Arizona Day 4: Ahh, there’s the Sedona I’ve Heard About!

Posted in Travel, Vacations by Marci

Sunday was our last full day in Sedona – so sad! However, we still did have a full day to enjoy. We decided to go on a short hike, because how can you go to Sedona and not hike on the red rocks? AND, the weather was still sunny and in the mid-70’s – so perfect (especially after having spent a few months in the cold, rainy, cloudy Pacific Northwest). We ended up near the Sedona Airport, in the Brewer Trail / Coconino and Yavapai Loop area. We hiked up to a couple of vista points and greatly enjoyed the scenery!

And…here we go. We rounded a curve in the trail and found a group of people meditating to the sounds of a Native American beating a drum. Rich white new-age people crack me up.

We had such a great little vacation. It was a fantastic way to celebrate my birthday, and Valentine’s Day, and beat the Seasonal Affective Disorder blues. We’re back in Vancouver now, but I’ll always have a bazillion pictures to look at (even if they all look mostly the same!). Cha cha cha!

24Feb2014

Arizona Day 3: Sedona by Surprise!

Posted in Travel, Vacations by Marci

Selfies with pink javelinas in uptown Sedona!

Ahhhhh – now we’re really getting into vacation time. Thursday and Friday were awesome, but we had to get up pretty early in the morning so that we could put our vacation plans into action. But Saturday, my friends, was time for relaxation…AND MORE ADVENTURE!!!! Although, when we woke up, we didn’t know exactly where the day would take us.

The first stop for me was at the spa, where I got an amazing custom facial. And it wasn’t just a regular facial (ok, get your mind out of the gutter!), but it was like a facial with bonus massages. While various goops were moisturizing my skin, the therapist massaged my arms, hands, shoulders, and then gave me a scalp massage so relaxing that I was just on the verge of sleep. Then, I went to get a long pedicure that included a hot stone massage for my feet and legs. I was so relaxed from my facial treatment that I just wanted to go back to the room and take a nap. But I suffered through my pedicure to the very end (ok, I’ll admit it – I can be a touch spoiled!). Seriously though, it was all very relaxing and I felt very pampered.

So now on to the good stuff that might interest you! We wandered up to Main Street for some lunch (meh) and walked around a bit. On our meanderings, we stopped in at a little tourism outfit that was giving great rates on SEDONA HELICOPTER TOURS!!! YESSSS!!! All the helicopter tours!!! We opted for the “Hog Wild” tour, which basically combined their two shorter tours into an hour-long flight. They even picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the airport and back. I knew that I wanted to see all the red rocks surrounding Sedona, and this is one of the best ways to do it! Are you ready for some pictures and another video clip? Here you go:

(with bonus helicopter blade blur)

The pictures don’t really capture how amazing the valley is, in terms of its colors and vastness. I guess to really get a flavor for what the ride was like, you should probably watch this video clip. We were able to get really close to the rock formations and swoop through the canyons, which was a little different from the Grand Canyon tour because at the Grand Canyon we had to stay above a certain elevation. But in Sedona, there were no regulations like that – my favorite parts of the flight were Secret Canyon and Boynton Canyon – we even saw some cliff dwelling ruins. I highly recommend seeing Sedona by helicopter!

20Feb2014

Arizona Day 2: The Grand Canyon (Kind of Subjective, Yes?)

Posted in Travel, Vacations by Marci

Now, don’t get me wrong – I think the Grand Canyon is pretty friggin’ spectacular. And I also think it has definitely earned its place on the 7 Natural Wonders of the World list. I’m just saying, “grand” is kind of subjective, and it could be a perspective that some people might not necessarily agree with. I, however, am not one of those people.

Yay Grand Canyon!!! Bright and early, we headed northwest from Sedona up to the South Rim for our Valentine’s Day adventure. Chris had never seen the canyon before, but it was on his bucket list, so we wanted to do it right. And you know what that means…

HELICOPTER RIDE!!!

And neither of us had ever been on a helicopter, so that was a first for both of us. The most fantastic part of the ride was flying about 100′ over a flat expanse of Ponderosa pines, and then all of a sudden we were flying 100′ PLUS another few thousand feet above the ground! The helicopter stayed level, but of course, our stomachs dropped (along with our jaws). I managed to take some video of the flight, which also features me acting like a complete spaz (as per usual, so don’t be surprised):

(REALLY??? Out of all the screen shots that could’ve represented this clip, THIS picture was the one selected??? REALLY?????)

Me and Chris in the helicopter!

After the flight, we stopped off at some of the view points to take a look around from the ground (and to collect a few stamps for my National Parks passport, which I actually forgot at home – d’oh!). All of the views were spectacular, and they all looked something like this:

It is amazing how the brain can barely process the visual field of depth of the Grand Canyon – when you’re looking at that much space in front of you, it’s hard to believe that you’re not looking at a photograph or a painting. It hardly seems real! Of course, we had to take a gazillion pictures, even though they all kind of look the same, and a picture will rarely ever do the real thing any amount of justice. But I can show them all to you, just let me know if you want to see them (j/k!). I won’t torture you with all of them right now, but here are a couple of my favorites:

By the time we made it back to Sedona, the sun was on its way down and we were ready for our Valentine’s Day dinner (which was delicious – we both had the lobster). I hope that you had a pleasant VD experience, and are looking forward to hearing about the rest of our mini-vacation in Arizona! More to come soon…

16Feb2014

Vancouver in February? Screw That! Hellooo, Arizona!

Posted in Animals, Non-cats, Travel, Vacations by Marci

February is the PERFECT time to escape the Pacific Northwest. It’s rainy, overcast, gray, possibly snowy (or slushy, more likely) and you’re probably itching to see the sun right about now. Seasonal Affective Disorder makes me so SAD!!! So, why not go somewhere warm and sunny? It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, AND I’m turning 40 later this month, so Chris and I decided to turn mid-February into a Sunny-VD-BD Extravaganza by heading out to Sedona, Arizona!

I did a lot of hiking, camping and backpacking in the arid desert canyon-country parts of the US while I was in grad school (Fort Collins, CO, by the way) and I haven’t seen these parts in YEARS. I really miss the desert – as I biologist I’m completely fascinated by how various life forms have evolved and adapted to survive in such a harsh environment. Further, the rock formations make you feel like you’re on a completely different planet. So, I’m very excited to get back to the desertish parts of the country and enjoy the sun, fresh air, and warm temperatures! Happy birthday to ME!

We left EARLY on Thursday morning, flying out from Portland, stopping in Phoenix, and arriving in Flagstaff. We picked up a car and decided to eat lunch at MartAane’s Burrito Palace, which was AMAZING…if you like BLTs and grilled cheese sandwiches and guacamole, the Ultimate BLT is for you. I highly recommend the curly fries, as well. And a strange aside, they DO NOT offer diet soda! Oh well, I’m on vacation, right? Yum!

The smallest baggage claim ever, discovered at the Flagstaff Airport.

I ate this whole thing. Do I regret it? My answer is no. I know you are jealous.

MartAnne’s – Amazing artwork by Emma Gardner graces the walls.

We had some time to kill before our hotel room was going to be ready, so we headed over to Williams and spent a couple of hours at Bearizona, where you can ride an open-air bus (or drive your own car, should you wish to exercise that particular insurance risk) around the park and see wolves, bears, sheep, buffalo and all sorts of other critters. We had a good time feeding the goats in the Bearizona Barn Yard, but watch your fingers! Chris almost came away with only nine of his!

Just a few pictures of Bearizona…if you request them, I can send you about 200 more. Lemme know.

Finally, we headed down 89A through Oak Creek Canyon and arrived in Sedona at the Amara Hotel. Just in time for sunset. Just in time for desert and drinks (the Almond Joy actually does taste like Almond Joy candy bars, and I had to get three of them just to make sure that this assessment was correct). What will the rest of this vacation bring? You’ll just have to wait for the next installment to find out!

11Nov2012

Hello, 2008 – Remember Me?

Posted in Friends and Family, Me Me Me!, Travel, Vacations by Marci

Wow – I’m FINALLY done with a scrapbook about the backpacking trip that Cecily and I took to Arizona’s Chiricahua wilderness area back in November 2008. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, obviously, so I’m happy that it is done! If you’re so inclined, take a look and see what I was up to (ahem) four years ago this month!