Arizona really is GRAND!

Arizona – Sept/Oct

We thought we’d check out potential places to stay in the winter/spring of 2016-17 when we hope to maybe catch some Rangers spring training 4 miles from the RV park.

 

The Rangers and Royals share the same facility.  And there are about 13 other teams that hold spring training in the Phoenix area.  They also have winter ball here for prospects / rookies / etc.

On Saturday we drove up to Prescott Valley to see our dear friend Rob Bryant, whom we hadn’t seen in several years.  He became our tour guide and took us to Jerome, where we had lunch and then on to Sedona, the second-most visited place in AZ.  The first is the Grand Canyon.

 

 Everybody needs a 10 ft. cigar store Indian in their house.  He's a great security guard.

We enjoyed a great day of sight-seeing, but the best part was catching up on what’s going on in our lives and families and, of course, playing games.  Pool (Rob won), backgammon (Jim won) and rummikub (Jane won). 

When you've been used to seeing north Texas for 40 years, this landscape is captivating. I just couldn't stop imagining all the old western movies that were filmed in areas like this.

 

 

 

We moved to Phoenix Metro on the north side of Phoenix and on Friday night, visited Chase Field where the Diamondbacks played the Astros.  It was significant because the Rangers were losing and we needed the home town team to win (playoff implications!).  We cheered them on to a 21-5 loss.  But it was the 8^th MLB park we visited this year and they have a beautiful facility.  Even though it was 91 degrees outside, they opened the roof and it was a very comfortable 75 inside.  Next to Marlins Park, in Miami, it was the most impressive we’ve been to this year.

 

 

 

The big panels on either side of the video board are closed in the above picture.

 

Then, they opened the roof and those panels opened.

 

 

 

The next day we decided to pack a bag and drive up to the Grand Canyon.  We didn’t have a plan, didn’t have a room reservation and didn’t know if we were going to stay or drive back the same day.  After seeing scenes like this . . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....we decided to stay and come back for more the next day.

But deciding wasn’t all that was involved.  Every hotel where we stopped was completely full.  This was in a tiny town outside Grand Canyon Ntl. Park.  Also all the campgrounds inside the park were full.  Lot’s of folks visiting Grand Canyon in the fall. We found a room at a little place that hadn’t had one single update since 1970.  But it was clean and worked out fine.  For all of you who have been to Grand Canyon, you know what I mean when I say it’s right up there with seeing the ocean or the Rockies for the first time.  You just say, “Wow!!!”  The first day we walked the south rim which is an hours long excursion.  The second day we hiked down the mule trail into the canyon to the 1 ½ mile rest station.  We decided that was far enough because we knew the hike out would seem much longer.  We were right.   Taking a mule sounded like fun, but you have to make a reservation a year in advance.

Jane found a nice resting spot, but had to climb up about 20 feet to get to it.

 

 

 

 

When God decides to get creative, it’s truly awesome.  If this is what he’s done with the place down here on earth, heaven is going to be mind-boggling.  And yet, I feel like I’m not ready for that one.

On Monday we bug out for Tucson, where we’ll spend the next 30 days before going back to Texas and then Arkansas again for two weeks.  Followed by our migration to Florida where we’ll spend Dec – Mar.