Trippin' Out to Arizona

Being back in California is giving us a chance to explore and revisit areas of the west and southwest that we love.  A visit to my uncle in Arizona gave us opportunity to "hit the road" for a 10 day trip.  Of course it began with a visit in Los Angeles with relatives.  Then it was on to Sedona, AZ.  What a beautiful place.  We arrived on a Monday and were told that they had 6 inches of snow over the weekend.  It was gone by the time we got there.

The picture doesn't quite capture the redness of the rocks.

Of course I had to help out the local economy at the LQS.

After a great visit with Uncle Madison in Clarkdale, we headed back north to Grand Canyon National Park.  To our surprise, we were able to purchase a Lifetime entrance card to the National Parks for $10.00.  That will definitely figure in to future trip planning. 

We spent three days at the Grand Canyon.  I have been there several times and I am always awestruck as I stand at the edge looking over at the power of our God in his creation.  It just mesmerizes me. 

Eerie and beautiful at the same time

Every view deserves a picture

Tower at Desert View

And one more classical shot of this part of God's creation

From the glorious Grand Canyon, we traveled to Las Vegas, NV.  Not one of my favorite places.  For me the people wandering around the strip in Las Vegas seem so sad.  But we needed a stop on the way so we stayed one night.  We splurged and went to see Cirque d'Soleil at the Mirage.  It was the Beatles Love Show.  At the end, they sang "All You Need is Love" and I cried all the way through it.  Stephen played in a Beatles tribute band for many years and that was the song that was sung at the end of his Celebration of Life service.  But I'm glad that we went.  I need to bring the tears to the surface sometimes and the show was fantastic. 


From the decadence of LV to the stark beauty of Death Valley.  Furnace Creek Ranch was our next stop. 

I was quite surprised at how beautiful the desert can be.  God's creation in 102 degree temps.

Scotty's Castle.  A must see if you visit Death Valley National Park.

This little cutie was sitting on a shelf at Scotty's Castle.

And from there we returned home to Alameda.......a nine hour drive across Walker Pass, past Lake Isabella and up Interstate 5.  It was a wonderful trip.