Travel

990 miles of Cactus

February 20, 2019 892 views
Gump Point, Utah

Washington’s Birthday meant we had a long weekend and a bit of time up our sleeves to go exploring; Arizona had been on my must-see-list ever since we touched down, so we thought no better time for it!

We jetsetted off from NYC to Phoenix in search of cactus, canyons and desert and we were not disappointed. Our itinerary allowed us time to see the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Glen Canyon, Monument Valley and much more of Arizona as we drove for 990 miles (1593.25 km for those playing at home).

Here’s a quick recap of our desert escape. I should let you know that we got super unlucky with the weather. We had initially booked during this time to escape the NYC winter chills. I was ready to get some skin out and get some of that Vitamin D that i’ve been missing so much, but no such luck. At the end of our trip a bartender had told us that he’d never seen anything like the weather we’d had over the last couple of days in the last 40 years. Not to worry though, we saw what we went to go see and it just snowed heavily in between ? currently booking our next summer getaway to get some damn sun.

Day 1: Phoenix to the Grand Canyon
(3.5 hours / 222 miles / 357 km)

Highlights:

  • Single Speed Cafe
  • Thrift Store & More
  • Buying my very own cowboy hat
  • Our Arizona road trip Spotify playlist (which only lasted x1 day)
NYC > Phoenix
Day 1 Route
The Road Trip Begins!
Spotted in Phoenix

Single Speed Cafe doggy treats
Single Speed Cafe Stance on Straws
Single Speed Cafe
We coming!
Fresh outta bacon / cheese flavour crick-ettes
Elk is plentiful
Prickly Pear Chocolate (is quite yum FTR)
Found myself a real cowboy hat. Purchased said cowboy hat. Most of the trip it was too windy to wear the cowboy hat and in addition, I left it in the rental car at the end of the trip. I ran off the bus, back to the car rental area and searched high and low. This had and I have been through a lot together. #worthit

The Grand Hotel at The Grand Canyon
Riding into the weekend like –
Murica
The Grand Hotel at The Grand Canyon Bar

A taste of the midwest
The Grand Hotel at The Grand Canyon

 

Day 2: Grand Canyon to Glen Canyon to Page
(2.5 hours / 137 miles / 220 km)

Highlights:

  • Waking up at 5:30am to chase the sunrise over the Grand Canyon
  • Driving through the Grand Canyon National Park
  • Lower Antelope Canyon expedition
  • Horseshoe Bend
  • Gunfighter Canyon

 

Up at 5:30am to chase the sunrise over the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon

Road Trip Views
Murica
Road Trip
En route to Antelope Canyon
The opening of Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
Horseshoe Bend

 

Day 3: Page to Monument Valley
(2 hours / 122 miles / 126km)

Highlights:

  • Glen Canyon Dam
  • 2 hour horseback ride through Monument Valley lead by a Navajo tribe
  • Sunset over Monument Valley
  • Staying at Goulding’s Lodge and learning about the history of Harry & Mike
The Road Trip Continues!
Courtyard Page at Lake Powell
Courtyard Page at Lake Powell
Glen Canyon Dam
Pretty happy with the cowboy hat, if you can’t tell. Oh. and that the sun came out.
En route from Page to Monument Valley

Crossing over into Utah
Monument Valley – Utah
Monument Valley – Utah
Monument Valley – Utah
Horse riding in Monument Valley – Utah

Monument Valley – Utah
Remi and Zorro
Skye
Skye kept stopping for snacks. We were perfectly matched.
Such a beautiful wild horse ?
Tour Guide
Horseback riding in Monument Valley – Utah
Horseback riding in Monument Valley – Utah
Horseback riding in Monument Valley – Utah
Monument Valley – Utah
Monument Valley – Utah
Monument Valley – Utah
Goulding’s Lodge, Monument Valley (Harry & Mike’s place)
Sunset over Monument Valley
Murica

 

Day 4: Monument Valley to Sedona
(3.5 hours / 201 miles / 323 km)

Highlights:

  • Watching the sunrise over Monument Valley from our hotel room
  • Driving 3 full laps of Monument Valley Loop – just to be sure we saw everything completely
  • Driving to Gump Hill in the morning to get some gorgeous drone shots
  • Arriving in Sedona after a magic drive through consecutive switchbacks
  • Listening to Sedona while driving in Sedona
  • Staying at the Orchards Inn ? every room had such a gorgeous view
Sunrise over Monument Valley
Gump Point, Utah
Gump Point, Monument Valley – Utah
Gump Point, Monument Valley – Utah
Monument Valley Loop
Sedona!
Cowboy shop in Sedona. Remi didn’t fall in love with his cowboy hat like I did mine.
Sedona
Sedona
Red Rock Sedona
Top 5 things to see in Sedona – Toffee Apple Shop

Chocolate Dipped Piece of Cheesecake #Murica

Day 5: Sedona to Phoenix & onto NYC
(2 hours / 116 miles / 186km)

Highlights:

  • Cactus counting
  • The Desert Botanical Gardens restaurant in Phoenix
  • Complimentary G&T on the flight home
Cactus counting
big Cactus
Phoenix did not disappoint with its red rocks and ample supply of cactus
Cactus counting on the freeway
Phoenix
Playing Tourist
Plane ride home, complete with cactus chocolate
Cross country views. Side note: it really bugs me when people get a window seat AND FLY WITH THE SHADE DOWN THE WHOLE TIME.
Made it back to NYC

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