Arizona Adventure - Desert, Rocks and Sun

This was my one and only trip in 2024, and it was awesome! When winter gets you down, where do you head? Somewhere warmer, of course. I picked Arizona since I'd never been, it was nice and toasty in February, and I got to go with someone super special to me. I didn't go solo on this trip, but for privacy, I won't mention her name.

The trip kicked off with the infamous Flair Airlines, known for its delays. We were aiming to catch a 6:15 am flight, waking up at 3:30 am on February 12, 2024. Just as I was heading out, my Samsung phone buzzed with an alert: the flight was pushed to 10 am. Seriously? I could have slept in! But I was too pumped for the trip to let it get me down. We finally took off at noon, and props to the cabin crew—they stayed upbeat, with the head stewardess cracking jokes about Flair's usual delays. It was kind of weird to hear her poke fun at her own airline, but she was just trying to keep us all in good spirits. Once we were airborne, the views from the window were stunning. We soared over snow-capped mountains, deep valleys, flat grasslands, and as we approached Phoenix, the desert's yellow, brown, and red hues. Landing in Phoenix, the flat desert stretched out as far as the eye could see. After checking how to get to our Airbnb in Tempe, we realized public transit wasn't gonna cut it. With all the places we wanted to hit up, renting a car was the way to go. So, we swung by the airport’s Enterprise Rent-a-Car and picked out a massive SUV (the Nissan Armada) to cruise down Arizona's wide roads and highways. Our adventure had three main stops. We kicked things off in Tempe, made several trips into Phoenix for a botanical garden, some awesome food spots, and an NBA game, then headed north to Flagstaff, and finally made our way to a ranch in Sedona.

Here are the stops, attractions, and places we checked out:

1. Walmart—who in North America hasn't heard of it? We stopped by to grab some groceries so we could cook our own meals at the Airbnb. It was super important to save cash for gas, other attractions, and any shopping we wanted to do.

2. Celaya Park - a quick 10-minute trip from where we were staying. As someone who loves parks and green spaces, I was thrilled to discover it. The park had a huge playground with a rubber surface, a full-sized cement basketball court, and a full-sized soccer field. It was a bummer we didn't bring any balls to play with or kick around.

3. The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix - we totally lucked out because it was their monthly Community Day. Every second Tuesday of the month, you can get in for FREE! We saw all sorts of cacti, from gigantic ones that towered over me to tiny ones that looked like baby Groot from Marvel. My favorites were the golden barrel cacti (check out the middle picture below).

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

4. At the Footprint Centre, the Phoenix Suns faced off against the Sacramento Kings in a division showdown. The Suns pulled off a 130-125 win at home. Even though Domantas Sabonis put on a show with a triple-double, Malik Monk wowed everyone with his acrobatic plays, and De'Aaron Fox had some explosive finishes, the Suns kept it tight all game. In the 4th quarter, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant stepped up to secure a hard-fought victory for the home team.

   
   
   

   
   
   

5. The Sedona Ranch - tucked away down a dirt road off highway 89A, this place was in the middle of the desert, but the AirBnB had everything we needed. It came with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a cozy living room. There was a bookshelf packed with all sorts of books and a couple of board games too. We whipped up a simple dinner, had a blast playing a board game called the Misery Index, and just enjoyed hanging out together. It was the most peaceful half day I've ever had. Outside, there was a medicine wheel, a spot for bocce ball, and amazing views of the Sedona red rocks in the distance.

6. The Chapel of the Holy Cross - a quick 10-minute drive south of Sedona and it's the top tourist spot in the area. I didn't dig deep into its history or significance, but wow, the views are out of this world! Everywhere you turn, there are stunning red rock formations. It's a must-see for the amazing views and photo ops, and it's worth checking out if you're curious about its background too.

   
   

Food places to visit:

1. YC's Mongolian BBQ in Tempe - this spot was amazing. The hostess told us to pack as much food as we could into our tin bowl. They even gave us wax paper to separate and press down the ingredients. If you haven't tried Mongolian BBQ before, you're basically making your own stir fry. You pick your meats, veggies, and spices, then hand your bowl to the chef who cooks it up for you. They also had unlimited white rice, crispy wontons, and two frozen yogurt machines. See picture on the left at the end of this blog.

2. The Original Carolina's Mexican Food - a family-run spot in Phoenix that dished out real-deal Mexican eats. We swung by for some breakfast burritos, and even though the place looked a bit shabby, the food was amazing. It didn't take us long to realize that Arizona has some seriously top-notch Mexican food.

3. Agave - a Mexican spot in Flagstaff where you can order any Mexican dish you crave! I tried their shredded beef burrito, and it was packed with red sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, guacamole, sour cream, rice, and beans.

4. Tortas de Fuego - this awesome Mexican spot in Sedona. I tried the Fuego Quesadilla (check out the pic below) – it’s packed with pork chorizo, grilled steak, ham, pineapple, bacon, bell peppers, Oaxaca cheese, and grilled onions. Totally epic!

5. Ollie Vaughn's - a brunch diner in Phoenix. I treated myself to some lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote, whipped butter, almond frangipane crumble, and maple syrup.

   
   

Overall, this trip was a perfect 10/10 because it had a bit of everything. It's been almost a year since then, and I haven't traveled since. I'm really eager to explore somewhere new in 2025. Hopefully, it happens sooner rather than later!