Vacation: Arizona

Shari and I recently took a trip to Phoenix, Arizona to visit her family at her parents’ vacation home. What a fun and beautiful trip it was. Here are some pics from our visit.

01_Shari_CactiShari blending in with nature.

02_Cacti_LakeA saguaro cactus at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Those things are BIG!

03_Shari_patting_cactusShari patting cactus on the head.

04_SedonaNot much going on in Phoenix so we moved onto Sedona.

05_Mountain_Climbing_MG_1876While in Sedona we did a lot of hiking. On one of the hikes, Clay, his friend Peter, and I all decided to leave the trail and scale this mountain. Man was it hard but exciting and worth it. We went up the right and back down the left. The circle is where we had lunch.

06_Mountain_BrushThis is the thick-ass brush we had to climb through to get to the top.

07_Cactus_Closeup_MG_1583On the way up I decided to stick my head into one of these guys. I recommend trying to avoid this. I was picking needles out of my skull all day and night.

08_Mountain_Top_MG_1854The climb was well worth it. It was an amazing view. The arrow is pointing to Peter out on the ledge where we had lunch. We were up so high that the helicopters were flying below us through the canyon.

09_Church_MG_1802I’m not religious but I had to post a picture of the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

10_Chaple_Mountain_MG_1891Cathedral rock

11_Walnut_Canyon_MG_1914The last day, Shari and I decided to head north of Sedona and go check out Walnut Canyon just outside of Flagstaff. The Sinagua people lived on these cliffs between approximately 500 AD and 1425 AD.

12_Peublo_Ruins_MG_1936We then headed a little further north to go check out the Wupatki National Monument. This is where the Sinagua people later moved to after they left the cliff dewellings at Walnut Canyon.

Shari and I had an amazing time spending time with her family and hiking around Arizona. We will definitely be back.