(days 3 & 4) Mom has always dreamt of going to Telluride and finally, she got to go there! We spent 2 amazing days wandering around the town, soaking up the sun (we even got burnt! wasn't expecting that!), relaxing in the ginormous hot tub at our hotel. Seriously, this thing could've fit about 15 people easily, but we had it to ourselves:) Telluride is a tiny town nestled in the valley in the San Juan Mountains. We easily traversed the streets on foot seeing as though the town is only maybe 1 mile long. The town is filled with history [View Full Entry]

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(day 2) Last night we stayed in Chinle, AZ. As far as we could tell, there's nothing fantastic about the town, but lurking shortly outside of the town limits is a spectacular place neither mom nor I had anticipated. I'm talking about Canyon de Chelly National Monument! This gem of a beauty happens to be FREE to visit at all times of the year. FREE!! However, to enter into the canyon, you have to pay for a guide who is a local Navajo. Since visiting the canyon wasn't even originally a part of our trip, we couldn't go to the bottom [View Full Entry]

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(day 1) My mom has always dreamt of going to Colorado, so we decided to take a road trip to Telluride. We took the scenic, smaller roads in favor of the interstate. Arizona has so many beautiful places, many lurking just around the corner. So many places, in fact, that we haven't even seen a lot of them. The Salt River Canyon was on our list of places to see. The Salt River Canyon is a short drive north on Route 60 from Mesa. The ground suddenly opens up and the road hugs the curves of the mountain. The Salt River [View Full Entry]

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...where the deer and the antelope play! My friend Launie had to drive back home to Montana and asked if I'd like to come with. So, of course I said yes. Unfortunately, Jeff didn't get to go but it was just a short trip anyways. We left Launie's house in Phoenix and started the journey north. We took a short detour from the path we were on and stopped at Navajo Bridge. Navajo Bridge is at the far east end of the Grand Canyon and is a point where you can actually drive over the canyon! The bridge that you can [View Full Entry]

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"Want to hike & camp in the Grand Canyon?" was what we asked eachother and my mom. "Hell yeah!!" was the obvious response. So we began preparing for the trip. A group of Couchsurfers were planning the trip and had all the details ironed out. Sure, we could have done the trip on our own and for a little cheaper but forking over the dough to them ensured a somewhat hassle free trip. The organizer used the money to pay for the transportation to & from the Canyon, camp fees, mules to carry in supplies, 3 meals a day, and a [View Full Entry]

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With a couple friends we went to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, dubbed "Rocky Point" by the gajillion Americans that frequent. It's a short jaunt from Tucson--only about 215 miles southwest. The road there leads through miles and miles of scenic desert until, like a mirage, you reach the once sleepy, ocean side town. I guess it's not really a town anymore though parts of it have the feel as though it still is. We rented a house in Las Conchas. It's the area of the city that is packed with condos and beach side homes. We opted for a house instead of [View Full Entry]

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In the springtime the desert comes to life! Surprisingly, many animals and plants hibernate throughout the winter even here in the Sonoran Desert. It seems as though one day the ground is brown and barren and the next day the cacti are in full, brightly vivid bloom and the earth is teeming with life. A boring drive down the streets turns into a thrill as you oooh and aaaaah at the splashes of color that nature has strewn about in patches of reds, oranges, yellows and purples. It is such a magical time in the desert! Unfortunately it is not long [View Full Entry]

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Okay, maybe you don't need to walk on fire to live here, but if you're my crazy family you do it for fun. When the weather is cold. Over a bonfire. We drove north to stay with family in Paulden, a place a couple hours north of the Phoenix area, that is pretty much in the middle of nowhere but allows for a bonfire & a large group of people without fear of neighbors complaining of noise. Jeff joined all of my mom's cousins as they took their turn at tempting the flames as they hastily walked across the fire numerous [View Full Entry]

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We went on a trip again with my mom. This time was a quick drive over to the L.A. area for multiple purposes. The first reason was to visit my aunt (mom's sis), and her family. My cousin had a gymnastic meet and this was the perfect opportunity to finally watch her in action. Honestly, we weren't sure how we'd fare during the meet, but were all equally entertained & surprised at how great of a time we had! It was fantastic finally seeing the family--it had been years! And watching the gymnastic meet was pretty inspiring. Seeing as though we [View Full Entry]

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Venice, Crystal River & Orlando. That's what this trip entailed. When we signed up for our phone service a year prior, they had a one day special. That special was that if you signed up for service, faithfully paid your bills, then in a year you would get a free plane ticket. We may not always be frugal, but we love free stuff! Who doesn't? With the free ticket you could choose from a number of destinations. We opted for Florida because Jeff's grandparents live there plus we wanted to act like children for a day in Orlando. After landing in [View Full Entry]

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