Our Labor Day Trip To Arizona - 2001
On a chilly Friday afternoon, August 31, 2001, Ken and I left for our Labor Day vacation to Arizona. We started out in blazingly hot Phoenix and made the quick jaunt over to Scottsdale; where we stayed at the luxurious Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. We were the only two queens at the Princess, but we made do in our enormous suite and in one of the four huge pools we tanned at. By the way, avoid the daiquiris and margaritas, they're bland and expensive.
After our night in Scottsdale, we drove our big, red truck to Sedona. The drive was beautiful and the ever-changing array of clouds kept us ooh-ing and ah-ing. Ken and I always bring our CD's with us so we can sing along on our journey. Our all time favorite is Sonique's "Hear Me Cry". Play song six over and over and over. Just before Sedona, exit 289, we stopped off at the Cliff Castle Casino. It was our first Indian casino and it was super packed. After waiting a good half-hour to play a single machine, I finally found a nickel slot. Lucky me, I won $209 right off the bat!
Just up the block from the casino was a national landmark: Montezuma's Castle. These are the cliff dwellings of the prehistoric Sinagua Indians and are more than 600 years old. It was only $2 to get in and Ken and I had a blast. Educational and beautiful. Plus, the local critters are extremely tame.
From there, it was a short ride to our hotel, The Kokopelli Inn. Though not as lavish as the Princess, the scenery alone is worth it. We pulled in just before sunset and were greeted to glorious views of the famous red rock mountains. Words and pictures can't describe the beauty around us. Every turn reveiled an even more spectacular vista.
On Sunday, we took a 2 1/2 hour Pink Jeep Tour of more ancient indian cliff dwellings and even saw one of the famous Kokopelli's you see on every store and t-shirt.. The ride there and back was wonderful, though my camera and our clothes were covered in a nice red dust throughout. When not out exploring the wildnerness, we shopped and ate and drank in the lovely town of Sedona. I can't recommend Sedona highly enough for an incredible vacation. It's so stunningly scenic and the people are extra nice. Go exploring for yourself and tell them Rob and Ken sent you!
Ken and I did a lot of eating and drinking. Yummy!
Having fun with our camera on the plane.
Ken: The Missing Partridge.
It really wasn't much of a family.
Ken and I at a cliff dwelling. See the petraglyphs in the background and Ken's magic snake stick.