What an absolute whirlwind. After our trek from Florida to Arizona, (read about that here), we spent the last week of May and majority of June exploring and enjoying the best of Arizona and southern Nevada. More specifically, the northern half of Arizona and the Las Vegas/Hoover Dam areas. As I mentioned previously, I had never been farther west than Texas. This portion of the country felt like a completely different planet to me! Yet, over the course of the month we spent there, Bullhead City and Las Vegas, NV would become utterly familiar territory. We also took many individual day trips to the Grand Canyon, Page, Phoenix, and Sedona, AZ. Arizona completely and utterly captured my heart. I will always treasure the multitude of adventures we had!

A Rocky Start

I tried to briefly state in the last post how the whole family caught a stomach bug on our way over to Kingman, AZ, where our AirBnb was located. It was ugly, and a very rocky start to an otherwise (mostly) perfect month. We spent several days trying to recover and slowly unpacked our things. The farthest we ventured out was to the Sam’s Club in Bullhead City for supplies. With a little time, we all recuperated and finally were able to get going on our adventures!

First Trip to Las Vegas (of Many)

On our first weekend in Arizona, we crossed the border to check out Vegas, specifically the Las Vegas Strip. It was the kids and my first time seeing it, and it is truly the wild, wild West! We parked at the Bellagio to be able to see the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This smelled and looked absolutely magnificent! We wandered through the casino a little and eventually made our way outside.

We saw a walking bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard and crossed the street to explore Caesar’s Palace. The interior design was breathtaking, and we eventually found an early dinner at Beijing Noodle No. 9. The food was mostly good: I loved the pork belly, the soup dumplings were okay, and the General Tso’s chicken was actually really spicy for once. 

Lastly, we wandered around the Flamingo hotel and casino as well. We were trying to find the Vegas Strip monorail and eventually did, but an ill-timed bathroom break disrupted the plans for a little while. Finally, we were able to ride the monorail, and after we got off, we walked back to our car and headed home. All in all, we did so much walking, Vegas was super hot, and the Strip was kind of a major assault on the senses. Yet, ask anyone, we had a great time!

Sedona

On Memorial Day, as Frank had the day off, we took a day trip to Sedona! It was a rather lengthy drive, about three hours each way. So, we were rather limited on what we had time for. Nevertheless, we absolutely loved it! The drive itself as we entered Sedona was gorgeous. The red rock landscape mixing with all of the greenery of shrubs and trees kept a perpetual grin on my face.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Our first stop was the Chapel of the Holy Cross, an iconic destination within Sedona. Commissioned by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, it was completed in 1956. She was inspired by the Empire State Building and initially wanted to build a church like this in Budapest. Yet, World War II made this impossible. She pivoted and got permission to build the chapel on Coconino National Forest land instead in her native Arizona. Several millions tourists and visitors come every year, and this year we finally joined them! We spent a little time in prayer, and then took in the vistas from its high place on a hill. It truly is a special place!

We followed up our visit to the Chapel with a hunt for lunch. We settled on bison burgers from the Open Range Grill and Tavern. This place had massive windows with a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains, and the bison burgers rivaled our favorites in Gatlinburg, TN. (Frank said this one might actually be his new favorite!) 

The last thing I had wanted to do was a quick visit to Red Rock State Park, but we ran out of time. Instead, we made a few pit stops to admire the beautiful red rock scenery along the way home! I was personally blown away by Sedona and was unsure how anything could top it. Clearly, I had no idea what else was in store for the month!

Hoover Dam

I had a bucket list ✅ completed with our little family taking a stroll across the Hoover Dam! Our AirBnb was not too far from the Dam area, so one day after work we made our way over there. The Hoover Dam does offer guided tours of the inside, but we did not have time to do that this trip. Still, it was incredibly interesting reading a little about the history of the Dam and seeing the various water levels on either side. Also, I liked seeing the bridge across the way that many people walk across to get their best shots of the Dam. It was a quick, fun little excursion, and a good walk!

A Scary Incident

So…we kind of got into an accident? On our way back to our AirBnb from the Hoover Dam visit, we were driving on the highway and about to pass a semi truck. Something fell out of it and bounced on the road. We swerved but it hit our wheel! The tire started thumping and we were sure it had popped. Turns out, the semi’s drive shaft had just fallen out and struck us! The tire popped and the rim cracked, and we got stranded on the side of the road. Long story short, we got our donut tire on and putted our way back to our place. All of the repairs, dealing with insurance, rental cars, and all of the hoops to jump through took about a week and a half.

Just like with the stomach bug, we feel it’s important to be honest about the wonderful and not-so-wonderful aspects of full-time travel. To be fair, with all of the driving we do, we figured something like this might happen eventually. And now it did. And it sucked. Yet, we survived, and we invested in a brand new full-size spare wheel and tire now. If something like this happens again, we are prepared. So, silver linings I guess?

Antelope Canyon (BL ✅)

This is going to be hard. I have been racking my brain to try and come up with the words to accurately describe the awe, wonder, and pure joy I experienced while inside Antelope Canyon. I have been dreaming for years about what it would look like and feel like. Would I be able to accurately capture the beauty and majesty within? I hope I did.

Frank had been to Antelope Canyon with his family years ago, and he knew we would love it. We took a tour through Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours, which we highly recommend! We arrived quite a bit early and ended up on an earlier tour. A young Navajo guy named Jaden conducted the tour and it was just the five of us (Jaden and our family), which I don’t think happens very often. We feel so incredibly lucky to have that personalized, quiet, somewhat less rushed tour. Jaden gave us a ton of fascinating history, information, and time to take lots of pictures. He simultaneously made sure we weren’t going to run into the tour behind us by taking too long, but kindly and without making us feel super rushed.

I intend to eventually do a separate post about Antelope Canyon on its own because I have just too many incredible pictures. The photos offered here only scratch the surface of the amazing shots I got, and it was so hard to narrow these down.

Horseshoe Bend (BL ✅)

Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend are both located in Page, AZ/the Navajo Nation. We were determined to visit both over the weekend we spent in Page, and I especially wanted to see Horseshoe Bend at sunset. Yet, time zones are tricky in this area (here is an explanation of what I mean), and we arrived at Horseshoe Bend an hour earlier than I intended. Nonetheless, I am proud of the pictures I took and the memories we made here. 

This natural U-turn curve in the Glen Canyon by the Colorado River looks like you’re looking through a fisheye lens. It is a very popular photo spot so there were a lot of other people around too. Yet, there was still a ton of space for people to spread out, so it didn’t feel as claustrophobic as I thought it could. We wandered around, a respectful distance from the edge, until there was too much wind. The kids were no longer having fun, and I had already taken plenty of pictures. So, just about 20 minutes before actual sunset, we headed out to find dinner. 

For dinner we settled on a place called Sunset 89, a fantastic restaurant serving Pacific Rim-type food. Frank loved his chicken wings with buffalo and gochujang BBQ sauce; the kids greatly enjoyed their chicken katsu, burger, and fries to share; and I am still salivating over my Korean Kalbi short ribs and rice. Our server gave us the best tips, like having the wings dry and the sauce on the side, and adding a fried egg on top of my rice bowl. If I could teleport back there right now for a meal, I’d do it in a heartbeat!

The Musical Instrument Museum (BL ✅)

The following weekend after our extraordinary time in Page, we visited Phoenix. I had a trip to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) on our bucket list, and I will undoubtedly need to do a separate post for that experience as well. I took way too many pictures, and we had way too much fun to try and describe it all right here! Therefore, a quick summary:

The MIM is “the world’s only global instrument museum.” It contains dozens of galleries highlighting almost anything you could think of pertaining to music and instruments. There are galleries showing the evolution of instruments, like trumpets and cornets over the years. I enjoyed the Artists Gallery, which showcases a variety of artists who have been pioneers within various genres of music. There were several wings for each major continent, showing the traditional instruments played in (presumably) every country in the world. Also, there was a new exhibit for an additional cost to see their newest acquisitions, which included the first ukulele, Prince’s Purple Piano, Eric Clapton’s “Brownie” guitar, and so many other incredible things. 

Last, but most certainly not least, was the Experience Gallery. Here, so many instruments (not including wind instruments because ew, germs) were available to be played and tested and, well, experienced! There were many percussive instruments, a Theremin, a massive gong, guitars and banjos, xylophones, and even “Javanese gamelan, a West African djembe, [and] a Peruvian harp” among many others. The kids had an absolute blast and absolutely did not want to leave. I have so much more to say about this unreal museum, but I will save it for its own post. Instead, some highlights!

BL ✅: U.S. National Park #3 – Grand Canyon National Park

Once again, just as with Antelope Canyon, words fail me. There are not enough words to describe the sights and feelings of seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. It truly is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, for good reason. The amazing vastness, the stillness (when not surrounded by hundreds of other tourists), the overwhelming grandeur…it was just incredible. What was slightly less incredible was our kids were a bit fussy at the outset, so I suggested a drive along the rim to calm things down.

We had an interesting way this all played out. Our guide from Antelope Canyon really hyped the Navajo tacos from the Cameron Trading Post. Therefore, we drove out of the park and into Cameron (that was my mistake, not realizing how far that actually was) in order to try them and maybe snag some souvenirs from the Trading Post. The tacos were fine (a bit bland, but the Navajo fry bread was neat), but it really did eat up a lot of our day, so Frank was less than pleased. Nevertheless, we drove back to the park and our Grand Canyon adventures truly began in the afternoon.

Desert View Watchtower

Our first stop on our way back was the Desert View Watchtower, a fascinating structure made in 1932 by Mary Colter. It was designed to resemble the pueblos of the Indigenous people of the area, essentially to match the surrounding vistas. Visitors can go up the 85 steps to the top of the tower, and there are timed tickets to do so. Alas, we felt we didn’t quite have the time. We just went inside the bottom area and enjoyed the views of the Canyon from there. There was a great view of the Colorado River; this might have been my favorite viewpoint.

Lipan Point/Mather Point

At this Point in time (pun intended…I’m such a dork), I don’t quite remember exactly where each of the following pictures were taken. One is Lipan Point and the other is Mather Point…or both are of Lipan, or both are of Mather. Regardless, we stopped multiple times whenever there was a pull off to see an overlook. Every single Point was incredible and seemed even better than the one beforehand. We were in a race against the sun though, so we could only stay for so long each time. 

Grandview Point

I remember this one specifically because I ended up getting some alone time. While Frank hung out with the kids in the car, I went beneath the rim. I saw a few people a little lower than the level even with the rim, so I went searching and found Grandview Trail! When I got about 10-15 feet below the rim, I paused to take pictures and soak up the peaceful ambience. It was so lovely, and probably my favorite viewpoint. (I jest, it was all my favorite.)

Wildlife

While we were driving around the park, we spotted a small wild pig, as well as a small, beautiful herd of elk! Completely unperturbed by the passing cars, they clearly saw people in their area on a regular basis. We lingered for a little while to spend some time with them, which we enjoyed.

Overall Reflection

This park truly is special for a reason. Thus, I regret using up so much of our day to visit the Cameron Trading Post. Nevertheless, it provided a slightly more unique trip around the rim. Every viewpoint had something exceptional to offer! I look forward to any and all future trips, where we can truly hike and see much more of the park. The bucket list actually has two separate Grand Canyon-specific items to still do. I want to someday do a helicopter tour over the Canyon, as well as hike to Havasupai Falls and camp in the park. Here’s hoping, someday!

The Mob Museum (BL ✅)

When most people think of Las Vegas, they probably imagine crazy parties or The Strip with all of the gambling and casinos. Perhaps some people know about Downtown Vegas with the Fremont Street Experience or even Container Park. As for us, the unequivocal highlights of Las Vegas are its Chinatown (oh yes, it has one, and it’s awesome) and the Mob Museum.

The Mob Museum is a three-story building dedicated to the history of organized crime and the response of law enforcement. I had always wondered about the differences between Mob vs Mafia, etc., and the Museum provided the perfect definition:

“The Mafia. La Cosa Nostra. Triads. Cartels. The Yakuza. Organized crime groups go by different names around the globe, but their goals and methods are essentially the same. Each group is an association of people working together in a continuing criminal enterprise. These gangs, or syndicates, or combinations are collectively known as The Mob.”

– Caption in The Mob Museum

I can, and someday will, go on and on about the myriad of galleries and concepts showcased in this highly structured, utterly captivating museum. At this point, I will simply share a few of my personal favorite images and caption them. I have to be happy with that, because there is still just so much to share!

Downtown Vegas Highlights

I will be as brief as our visit and simply say, one cannot get into the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health without an actual appointment. It is a functioning hospital and they do not give tours. Nevertheless, the outside looks really cool, so we had to stop by.

I also mentioned their Chinatown. Yes indeed, Vegas has a fairly large Chinatown full of an overabundance of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and other southeast Asian restaurants. We selected ShangHai Taste for their soup dumplings, and they were the best we had had since Hing Kee in Chicago. I mean that as a major compliment, as not all soup dumplings are created equal.

As I mentioned above, Fremont Street is an area you have to see to believe. We had some later plans to tour the Neon Museum, another gem in the area, but we wanted to walk through Fremont Street first. We strolled along, jammed to Imagine Dragons, and arrived in front of The Plaza Hotel and Casino. Just like the Strip, there are so many flashing lights and so much to take in. Dominic seemed to enjoy waving to strangers and absorbing all of the sights, sounds, and smells. We snagged dinner at a place that I can’t remember because it was just okay, and then headed to the Neon Museum.

The Neon Museum

This nonprofit museum receives and restores many of the old neon signs that populated Las Vegas’ early history. We learned about several of the early casinos and their role in shaping the formation of Vegas. The Moulin Rouge hotel and casino, for example, was the first integrated casino, long before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The casino only lasted five months I believe, failing for any number of reasons. Nonetheless, in 1960, quite a few casino owners met for The Moulin Rouge Agreement, which integrated basically all of Las Vegas years before the rest of the country followed suit. This tour also included an old Hard Rock Cafe sign, the Sahara Hotel and Casino sign, and my second favorite sign, the original neon sign from the Plaza. The Plaza chose to restore the sign before they donated it, a first for the Neon Museum! You love to see it.

Container Park and Thai Food

I had heard of a space near downtown that was essentially constructed from old shipping containers. The appropriately named Container Park became something I had to see. Not only were the shops contained within shipping containers, a very large grasshopper sculpture resides at the front. It even has fire coming out of its antennae at night!

We walked around and took it all in for a little while. There were vendors at tables selling things and people doing yoga with drinks next to them in a spacious grassy area. None of the food options really blew us away, so we walked around the corner. We went to Bangkok Street Thai Street Kitchen for dinner. Frank unfortunately wasn’t feeling well, so he didn’t get to enjoy the food like I did. This meal reigns along with many of my other favorite meals throughout our travels! Crispy calamari, pork belly, chicken wings, egg rolls for the kids, and Frank’s pad thai; literally everything was a hit. A favorable review suggested most of the things I mentioned, and we happened to get there during happy hour. Most of what we ordered were half priced appetizers, so it was not only scrumptious, but affordable! I miss it. I really do.

Bellagio Fountain Show (BL ✅)

My Ocean’s Eleven dreams came true!! On our last visit to Las Vegas, we made a special stop at the Bellagio in order to see the Fountain Show! At some point, I’ll link a clip of the video I took of the show, set to Clair de Lune. If you know, you know.

The crowds fill every square inch of space along the wall around the water, which proved tricky at first. We arrived essentially as the show was starting, so we lingered behind a stretch of people and watched it from an odd angle. Immediately after the show ended, Victoria asked if we could watch it again! We laughed and said yes. I suggested we use the time in between shows to try and find a better vantage point in front. This proved invaluable for our next experience of the show! We watched from a much more suitable spot and had a blast taking it all in. The other cool part – it wasn’t the exact same show with the same music! Standing in the very front like that, I felt like I had just gotten away with the heist of the century, and I looked at our crew and smiled.

Leaving Arizona, for what?

If you made it all the way down here, thanks for sticking it out! I know this was long, but there was just so much to share about.

We had an absolute blast throughout our month in Arizona. In spite of the negative situations we had to navigate and endure, we pretty universally look back on our time there as a resounding success! I think all of us can’t wait to go back there as soon as possible. Victoria in particular talks about “our Arizona house” on a regular basis…

Our month in Arizona was to be followed up by a two week gauntlet of epic proportions and several dreams realized. I promise it will not take another three months to share about that, come back shortly to find out!