It's Over Already?
Golly -- it's hard to believe that it's been almost six weeks since my husband and I set out on our great Snowbird Adventure. But it has been, and tomorrow we start the hard drive for home.
We've had a fantastic time. We marvelled at the sand dunes and rocky cliffs of the Oregon and California coast and watched surfers in Carmel. We rode the trolley car up Rice-a-roni Hill in San Francisco and saw the sites from Fisherman's Wharf. We spent a day rediscovering the kids inside us and losing our stomachs on the rides at Disneyland.
In San Diego we viewed the city from Point Loma military base, and were absorbed in the Southwestern ambiance of Old Town. And, of course, we took a day to check out the San Diego zoo. We were also introduced to In-n-Out Burgers. Mmmm.
Then it was on to Phoenix, where we spent the bulk of our vacation, though we stopped in Yuma Territorial Prison on the way. It was a fascinating place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. In Phoenix, we took in a classic car show, sampled a Mongolian Grill, visited the Mesa Country Club a few times (courtesy of my cousin who is a member), went to the outdoor theatre (boy, does that bring back memories!), and spent too much money at Arizona Mills Outlet Mall and the Tempe Marketplace. We took in a college basketball game at Arizona State University, as well as a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game. (For those of you who might not know, the Coyotes were once the Winnipeg Jets, and since we lived in Winnipeg for 22 years, we had to see them play.) We visited Papago Park and hiked up to the Hole in the Rock. We also visited Old Scottsdale a few times -- too much fun -- and had a yummy lunch at the Pink Pony Sports Bar. Old Scottsdale is reknowned for its art galleries, and my husband is pretty sure I dragged him through every single one of them.
Though we were based in Phoenix, we couldn't visit Arizona without going to see the Grand Canyon.
It was breathtaking. Words cannot possibly describe the splendour of it, and pictures don't do it justice either. After an uncomfortable sleep in Flagstaff -- our hotel was situated beside a railroad track and I counted at least 7 trains with whistles blasting during the night, we went to Sedona, another must-see wonder of the state. We viewed the red rock cliffs rising above the city from the Airport Mesa and then went to the Red Planet Diner to have lunch with ET. (He was from out of town too.) Tucson took up another day -- an unbelievably cold and windy day -- but that didn't keep us from wandering through the Mission san Xavier del Bac. Built in the late 1700's, the church is absolutely beautiful. It is still in operation too. After that we went for a short hike through the desert, trying not to stumble over the loose rock or into the nasty prickles of the assorted cacti, and especially not meet up with any rattlers that might be curled up on rocks, trying to warm themselves in the sun.
The highlight of that day was the afternoon spent at Old Tucson Studio, a western movie set that has been the site for many Hollywood movies and television series -- Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, the Big Valley, High Chapparal, Three Amigos, Rio Lobo, and 3:10 to Yuma to name just a few. What a hoot! We explored a haunted mine, saw a re-enactment of Billy the Kid's escape from jail, took in a can-can show, Dr. William Wiley's magic elixer show, and rode the railroad through the badlands.
And now we're in Las Vegas -- after a quick drive by the Hoover Dam. We're not really gamblers, but we couldn't come all this way without checking out the action. It's definitely different than anything we're used to. We didn't even go near the slots until we got some lessons. It's amazing how far $20 can go when you play the penny machines. Today we shall check out the strip and all the grand hotels.
Then first thing tomorrow morning, we'll point the car toward home. Then it will be time to get back to work. But I'm okay with that, because I've had a much-needed rest, not to mention a whole lot of fun.
It's been a blast.