Blogs from Arizona, United States, North America - page 274

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Up early to join our day trip tour to the Grand Canyon. On the way we took in sights of the awesome Hoover Dam and Joshua trees. But no photos or words could prepare you for the grand Grand Canyon. So much so it brought tears to Gemma's eyes, so emotional was it to see it for the first time. We were on the west side of the canyon, which allowed us to see the other side, being only a mile and a half across, the Colorado river below and the 4000 feet drop (equivalent to more than 2 CN Towers). The effect this place has on you is amazing, one minute you are awake with the sight of the place eager to try and capture the size and beauty, the next you are sat ... read more
The Grand Canyon
The calming effect
...for both of us

North America » United States » Arizona » Lake Powell August 15th 2006

Today I drove another group of lucky buggers to Page for a rafting trip. But then I continued on to Lake Powell and made a lucky bugger of myself! It is so nice there! White sandy beaches, warm blue water and sunshine! Just what I needed to make a few hours seem like a few minutes. I went to Lone Rock Beach, within the Lake Powell National Recreation Area. Lone Rock is named after the... ahem... lone rock pictured. Kim Jon Il was sitting on top singing "I'm so rone-RY!" I was amazed by the water here. After seeing nothing but the muddy, freezing cold Colorado for the last six months I seriously felt like I was in Bora Cay when I got to the beach. Well, I don't have a whole lot to say, so ... read more
Agua Tibia
Beach Camping
Parting Shot


What an amazing day... We started our day at the south rim of the canyon with a helicopter ride. (Thanks for the advice mom and dad) This was an amazing experience that no one should miss out on. Truely amazing! We rode in a helicpoter with 3 other people, who were French. They had no idea we understood everything they were saying, so this added to the amuzement of the ride. After our helicopter ride we proceeded to the south rim where we rock climbed a bit, and had lunch. Then back into the FJ and off to the north rim for a glass of wine while we watched the sunset. Although the Grand Canyon is only 11 miles wide, the drive from the south rim to the north rim is 237 miles. You will not ... read more
The Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
The Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
The Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

North America » United States » Arizona » Tucson August 12th 2006

Ever been to the Sonoran Desert? You know, those funny looking cacti with arms that stick out all over the place? Ever so expressive... This trip to Tucson was part of a larger 10 state road trip that Scott and I embarked on this summer. We drove here from Boulder, CO and visited places like the Desert Museum and camped at Mesa Verde. My absolute favorite thing growing in this part of the world is the barrel cactus. It blooms these miniature pineapple-looking fruits and has bright flowers. Someone mentioned that if you took a machete to it in the middle it would gush water everywhere - apparently it has a good water cylinder in its body. We started our Mata Ortiz pottery collection on this trip. If you've never heard of Mata Ortiz, it's an ... read more
Scott and his Mom, Barbara
...the Saguaro!
Cliff Dwellings

North America » United States » Arizona » Sedona August 12th 2006

That's what you get when you hike in Sedona. Today was another day of "hard" work driving people around and just generally having fun. It was a private trip, so for once the occupants of the good ol' rec van were not at my mercy. Rather, I was at theirs. But a merciful bunch they were. We were on the hunt for food, so we stopped at a shopping center on the outskirts of Sedona, only to find that eveything edible cost as much as your average college education. So the members of the party had to content themselves with molesting a nearby collection of nude statues, which they did with a disturbing relish. After picking up some picnicky goods at Basha's, we proceeded to search for Cathedral Rock, which my patrons wanted to hike up ... read more
Crossing Cottonwood Creek
Creepy Crawler
Gnarly Tree

North America » United States » Arizona » Phoenix August 10th 2006

Phoenix: a disappointment.... we found that Phoenix didn't have much to offer for visitors. A big airport and many modern building and resorts.... not quite we were expecting. We however went to a place called Organ Stop Pizza. It is a restaurant that is home to one of the biggest organs in the world. You listen to it as you eat your...pizza. Isn't that very sophisticated? It was actually a lot of fun! the next morning we went on the Apache Trail. It used to be a trail the indians used, then a road was built near it following the trail closely. It is a single lane dirt road winding through the mountains where you can see awesome cacti and plants. It was one of the most beautiful scenic routes we took. ... read more
The Apache Trail
The Apache Trail
The Apache Trail


Our final day in Vegas arrived on Saturday the 5th of August and we decided to head to some more factory outlets. On the way we had to drop into Moturis as the tyre on one of the bikes was flat. After a short chat we left with a new bike (fortunately a female one this time) and drove to the factory outlets. Once again Shane showed his true form by purchasing many things in the few hours we were there and Chris managed to restrain herself yet again. We both have been extremely surprised so far with the price of clothes at the factory outlets. Shane bought 2 pairs of boardshorts and 2 pairs of Calvin Klein jeans for US$30 and US$25 respectively. Chris finally dragged Shane out of the outlet centre and we headed ... read more
Grand Canyon
Chris and Shane at the Grand Canyon
Santa Fe Houses


The petrified forest was just amazing... we'll let the pictures speak for themselves! All the logs you see are actually stone, thus the name petrified forest. They are 225 million years old.... this place used to be a sub tropical forest!... read more
The continental divide
Arizona scenery
The petrified forest


Me: I've never been on a trail with such a good view. Ted: David. We're on the Grandview Trail. Me: I'm... I'm just gonna stop talking now. Ted: That's good. Such was the conversational fare as I descended three miles to Horseshoe Mesa via the Grandview Trail on Sunday evening. Around 5:30 P.M. that day, I had been walking home, thoroughly exhausted, when my friend Ted pulled up alongside me in his truck, rolled down the window, and asked "Do you want to go hiking?" I thought for a moment about the kicks I'd taken to my legs and knees the day before in kickboxing. I thought about the hour I'd spent in the gym that morning working my legs. I thought about the hour I'd spent running three miles on the Bright Angel Trail. I ... read more
Photo Op
Rain on the East Rim
Sunset from the trail

North America » United States » Arizona » Tucson August 6th 2006

I flew into tucson arizona on tuesday, a nice trip except the fact i sat in the very last row of my two log legs of the flight. and the 7 hour layover in chicago. slept on the floor of the airport with all these people walking over me. i was laughing at myself. i decided something along the way. jet travel goes faster than the soul. thats what jet-lag is. the soul is tugging on the body, the body is all confused for that reason. looking at people in planes is funny because they all look like they are still tethered to the earth for the first couple of hours and then start to look more and more like corpses. its in that half-corpse state though that you can really relax, listen to some jazz ... read more




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