(Please excuse typos and such; this post was partially written in a moving car)

We are driving and camping and loving it! Only a few days into our trip we had driven 1020 miles and had seen the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Phoenix (then back to California).

We were beyond excited to finally see the Grand Canyon. Driving to the south rim builds a lot of anticipation. You think you’re close but you’re still 1-2 hours away. It was morning when we saw it.
Excitement filled the air as we approached the viewing area. The three tourists before us giggled and rushed ahead. I held my breath as we took those last steps to the railing. The scene revealed itself as if the trees were stage curtains pulling back for the show. Silence and calm exuded from the people on our left and right. Before us was one of the most spectacular sights to be seen. The vastness, the colors, the history. It all hits you at once. We were awestruck.

Further along was the lookout point which was beyond crowded. Tourists funneled in and moved through like an army of ants armed with selfie sticks and cute poses. Their mission, it seemed, to take a picture from everywhere. Their mantra, if you are not an ant, you are in the way of the ants.

Knowing we were going to be around tourists, Seth wore his Polish shirt that day. It worked. Among the picture-taking chaos and trying to stay out of people’s way, there was a “Czesc!” From someone looking at Seth. Seth replied “Czesc!”, naturally I added, “Czesc!!”. and the gentleman concluded with “Czesc!” We smiled and moved on as we were each in the middle of doing something. That was a nice moment.

We were blown away by the scenic beauty on the drive from the Grand Canyon to Sedona. Entering Sedona was breathtaking. So much so that I hardly took any pictures of it. It was one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Bright green trees and lush plants surrounded  protruding rock layered with varying red tones. As we left the main forested camping areas, we drove through super cute downtown Sedona. People filled the sidewalks, restaurants, and tourist shops along the narrow curvy street we were on. As we left the town behind, we became surrounded by an awe inspiring red landscape. Around us were red hills and mountains all layered with dozens of different red tones. Among the rolling red hills, situated on top of a giant red rock hill but below a much larger red rock hill, was a small destination wedding happening.  A group of 10 or so people watched a couple stand by an altar draped in flowing white fabric. It was just stunning.

The weather was great in north AZ. It actually got pretty cold at night at the Grand Canyon campsite. The more south we drove the temperatures went up to the upper 90’s and the lush forests turned to rows of Saguaro cactuses. We stayed at a desert campground in Phoenix, just north of the city.
We left the desert camp early in the morning to escape the beaming sun. The night had been warm, Seth knew the morning would be uncomfortably hot so we packed up and got into our car and blasted the air conditioning. As we left the campground, we noticed hot air balloons taking off into the sky. A few minutes later, we drove passed a man with a comically large cactus on top of his car.

Our next destinations: Sequoia (which includes a comical bear story), Redwoods, more Redwoods, and Oregon!

I cannot say how soon the next post will be. At the time of this post, we are a week into our trip. It is hard to find time to edit pictures since we are constantly exploring new places and enjoying the beautiful nature around us. Our campgrounds have little to no internet reception and being on my laptop while driving is just asking to get motion sickness. We have taken hundreds of pictures so far, I can’t wait to share them with you!

 

Below: Our campsite at the Grand Canyon.

Below: The drive south.

Beautiful Sedona.