Park Hoppers

A few years ago, my family and I decided we really liked going on road trips. We would plan our route and destinations along the way we would like to see. We usually had an end game in mind before heading back home, but sometimes that was subject to change depending on our mood once we got to where we were going. This specific trip, we were driving from Georgia to Arizona. Our goal was to get to Scottsdale, AZ and take day trips out from there. We started out driving on Route 66 and headed west. On the way we hit some iconic places like The Big Texan in Amarillo, TX and got caught in a hail storm in New Mexico which set us back a day in our trip, but it gave us a great story to tell when we got back. When we finally got to Arizona, our first stop was the Petrified Forest National Park. We spent most of that day driving through the park and getting out every so often to hike a little before continuing our journey and arriving in Scottsdale. The next day we drove to Sedona and hiked the red rocks. We saw the Church of the Holy cross, Bell Rock, and hiked Cathedral Rock. The hike was amazing, but very strenuous considering it was about 110 degrees. Our third day in AZ we decided to have a more chill day and hang out around Scottsdale. We found the Hole in the Rock and had a picnic, took a drive over to see Arizona Falls (yes it is a water treatment plant. We didn’t know that before we went), and did some shopping in Old Town Scottsdale. The fourth day we drove to the Grand Canyon and hiked from South to North Rim. It is still one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. That evening we drove to Horseshoe Bend to see the sunset and it was well worth the drive. We decided to stay in Page, AZ for the night and drive to Las Vegas the next day. We spent that afternoon and evening exploring the strip and checking out all of the casinos. The next morning we drove to see the Hoover Dam and from there to Lake Havasu City to see the original London Bridge. That evening we drove back to Scottsdale and spent our final night before traveling back to Georgia. This trip will always be one of my favorite and most memorable road trips.