adventure had Tim and Monique exploring downtown Flagstaff and the outlying areas. They took a moderate hike to see Petroglyphs for the first time and they did not have to leave town. The trail to get to the Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve was very scenic and followed a small creek which headed into town. The locals helped Tim and Monique stand in the right place to see their first set of Petroglyphs ever. After that, the rock carvings were much more defined and marked with signage, explaining what the petroglyphs represented. They were amazed at the quality of preservation these drawings had, stemming from hundreds of years in the past. The locals were used, once again, to help with choosing their dining establishment for the evening. After shopping through downtown, and taking in the historic Hotel Monte Vista on Route 66, they followed the younger crowd to a neighborhood pub and enjoyed a pub-style dinner within walking distance of their hotel.
The next day was spent driving parts of Route 66 and exploring new territory. First stop on this excursion would be the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, also known as the Barringer Crater. The crater was formed about 50,000 years ago and is exceptionally well preserved. There is a gift shop, a museum and space center, and a Star Tours-like ride that virtually transports you through the crater. After the Crater visit, they drove down the road and saw people standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see. The journey then took them throught the painted desert, a badlands that looked like someone or something has layered the sand and rock in to beautiful art-like paintings and sand sculptures. The final stop of this road trip was in the painted desert, but was it's own attraction, The Petrified Forest National Park. It was a geological treasure in an otherwise barren colorful badlands. The fossils, most of which are fallen trees that are more rock-like now, are extremely well-preserved considering they are approximately 225 million years old. This is another one of nature's wonders that by the numbers are hard for a human to comprehend. The day ended with dinner at Dark Sky Brewing Co. adjacent to the hotel where Tim and Monique were staying. It was a bustling atmosphere filled with local inhabitants that served gelato and offered flights. What could be more perfect?
On their last day of exploration, Tim and Monique visited Sedona and the surrounding area. It was late October and the snowbirds had already started to flock the the region. After having difficulty finding parking in all the main trailhead spots that would lead to the best rock formations, they took a few distant pictures of the surreal landscape, then stopped at the visitor center to try and find a spot that was off the beaten path. This paid off. They were directed away from the city to the Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site. It was once part of the V Bar V Ranch and had been a working cattle ranch at some point. It is the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley. A somewhat rough dirt road and a moderate hike took them to this remote location which turned out to be an outstanding colleciton of well-preserved rock carvings. It was definitely worth the effort it took to get there. Their day would end with a hotel overnight in Phoenix and a return flighthome. This trip had offered an amazing display of nature.