Tuesday, September 17, 2019

My Arizona Journal


Arizona!!!!

 
 
  

Our dream come true, the Grand Canyon. For over twenty years my husband and I have planned to go to the Grand Canyon. Every time we made plans to take the trip something, somehow, some way, always ended up happening and the dream vacation was put on the back burner.
We did it! We made it! Our dream vacation and it was more than we could have ever imagined.
Welcome back to Pambling Roads, where we are documenting our travels in the United States (and Canada) to "meet the Americans."

Arizona

Grand Canyon North Rim
 

       
The Grand Canyon Lodge was great, peaceful. No TV, no Internet service even though the website said there was service in the lodge but not in the cabins. Would have been nice to know there was no service in advance. Then again, I really should have known that there may be an issue. I should have left a “message away” on my email account. That said, it was nice not being attached to an electronic box for a few days, verynice!
The cell phone didn’t work but that didn’t exactly break my heart either. I find cell phones to be one of those inconvenient necessities.



     
The Grand Canyon Lodge Restaurant was excellent. Neil was our server. Great food, great service, and happy employees. All the employees at the North Rim including the visitors center gift shop, front desk, restaurants, the bar, etc. were happy and pleasant. It was a pure pleasure to be there. It was such an extreme difference from Utah.
The next morning we went to the general store where they had free internet service and I did my mail away message. No problem.  
This was one of my dreams come true, one of those lifelong dreams where I planned on someday seeing the Grand Canyon. Where every time we had saved up the funds to go, something went wrong and we couldn’t take the trip.
We were exhausted our first day there but didn’t care. We couldn’t wait.
We walked along the canyon. I barely holding in the tears of joy. It was cloudy, windy, chilly and damp. We didn’t care. As we made our way around a curve, the sun had peeped out and that’s all it took…
The sun’s rays hit the canyon in such a way that all I heard in my head was the Halleluiah Chorus and the tears fell. Never in my life have I ever seen or experienced such a beautiful sight.
 



 
     


Grand Canyon Arizona - South Rim

Traveling to South Rim we went through Kaibab National Forest, Navaho country, and then back into Grand Canyon National Forest. We stopped at every pull-out. Wonderful!
 
     
We had dinner at the buffet restaurant in the Best Western Squire Inn where we stayed for our South Rim visit. The food was excellent. The service …. Well, the server was hit with a lot of diners at once and when he realized there was a problem he called in reinforcements (including his twin brother) before there could be trouble. Smart move. I’ve seen servers think they didn’t need help and try to do it themselves and then fall flat.
After dinner, we had drinks at the Saguaro Bar and Grill also in the Best Western.
     


The Best Western is absolutely gorgeous with an entertainment area for everyone, a bowling alley, an arcade, pool tables, and an outdoor pool just to mention a few amenities. Live music from a pianist in the lobby….
Silly me. I got very emotional when we left. I felt like a child not wanting to leave Disney World. My poor husband didn’t know what to do or say.
Husband: “What’s wrong?”
Me: Wah… “I don’t want to go.”
Husband: “We can stay longer…”
Me: Wah… “No, we can’t.”
Husband: “Of course we can, it’s our vacation.”
Me: Wah… “No, it’s okay.”
Husband: “Are you sure?”
Me: Wah… “Nooooooooo.”
Silence
Husband: “We can go back.”
Me: Sniff… “No, it’s okay.”
Husband: Sigh


We made a few stops to see the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.



    

If I saw a likeness of a painting of the Painted Desert, it would not do it justice, no matter how awesome the artist. 90,000+ acres of pure awe inspiring sighs. Someone took a rainbow and laid it upon the land, planting it here for all eternity. The Painted Desert Visitor’s Center has an informative movie along with a handful of displays.


 
     

The Petrified Forest is over 50,000 acres of fascinating, beautiful scenery. There was a sign that said we could get some petrified wood and decided to get some on the way out….nope, didn’t happen. I suggest that if you want some, grab it at the entrance where the signs are and make sure it is legal for you to do so. The visitor center lets people know that it is against the law to collect the petrified wood or anything from the park.





Benson,Arizona

We stayed at the Best Western in Benson, Arizona. We know we can’t go wrong with Best Westerns.

The history buff in both of us wanted to visit an authentic western town. Tombstone was a must and did not disappoint in any way from the moment we entered the town.

Tombstone “The Town Too Tough to Die”

 

  
Driving into Tombstone feels as if you are driving into any small town USA, until you turn the corner to go to the historical district. As you walk toward the main street, you feel as if you go back in time with every step you take. All the employees in the historic district wear period clothing. I’m not sure about my husband but I felt as if I wasn’t dressed properly. We had time-traveled to another time, another place.





You will hear about Big Nose Kate, Wyatt Earp, and his brothers. History rings with stories of Doc Holliday, the gunfight at the OK Corral, and the controversy behind the gunfight.
Tombstone started out as a silver mining town and thrived for several years until the mines started to flood and they could no longer work the mines. Once the opportunity was gone for mining the town slowly declined from 20,000 resident to under 200 residents. Tombstone is still a small town with about 1200 residents.
The horse drawn narrated historical tour was excellent. It is definitely something you do not want to miss. This is a very informative ride where you will learn the history and some trivia about the area. The tour probably lasted about fifteen minutes and every moment was chock full of wonderful historical content.


     
Lunch was at the Crystal Palace Saloon

The Bird Cage



The Bird Cage was once known for being a brothel, gambling hall, and theatre. There are claims that the place was haunted and I believe the clerk at the gift shop mentioned that there have been ghost sightings.

Tombstone Courthouse
 

The tour of the courthouse was fascinating. It is a two story Victorian architectural masterpiece. It features quite a bit of Tombstone history from artifacts, the mining history, pioneers, and cattlemen’s stories. A reproduction of the courthouse and replica of the gallows in the courtyard was intriguing.

The Epitaph Museum


 
If you like anything about printing, journalism, etc. this is definitely a must-see. It is free and you can receive a copy of the newspaper that printed the original story of the gunfight at O.K. Corral. It has original equipment and presses on exhibit.


The O.K. Corral


 
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral is probably foremost on most peoples’ minds when they hear the name Tombstone. Of course, we were thrilled when we realized they did a reenactment.
The fight actually took place in an empty lot near the corral. The area has a portion of the gunfight site cordoned off where you can see where a part of the gunfight had taken place. Mannequins are positioned and strategically placed where history and research has put the original lawman and cowboys.
There is a theatre area where they reenact the gunfight, a blacksmith’s, stables, the original corral office, and Fly’s boardinghouse where Bid Nose Kate had witnessed the gunfight.
We look forward to returning to Arizona and plan on making the trip again this year to the Tombstone area. Maybe we will stay at the Tombstone Bordello, a real 1880’s bordello that is now a Bed and Breakfast.


Saguaro National Park
       
 

 

Oh, the saguaro were flowering and it looked absolutely gorgeous. Picture perfect. We never realized how big they could get!  It was the middle of the day, so we didn’t do too much walking around. We stopped at the visitor center and absorbed all the information we could. On our way to the car, we stopped and spoke with a young man (from Texas) who was biking across the state as part of his “break” from college. Good for him, we hope he had a great time and arrived home safely.



Border Patrol between Arizona and California?

Yes, they do! Seriously, we thought we had made a wrong turn. At the California and Arizona border we had to stop at Border Patrol and answer a few questions. While we were in line I was scrambling for our passports. Luckily, we brought them just in case we decided to go into Mexico or Vancouver. They never asked for our passports but requested our driver’s licenses. To this day we are not sure why there is a border patrol station at the California border.
There was a truck, pulled over to the side where a BP officer was speaking with a couple of men. They didn’t look very happy at all.



There are several journals so far in the Pambling Roads series.

Pages for you to fill in the blanks! Nurture your creativity with Pambling Roads State Journals, interactive journals designed to spark imagination and self-motivation. They include historical trivia and tidbits about each state, and a small section in the front of the book by the author sharing her travels.

Great for all ages, and a wonderful gift for that special writer.

Purchase My Arizona Journal

Go to Amazon and see the other Pambling Roads Journals available for purchase.
States:

Alabama    Arizona     Arkansas    Florida    Georgia    Louisiana     Maryland     Mississippi   Rhode Island      South Carolina    Ohio   Oklahoma    Texas   Virginia   Washington, D.C.

**Pictures on not in the print journals. 
More to come! You can order any available Pambling Roads Journals from your favorite bookstore!  

PamelaAckerson.com
@PamAckerson
Pam@PamelaAckerson.com





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