Our Visit with Dennis & Ashley Part 1: Sedona, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon

For our first 100+ degree weekend in Arizona (last weekend), we headed north. Saturday morning after an early start (Dennis and Ashley woke up at 6:30 am because of the time change), Dennis, Ashley and I went to a bagel place for breakfast while Mark slept for a little while longer. When we got back, Mark was talking to our neighbor Aaron to see if he would feed and walk Bentley while we were gone. After that was all figured out, we took Bentley on her daily prairie dog hunt and came back to the house to pack for our overnight trip.

We finally got on the road to Sedona around noon and stopped for lunch. Our first sight seeing stop was to the Sedona airport to see a panoramic view of Sedona. After that, we drove to the Devil's Bridge trailhead. Up we hiked - about 400 feet up and almost a mile each way. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Dennis and Ashley on the bridge because they didn't want to walk across it.

Mark and I continued to hike up a little further to this knob we had seen last time we were up there.

Mark from the bottom side of the knob

Me on the other side of the ledge

Rock formation - this one wasn't built by a hiker

The view from the top

Mark and the knob that he had to hike up to

Wearing the knob as a big hat

Then we met back up with Dennis and Ashley at the bridge and hiked down below it for even more pictures. Of course, Mark had to go off on his own and hike up the side of a rock.

Dennis and Ashley hiking down

Dennis & Ashley under the Bridge

Devil's Bridge

 

Mark hiking/climbing up the side of a rock

And then him hanging out on the ledge he was climbing to

After we got back in the car, we took them to the Chapel of the Holy Cross - this is the same church we went to with Robert and Carolyn. We decided to take the scenic route to Flagstaff. It was beautiful. The temperature dropped 10 - 20 degrees as we were driving through a pine tree forest. We drove past Slide Rock State Park 25 miles south of Flagstaff. This is apparently a very popular spot in the hot Arizona summers. There were tons of people camping on the riverside already.

We kept driving and Dennis was adamant that it was just the type of place Big Foot would live - squatchy as he kept saying.. We never saw him but we did get to see (and unfortunately smell) a dead elk on the side of the road. I would have much rather seen a live one but that thing was HUGE. It must have been a male elk.

As we drove into Flagstaff, we drove under I-40 (a road I haven't seen since we left Winston in January) and checked into our hotel, the Courtyard Mariott. After showers for all, we decided to try a local brewery in downtown Flagstaff - Lumberyard Brewing Company. Dinner was delicious, as were the beers and the banana pudding for dessert.

We got up Sunday morning and left the hotel around 9 headed toward the Grand Canyon. We got there around 11 and we're pleasantly surprised to find that since it was Earth Day, we got in for FREE! Typically it cost $25 for passenger vehicles but this whole week it's free for everyone. Score! First stop, the visitors center. After lathering up with sunscreen, we stopped in the visitors center and then made our way to the rim. It was awesome. Dennis and I both have been before but it's been about 20 years since either of us came. It was Mark and Ashley's first time. We got off the trail a few time and wandered down into the canyon on little trails. Since pictures show it so much better than words...

On the drive from Flagstaff

On the drive from Flagstaff

We finally made it!!!

Entrance to the park

One of the California Condors - a vulture

The Grand Canyon

Mark down on some rocks just below the rim

There Mark goes again, jumping off the side of a mountain

Sitting on a rock overlooking the Grand Canyon

Mark, me, Ashley and Dennis enjoying the Grand Canyon

A close-up of the side of the canyon wall

Dennis and Ashley at the Grand Canyon

We did get to see Woodsy the owl at one of the overlooks with his "I give a hoot, don't pollute" t-shirt on.

Met and Mark with Woodsy

Ashley and Woodsy; Dennis didn't want in the picture

After walking around the rim a while at the visitors center, we got back in the car and got some lunch before heading east along the rim of the canyon. We saw what we have decided were female elk and then several Mule Deer. 

Male elk, I think

Female elk

Elk crossing the road

Mule deer, I think

We stopped several times before getting to the last stop before exiting the park - the Watchtower - where we climbed the 85 steps for the 360 degree view of the canyon. 

More of the Grand Canyon

Mark climbing another rock

The Watchtower

Last stop at the Grand Canyon

And there is the Colorado River again

We finally hit the road again around 4:30 and got back to Phoenix around 7:30. We decided to get dinner at SmashBurger on the way home so we didn't piss Bentley off even more when we left for dinner since there was no one cooking for us at home. And we even got to drive on I-40 again...made me feel close to home :)

After leaving the park

The other side of the road

Driving down I-40

Bentley did fairly well for her first overnight at home alone EVER. We talked to Aaron on our way home Sunday and she apparently was pretty pouty while we were gone. She didn't come down to greet him when he came Saturday evening for dinner. He found her on the couch in our bedroom. He tried to take her for a walk but only got her as far as the fence before she wouldn't go any further. Then he tried to give her a raw hide - her favorite - and she wouldn't eat it. She didn't pass up the cookie though. She did eat her meals so that's a good thing. He came by Sunday morning and she had moved from the couch to the pillows on our bed and she wouldn't even get off the bed, although she did whine in greeting. When we got home, she came down yelling at us. Then we gave her a rawhide and she ate it right up and then proceeded to find the one Aaron had given her and ate it too. I guess she deserved them both.

Hopefully come May when we come to NC, she'll figure out it's better to just go on the walk with Aaron (who will be checking in on her). She just doesn't quite realize that she'd much prefer that to being cooped up in a kennel with lots of other dogs around - seeing that she thinks she's human and all. 

Speaking of us coming to NC in May, Mark and I both bought our tickets home for Ryan and Susan's wedding. Mark flies in on Monday, May 14 and I get in on Thursday, May 17 and we both leave on Tuesday, May 22. YAY!!!

Stay tuned - I'll try to post about the rest of Dennis & Ashley's visit tomorrow.