Following are some of the photos from our first trip to the Grand Canyon.
We started in Scottsdale, Arizona for some Spring Training baseball with our friends Neil and Abby.
Then, Jim and I took a morning trip to the Grand Canyon, followed by an afternoon drip to Sedona, Arizona for some offroading in Jeeps.
Overall, it was a fun trip!
Sunny Skies & Palm Trees Everywhere
While in Phoenix, Arizona for a couple of Cubs Spring Training baseball games, we stayed at the Doubletree Hotel. Here, we’re standing on the balcony at the hotel, with Arizona palm trees behind us.
…But Where’s The Desert???
Abby was on a mission to find “the desert”… We drove for miles in every direction, but never came across the desert — as we had imagined it would be, anyway. In fact, it was quite rainy in the desert while we were there, so everything was really green and flowery.
Kokopelli’s Everywhere!
En route to the Grand Canyon for our day-trip from Phoenix, we spotted the “World’s Largest Kokopelli” near Sedona.
Huge Statue Of Kokopelli
Everywhere you turn in Arizona, there’s a ton of Kokopelli souvenirs. He’s quite the “dude” around there!
Kokopelli’s Green With Envy
Don’t ask me why, but all these Kokopelli’s took on a distinctly different look when you manipulate the shading via PhotoShop. I thought they looked cool…
This Guy Helps Ya Get Pregnant?
Did you know that Kokopelli is known as the god of fertility? For me, it was somewhat interesting to happen upon the World’s Largest Kokopelli. Especially after my hairdresser (who has 3 kids) just told me that her advice for me getting pregnant was to “find something with Kokopelli on it.” She said, “You know, that god of fertility creature. It just so happened that every time I conceived there was one around. When I told my friends who were having difficulty conceiving to go find something Kokopelli, they ended up getting pregnant too!”
UPDATE: I can testify to the fact that Kokopelli’s magical powers had no affect on me. We bought 2 Kokopelli items as souvenirs from our trip to Arizona (a cast iron candle holder and a tiny Kokopelli figurine. We had been trying to get pregnant for several years. But it didn’t work for us. We must have bigger issues than the mighty Kokopelli could handle!
Winter Driving Conditions… In Arizona!
No wonder we couldn’t find the desert anywhere! Actually, the farther north we drove from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon, the higher the elevation got. The highest we got was 7,350 feet above sea level! This was March 6, 2005. What a surprise when we went from 50 or 60 degrees just down the road at the “World’s Largest Kokopelli” to THIS: an Arizona Blizzard! It was a terrible snow storm that struck completely out of the blue. Guess they’re somewhat prepared for it though… they had this sign to give us a heads up.
Snow Plows Saved The Day
We were halfway from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. As soon as the snow fell (like a blanket!), we realized that we were 7,350 feet above sea level… on a twisty moutain road UP! And we began to fear our drive back down that hill. We almost turned around. Until we finally spotted a whole fleet of snow plows. It seems they’re very well equipped for sudden snow storms like this.
Sign To The Grand Canyon
The snow-covered sign we spotted on the way to the Grand Canyon. This is the closest we’ve come to the classic “Route 66”. (Maybe next year…)
Check Out The Rack On These Two!
Driving from Scottsdale, Arizona to the Grand Canyon, we passed this truck. At first we thought, “Is that a rocking chair in the back of that truck?” As we got closer we noticed those were the antlers of 2 Elk that these hunters got. (By the way, they don’t have “deer crossing” signs in Arizona. They have “elk crossing” signs instead.)
Our Chevy Chase Vacation Moment
We knew we barely had any time to spend at the Grand Canyon, so if we at least wanted to catch a glimpse of this natural wonder, we had to leave our hotel at 3:00 in the morning and drive straight there… take our photo… and leave! We had an appointment back in Sedona for 11:00 a.m. The surprise blizzard, and the fact that we were so tired & had to stop for a nap didn’t help matters any. Oh well, we got what we wanted: Our “Chevy Chase” Kodak moment.
Standing At The South Rim Of The Grand Canyon
This was the only view of the Grand Canyon that we had time for on this day. It’s the first stop you come to after entering the National Park — called Mather Point at the South Rim. First, we had someone take our “Chevy Chase” photo, then we turned around and took this photo with the Grand Canyon behind us.
This, My Friends, Is The Grand Canyon!
It was a very dreary morning at the Grand Canyon — March 6, 2005. This was as good as it got at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. As soon as we wrapped up our little photo session, the clouds came barreling in, and we were thankful that we managed to snap the photos we did!
A Series Of Peaks & Valleys
Despite the poor visibility, the Grand Canyon is still one of the most fascinating scenes in the world!
Today’s Conditions: Poor Visibility
This was the last picture we snapped before the thick clouds and rain gathered overhead. You could bare even tell there was a Grand Canyon down there!
A Night On The Town In Scottsdale
After our day at the Grand Canyon and Sedona 4wheeling, we met up with Neil & Abby that evening for a night on the town in Scottsdale, Arizona. We had dinner at The Pink Pony (though the atmosphere is more exciting than the food). Then we had drinks at Patty’s (a sports bar of sorts).
As a lifelong traveler, I like to help people find unique ways to do things that will save time & money — so I write about "outside the box" Travel Hacks that most wouldn't think of. I'm SUPER organized and I love to pack! I've lived in 6 different states (Florida, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas) and have visited every other state in the U.S. — except Hawaii. (Can you say bucket list?) I've been on several different cruises, airplanes, and boats in my life and I currently enjoy the outdoors by bicycling, motorcycling, Jeeping, RVing, camping, or just walking my dogs. My favorite "hobby" is riding on the back of our Harley-Davidson Road Glide traveling cross country — which we usually do at least once each year. We even rode from Tennessee to Alaska once! When I'm not on the road, you will find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
