Arizona:
Was it hot? Ha. We actually went during a record heat wave. After this trip I feel as if I know Arizona like the back of my hand. During the seven days we were there we put over 2,000 miles on our rental car (don’t tell Thrifty Rental Cars). We landed in Phoenix as the temperatures rose to 115+ degrees and then started our trek to Sedona, roughly a two hour car ride from Phoenix airport.
Cacti.
Everywhere.
That’s all I have to say about Phoenix.
Our first adventure was the Grand Canyon. And let me tell you here first, hiking the Grand Canyon is not for the faint of heart (literally, I do not recommend hiking the Grand Canyon if you have a weak heart—just ask our friend Menna)! We hiked around three miles, in 104 degree weather, with backpacks full of water and hearts full of joy! Everywhere you look is breathtaking (I cannot stress how literally I mean this, we were LABORING for air).
We traveled with five of our closest friends, Kaitlyn, Collin, Menna, Ja'shon, and Jason. Some of us were more impressed with the Grand Canyon than others.
Collin, my brother, said “there’s too much air.”
All you nerds out there probably know what he means—the canyon is full of this haze (air) that prevents you from seeing things clearly (bad resolutions for the eyes) and my brother was disappointed by its abundance.
Our next adventure was the Palatki heritage site. We HIGHLY recommend this site, the guides are absolutely amazing, full of knowledge, and genuinely happy to be teaching.
From there we made our first attempt at hiking Cathedral Rock but were turned around due to thunderstorms.
The following day all of the ladies awoke for a sunrise hike of the Birthing Cave. This hiking experience is one of my favorite memories, ever. We made it to our destination by flipping a coin. We were lost, hot, scared of coyotes, and sleep deprived—so we flipped a coin to decide our next turn. It just so happened to take us to where we had been meaning to go. The energy of the cave was incandessant and the views were unreal.
The rest of the day consisted of the Devils Bridge hike and a Sedona pink Jeep tour. Shoutout to our Jeep driver Vince for taking one of the best pictures!
The following day we left Arizona and started our journey to the Four Corners. One thing about Miki and I—we work smarter not harder.
On our way to the Four Corners we stopped at Marble Canyon and Glenn Canyon. Both were very accessible for those who are not able to hike!
Our last Arizona adventure was a sunrise hike of Cathedral Rock. We just had to go back and finish it!
Arizona was one of the best times I’ve ever had. It was an honor to create some of my now best memories surrounded by people I love.
The Four Corners:
As previously stated, Miki and I work smarter not harder. Just a four and a half hour car ride from Sedona, Arizona is The Four Corners National Monument. This monument is the only area in the United States that is shared by four states: Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. So obviously we drove the four and a half hours and now we got four for the price of one!
The road to the four corners was beautiful… for the first two hours… then it just got repetitive.
We passed several Native American Reservations and were astounded by the profound darkness that consumes the desert at night. The stars, even from within the car, were spectacular. Never have I seen a night sky so lit up while being so dark.
Fun fact: Arizona is the darkest state!
Las Vegas:
Where do I even begin with Vegas?
It is important to note that at this point of the trip we were all incredibly tired and working on fumes.
None the less, Vegas did not disappoint.
Las Vegas was a five hour car ride from Sedona and I hated it. I wouldn’t do it again even if you paid me. It’s just sand and sand and more sand. It makes you feel as if you are driving on a treadmill.
The weather was no joke, 117 degrees and you can feel it. Dry heat or not it’s nearly unbearable. We would walk around outside for maybe ten minutes and then we would seek respite in one of the fancy hotels. Our favorite was the Bellagio. They had an inside garden and my favorite part they had places to sit with air conditioning.
We ended the night with Miki losing some money for her dad and then started our trek back to Sedona.
Las Vegas seems like such a fun time and we will have to go back to get the full experience. We were just too tired to fully enjoy it!
Now for the fun part. Have our favorites changed?
Yes.
And we no longer agree.
Miki’s Top Cities:
Sedona, AZ
Astoria, OR
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Durham, NC
Robyn’s Top Cities:
Astoria, OR
Sedona, AZ
Boston, MA
Atlanta, GA
Philadelphia, PA
Miki’s Favorite State:
Arizona
Robyn’s Favorite State:
Oregon
States Miki is most excited for:
Hawaii & Wyoming
States Robyn is most excited for:
Montana, Wyoming, Hawaii & Alaska
I’ll leave you all with one last favorite. So far the West Coast is wiping the floor with the East Coast in regards to coffee. Petition to bring Dutch Bros to the East!
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