Arizona in August

Hubs and I took off work, packed our backpacks, and headed out to see my step-brother and friends from Ecuador in Phoenix, Arizona. I was one of those, “Oh, it’s a dry heat. It’s not as bad as the humidity!” types until I got there. As my step-brother says, “My oven is a dry heat but I don’t go in there.” Apparently 100˚F is “nice” summer weather. Oy! The desert was a gorgeous place but I do love my trees back home.

We arrived in Phoenix and went straight up South Mountain. The views of Phoenix were gorgeous! Hubs and I had no idea how huge Phoenix is. The sky was clear and you could see so far out it felt as though you could see the curve of the Earth. Later we went to O.H.S.O. Brewery in Paradise Valley. We had the best time. We got to drink some awesome micro-brews, play ping-pong, and enjoy the family and pet friendly setting.

next day we went by The J since that is where one of my friends from Ecuador works. That was a very nice facility! Hubs and I swam laps in the pool, I mean, how else do you beat the desert heat? We had to meet my other friend for lunch so we didn’t get to enjoy any of the other amenities. From The J we took our first Uber ride to an In-N-Out. We don’t have In-N-Out where we live so it was fun getting the order something “animal style.” Uber was really convenient, fast, and all our drivers in Phoenix were extremely personable and had great advice about what else to check out in Phoenix. After wandering around like vagabonds with our community center showers and old backpacks, we made our way to Chase Field.

Being in an indoor stadium was different but definitely something we’d do again. Not having to worry about where to sit because of the sun and having air-conditioning made the game more enjoyable. Plus, we got to watch the Braves beat the Diamondbacks! The Braves pitcher that night, Matt Wisler, almost threw a no hitter! Getting to watch part of the game from inside a bar made us feel like we were commentators in the sky box.

atop Devil's Bridge

The next morning Hubs, Bro, and I headed up to Sedona for camping. Our original camping reservation didn’t save and all the sites were booked due to the lower temperatures so we were chancing it by going up there. The drive up to Sedona had beautiful views of multi-colored rock formations, cacti, gorges, even the town of Sedona itself made the 2 hour drive well worth it. Our backup plan was to keep heading north to the Grand Canyon, a place Hubs and I have not yet been. We snagged the last walk-up campsite which was extremely lucky. We then drove through town to a trail to hike to Devil’s Bridge. The views were exquisite, the weather was perfect, and since we had three of us we had plenty of photographers. It’s nice to have different photographers because then you get to see the same site from a varying point of view. The hike was a nice, quick jaunt with a few steps to climb. 

our makeshift tent

Back at the campsite we started setting up. Bro has been doing a vegan diet for a month so he was cooking up a delicious vegetable dish while Hubs went to set up the tent. Since the day had been going so perfectly, it was time for something to go wrong. We had the tarp, the tent, the rain cover, but no tent poles. Hubs had to use all of his Eagle Scout skills and rig up the tent with paracord. He worked his magic and got us set up. Bro slept in a hammock. He awoke because something landed on him. He looked up and discovered it was a chipmunk! They made eye contact and the chipmunk scurried off.

What do you expect while camping in the desert? A clear view of the night sky? A warm fire and a cold beer? How about a thunderstorm? Bro was the next to scurry off and into the car when a bright bolt of lightning woke him up. Hubs and I attempted to stay in the tent but then our lopsided tent began to flood so we had to abandon ship. We joined Bro in the car. Overall I wouldn’t change a thing. It made for quite the bonding experience!

The next morning we, as Hubs and I like to do, went back to O.H.S.O. Brewery to say good-bye to my Ecuador friends. From there it was straight to the airport to make our trip back home. Hubs and I would definitely like to go back to the Grand Canyon state and explore some of its other wonders. Later in the year when it’s cool enough to drive out there with the dogs might be fun. We’ll have to wait and see!

we're the fun siblings