Day 1: MKE to PHX to Sedona
We flew into Phoenix, but started our vacation in Sedona for seven nights, then to the Grand Canyon for two, and back in Phoenix for five, close to our flight back home. We landed in Phoenix just before noon. Our friends’ flight arrived about a half hour after ours, just as we were finished loading our stuff into the rental car. Hugs all around and we’re off on our Arizona adventure!!
Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
It’s time for lunch!
Since we were up early that morning two time zones away, we thought we’d check out Barrio Café, a place we had seen on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” several months ago. They gave it a great review and it was conveniently located, only nine minutes from the airport. What a great experience all around! The food was spectacular and the waiter didn’t have to apply much pressure for us to try a Lowrider Margarita (we were starting our vacation after all). Since they were sold out of the entree that Laurie and I wanted, he gave us another margarita to share! Luckily Jim (our driver) abstained, since they had a nice kick! I totally forget what we had for lunch, although I remember it was delicious! Woo hoo!
Take the Scenic Route
Sky Harbor is a pretty simple airport to get around in. Driving into the Phoenix traffic is another story. Since driving to Sedona was at least a two-hour trip (all the way through the Phoenix traffic and then up the interstate a ways), we opted for a scenic route up Hwy 87 through Payson, Pine, Camp Verde and then into Sedona. Not sure it was totally worth it, since we encountered a burning truck that stopped up traffic for HOURS. We were worn out from the early morning and all of a sudden very sleepy (hmm, margaritas?). Because of that delay, we didn’t even stop as we passed the small towns we had hoped to explore on the way through. We just wanted to get checked in, unpacked and relax in our timeshare.
We booked The Ridge On Sedona Golf Resort, a beautiful Diamond Resorts International® condo thru RCI®. With two bedrooms, a living room and a full kitchen, we were able to save money by having several meals at “home”. The pool was great, with wonderful views of Sedona’s red rocks. It was very close to shopping, restaurants and shopping. Did I mention shopping? Since rarely do timeshares have two master units, we let Laurie and John have the 1BR side and we took the studio. In Phoenix we switched.
Pack your Entire Closet and Enjoy!
PS: One disadvantage of visiting the entire state of Arizona (with its variety of elevations) in the spring, is having to pack your whole closet because you’re not sure what the weather might bring. Had our visit been more area-specific, it may have been easier to know what to bring. But you’ll get to know me as we go along – we like to see it all, because you just never know when you’ll be back this way again.
Welcome to Arizona!
Next stop: Tuzigoot, choo choo
Happy trails,
Barb
We sure did see a lot of beautiful places. I’m going to have to get out my thesaurus and find some more words with the same meaning as beautiful!!
After two sips and we knew we were going to enjoy the whole vacation..it started out well and kept on going well thanks to your mom’s suggestion to eat at Barios. It set the tone of good food and good friends!
We stayed at Sedona Pines on a previous stay. It seems strange, because they look similar to trailers, but it was really sweet having our “own place”. Ours was very clean and updated, a little farther away from the shopping lol, but not too far. February you may have some weather issues, but the white snow on the red rocks is fabulous!!! Thanks for your comment Peggy!
We can hardly wait to get back to Arizona!! Our first trip was in 2012 and getting there was a nightmare! At the end of Feb. our plane out of O’Hare was cancelled, due to “maintenance issues”, and that was the day after a major snowstorm had cancelled MANY flights. In order to get away the following day, we had to take a flight to Philadelphia, walk through 3 terminals, and then fly nonstop to Phoenix. We had originally planned to spend the first 2 nights in Sedona, but cancelled that and immediately went to Cibola Vista in Peoria. We had such a wonderful time that we’re going to do it again, hopefully, without any hitches!
We’re flying to Phoenix on Feb. 22 and staying in Sedona the first week at Sedona Pines Resort, using a RCI special sale Extra Vacation. Then, we plan to spend the second week at Cibola Vista.
Sedona and the Grand Canyon both are just so beautiful, they are definitely worth the trip. It’s easy to just stand and stare and reflect on how I can get back that way again soon! Thanks for the comment!
Looking forward to going to Sedona one of these days. We stayed at The Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix – a Shell Vacation Club resort and it was truely top notch. The we drove to Las Vegas and stayed at Club 36, a Bluegreen resort. We loved the resort. The location was a little far from everything, but we managed just fine! The southwest is certainly very picturesque!
They were! It was a great start to a great vacation. Good thing dad was driving!
Those margaritas look delicious! 🙂