Day 11 - Phoenix to the Grand Canyon We left balmy Phoenix this morning for the colder but more beautiful Grand Canyon. As we made our way up I-17 toward Flagstaff we went from cacti everywhere to snow falling in the mountains. Our first stop was to be Sedona for lunch. Unfortunately, we drove by the exit and then realized it about 5 miles later, the next exit not being for another 9 miles! We decided it was worth turning around for and are glad we did. The red rocks of Sedona are spectacular!
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| Red Rocks of Sedona. |
We drove through the cute towns and stopped at a trailhead but decided it was too cold to hike without the proper clothing, which we did not have. So we must come back another time to take advantage of all there is to do in this area. We scouted out a Subway for lunch and pulled into a picturesque parking lot to eat our sandwiches. Cheap with a beautiful view! John and the girls hit the local dollar store for New Year's decorations and the ingredients for Shirley Temples so we could bring in the new year right.
Back on the road for another couple of hours to get to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We got there around 4:00 and were able to see the canyon from the south rim visitor's center. Amazing does not even come close to describing this incredible natural wonder! If it wasn't so cold, I'm sure we would have spent much longer looking at it. Again, we'll need to come back when it's warmer. It's supposed to get down to -2 tonight!
As the sun set, we headed back to the little town of Tusayan to our hotel. We checked in and then went to find dinner. Hmmm. . . not many choices and a number of them were pricey as they had New Year's specials for a night out. We ended up at the Plaza Bonita Family Mexican restaurant. Thankfully, they had something for everyone and it didn't break the bank! Then back to the hotel to watch the ball drop and bring out the party gear! And, I think we'll be calling it a New Year before midnight this year.
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