I do, I do 😉 Well, as luck would have it I was in Arizona this winter for a week. Let’s have a look!
My son plays NCAA hockey for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and he gets to travel to some fun locations to play. Just my luck that they had games scheduled against Arizona this year. My Cabo Covid positive get out of jail pass was still in play, ok, let’s go to Arizona.
Now, hockey only takes a couple of hours to play. My son has to spend most of his time with the team, dinners, lunches, pre-game practices. That means plenty of time to explore. And, I do like to explore.
We found a hotel close to the campus at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. I was thinking to myself, hmm, Alaska/Arizona? This would have been a fun campus to play hockey at. The Sun Devils, well, if it was my turn to play University hockey, this might have been the place. Actually, the University of Hawaii would have been number 1, sadly they don’t have a team.
The first thing that I needed to do was a little research on Arizona to see what was happening. I knew an area north of Tempe that sounded pretty cool, and it was on my list of places to visit, first stop Sedona, Arizona.
Sedona is 125 miles north of Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix. It was established in 1876. About 2.5 hours as the rental car drives. Sedona has a population of about 12,000. It’s known for a few things, I know it for the beautiful landscape and mountains. Well, I guess they don’t compare to the Rockies, let’s call them sandstone formations instead. They can only be found in Sedona, and they are unique, the sandstone is red and orange in colour.
These Sandstone formations! The colours are amazing when you see them live and in person.
The town of Sedona has an extensive trail system for hiking and mountain biking. Be prepared and bring some water, it gets very hot here, especially in later spring, summer, and early fall. We were here in February and they still had some pretty good tourist traffic at that time.
We even bumped into a TV celebrity in one of the stores. All I have to say is this person didn’t appear as if she was enjoying life. Her claim to fame is she’s married to a little farmer.
We had lunch in town at a little Mexican restaurant. It’s a small town, but lots of little shops and restaurants to explore. We were only there for the day. They had a tourism office in town, plenty of local activities, and events that you could sign up for if you were staying longer.
Sedona is also well known for being a spiritual mecca. If you are looking for a place to find that higher purpose, or maybe just a few relaxing days at a spa, this might be the place for you.
After lunch we went for a hike. It was a well known hike that brings you to this famous natural bridge formation below. Sadly, we didn’t have enough time to complete the hike, we had to get back to see the game. Next time!
The view that got away, it’s called the Devils Peak. I think we have a game scheduled next season in Arizona, I see a return trip and hike in my future.
After an eventful day in Sedona, we made the 2.5 hour drive back to Tempe to take in the hockey game. Arizona State at the time was favoured to win based on the rankings. Before we came to Arizona we were ranked about 34th in the country, Arizona State was around 25. When we left, we were 28th and they were 29! Yes, we won both games, fun times. Some game footage is below. My son is the lone D patrolling the blue line, number 7.
We still had a full day left to explore. I wanted something epic. I had flown over this landmark multiple times on flights from San Diego to Toronto. It was going to be just under 4 hours from Tempe to this site. 8 hours of driving in one day, was I up to the challenge, why not 🚗
Grand Canyon here we come!!
The one thing that surprised me about Arizona was the landscape. I knew what to expect in Sedona, sure the Grand Canyon, but it was really diverse. On the drive north, we went through probably 5 different zones that had very unique features. One area seemed to have these huge cacti all over, other areas just a bunch of tumbleweeds, all very different and unique.
The drive from Tempe/Phoenix to the Grand Canyon is approximately 390 km. It took us just under 4 hours with minimal stops. We were driving in February, so it wasn’t the busiest time of the year for tourist traffic.
The forecast for Tempe on our travel day was a high of 18 C, when we arrived at the Grand Canyon it was 3 C, a little bit chilly. We could still see traces of snow in the Canyon, yes, Arizona does have snow. The park itself was just opening up after a long 2 years of Covid. We had a rental car so we just drove to a number of different spots around the park.
They have plenty of spots where you can stop for scenic pictures, or just park, and get out on foot and explore. The park pass with a vehicle is $35, it’s good for 7 days should you want to stay, or plan a return visit.
Some interesting facts:
The Grand Canyon is a mile deep, 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, 1904 square miles. The Colorado River runs through the middle of the canyon. You can hike, or camp on the valley floor. The terrain itself can be deceiving, the walk down isn’t too bad, but walking back to the top can be exhausting. The temperature swings can be severe as well. You have to make sure that you have plenty of water with you. Sadly, I just saw an article the other day where a tourist from Ottawa died during her hike in the Canyon.
We stayed up top an enjoyed the views. We saw plenty of Elk just grazing off the road, big animals!
The views are spectacular. I had only ever seen the Grand Canyon from the air. It was definitely worth the drive to take it all in. If you get the chance to go to Arizona, definitely take the time for a visit.
That ends our adventure in Arizona. Sadly, my son’s team has recently announced a return trip to Arizona for Feb, 2023. I see a return visit in my future 😉
About the Author:
The article Who wants to visit Arizona was provided by Regan Pyke, a Vancouver Realtor and a leader in the field of sales, marketing, and real estate investing. Regan can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 778-228-2448.
Thinking of buying or selling your Vancouver West, Kitsilano home, or Condo? I have a real passion for buying and selling Real Estate, as well as marketing & real estate investing. I’d love to share my expertise!
