So, I’d like to tell you that we’ve seen Phoenix… But we really haven’t. We booked a resort to stay in for our last night of the trip in Tempe, and as much as we planned to go rove around the city, the 100 degree weather and great pool sucked us in. We quickly found ourselves lounging in the heat, eating breakfast overlooking the city, and relaxing until our flight home.
But either way, it’s the end of our long weekend getaway, so to wrap up our American Southwest travel:
Spending most of my time being the responsible driver taking care of precious cargo, I let Sandra speak for both of us. However, I figured I would contribute a few closing thoughts on what has been a nice getaway to America…
- The varied landscapes in Utah/Arizona are amazing and I’m sure you could spend more time exploring the area to find hidden gems that we didn’t happen to stumble upon. Zion is a very unique place where we could have spent several more days exploring. We highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the outdoors; just plan ahead and try to secure some permits for the hikes you’re most interested in.
- Having been to a number of US parks now, the best word I have to describe them is “convenient”. Maybe it’s just because we’re used to our parks system which I realize now are primarily wilderness and not much else, but the parks here seem very well developed. There are shuttles to take you to the main sites, “hikes” that are paved, and an abundance of conveniences around every bend (food, washrooms, gift shops, etc.).
- The Grand Canyon is exactly what its name implies. There is no better way to describe the sheer magnitude of this landmark other than that it is very grand. It was so much more than we expected.
- Favorite hike of the trip: The Narrows. This is definitely a unique hike that brings you up close and personal with the canyon. It’s also a unique experience in that you get to hike up the river!
- Total mileage of the trip: over 1800 km. And things are so cheap here! We have spent only $97 on gas and we have managed to live on less than $100 of food (don’t worry we ate plenty due to very healthy portion sizes) for 6 days. Here is our route if you are interested:
- Utah craft beer is not the greatest.
- Recommendations for next time: look into hiking permits in advance (maybe one day we can manage to see The Wave), visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and spend a night in Sedona instead of Flagstaff.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for when the six blondes take over London and Paris; it’s bound to be entertaining…
