Fall Fun in Arizona

Our vacations include planning different destinations and of course food! One of our first stops on the way to the Grand Canyon was a little cafe with great pies!

This is Dan (as in Daniel Boone), Lloyd and Rayme sporting their coon skin caps getting ready for our adventures at the Grand Canyon. It was rather chilly that morning we were at the Grand Canyon, but it did warm up to a balmy 50 degrees (as long as we were in the sun it seemed warmer).
The first time I visited the Grand Canyon I was in awe, and couldn't believe how beautiful and the creation of it was an overwhelming feeling. It still makes me feel a bit of disbelief of it magnificent wonder.

Another thought, I wonder when the first pioneers came west and came upon this natural creation what they thought?

Cheryle, Dan, Dawn, Lloyd, Donna & Rayme at the Grand Canyon (not to close to the edge).

Dan & Rayme close to the edge. (A little to close for Cheryle and mine comfort.)

The next stop on our vacation was Sedona, and we took a Jeep Tour in the back country. I love gnarly looking trees, and I wasn't disappointed because I was able to take quite a few pictures of the unique looking trees.

I am not sure if you can detect the color of the jeep, but it is Pink! I highly recommend the Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona. We had a great driver - Kristen! No, we didn't let the guys drive!


Definitely a wild ride!

I love taking pictures of the scenery in Arizona.

Earlier I said we like to eat and here is one of our stops - gotta love Texas Roadhouse.

Breakfast outside on the patio in the middle of October!
A vacation wouldn't be complete without a friendly game of Hand & Foot!

And a daily midnight swim in the 97 degree pool. Dawn likes her pool warm, the rest of the us think of it as a big bathtub.

I had a great time with great friends and lots of fun!

It isn't the destination it's the journey. I can't wait until our next journey.

Wonderful Weekend Getaway

A wonderful weekend that started out with a 1 night cruise from Seattle to Vancouver. That evolved into an additional night in Seattle to include a train ride, sightseeing in Seattle (a wild taxi ride, Space Needle, a monorail ride, Pike St. Market, and attending the performance of Phantom of the Opera.)

We had a great time on the train, enjoying the company of good friends and conversation with fun and laughs. Then at the end of our train ride, the passenger that sat behind us informed us that we were the most rude and inconsiderate people he had ever met. And he said all this with a smile on his face. It was the weirdest thing. I kept thinking he was going to say he was joking and tell us to have a good weekend. Nope. The funny thing about this little story is that we were already in our seats before he got on the train, and the train was relatively empty. It just makes you wonder.

There was a few "firsts" that were included in our weekend. One of them was eating at the Space Needle. I was told that it was very expensive to eat at the Space Needle. Let me share with you a little tip - eat lunch. The price of the meal includes your $12 ride up to top of the needle. So the $25 minimum entree subtract the cost of the elevator ride makes it a more reasonable meal price. Right?? It was a little overcast, but it was still fun to see the skyline, and the float planes landing on the lake.

After lunch it was a ride on the monorail to Pike Street Market. This was a first for Rayme, he had never been to market before, and it had been years since I had been.

That night we attended "Phantom of the Opera". I should say most of the guys weren't totally thrilled with the idea of dressing up in their suits and going to the theater, but were good sports and surprisingly they enjoyed themselves. The Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorite restaurants, and what better way to top off a great day then to stop off and have a piece of wonderful cheesecake. Decisions, decisions - I decided on the lemon raspberry cheesecake. Mmmmm.....

After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, it was off to the pier to catch our cruise ship to our final destination - Vancouver.

More fun was to be had on the cruise ship!! Food, playing cards, a Band on the Run Show that included the fun songs from the 70's, did I mention good food. Can you guess how many desserts Lloyd had at lunch?? I do have the pictures to prove it.

It was a wonderful memory making weekend.