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Happy Monday! After spending an amazing week off in Arizona last week, I am heading back to work (and back to reality) this morning. But before I officially get back into the swing of things, I thought I’d take a DIY time-out & share the highlights from our spring break trip to Arizona.
One of the “perks” of being a teacher is still having the opportunity to enjoy Spring Break, and in our household, that time off is multiplied by 2. As most of you already know, Matt & I work at the same high school and beyond having the opportunity to drive to work together every day, we are also very, very fortunate to share the same “breaks”. Spring break, winter break, summer break…. we are extremely grateful to have this time off together.
We always try to make the most of this time off BUT last week’s mini break was a little extra special because it was also Matt’s 30th (!!) birthday. We decided a while ago that instead of giving gifts to each other for this milestone birthday, we would each choose a place to visit and celebrate.
Our Spring Break Trip to Arizona
Matt chose to celebrate his big day in the sunny, warm, and beautiful state of Arizona. (…and after being stuck in Chicago’s cold over the last few months, I definitely didn’t object — whatever the birthday boy wants, right?!). Here are the highlights (and rookie tips) from our travels.
Phoenix —> Grand Canyon
We started the trip off by flying into Phoenix, renting a car, and driving up to the Grand Canyon (per the birthday boy’s request of course). It took about 3 hours to get to the South Rim but the drive was super easy and really pretty. We drove into Grand Canyon National Park ($30 per car admission) and wow…. the views of the Grand Canyon were mind-boggling.
Literally insane. The fact that you could walk right up to the edge and take pictures or look over the edge just fascinated me. You could literally spend all day exploring the canyon, but we ended up just walking around the rim a bit and taking in the views from there. Breathtaking stuff.
Rookie Tip: Don’t forget to pack some layers because the temperature at the canyon was significantly cooler than the Phoenix airport, and I was really glad to have a jacket and scarf with me!
Grand Canyon —> Sedona
After the Grand Canyon, we got back into the car to drive to Sedona & stay the night. The scenic ride from the Grand Canyon to Sedona was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I think I would go as far as to say Sedona was one of the prettiest places I have ever visited. Top 5 for sure. The weather was GORGEOUS and the backdrop of the red rocks reminded me of something you only see in the movies — ah-mazing.
We stayed the night in Sedona and got up early to catch the sunrise and take a mini hike at Slide Rock Park, which is about 10 minutes from downtown Sedona. This was another request from the birthday boy and the scenery did not disappoint. Apparently, this place doubles as a natural “pool/water park” of sorts during the day when it’s warm. Swimming and literally sliding down these rocks in the summer with these views around you, can you even?! If you’re into rookie level hiking, I would recommend stopping here (and bringing your suit if it’s warm enough).
Rookie Tip: Go early… Slide Rock gets crowded.
Because we got there so early, we were literally some of the only ones here. It was a little too chilly to swim that morning, but enjoying our coffee with these views was just as refreshing.
After leaving Slide Rock, we headed back to downtown Sedona and took a Pink Jeep Tour up one of the Red Rock Peaks (warning: very bumpy… and don’t forget to bring water!). The views from the top of the mountain were stunning and the “fun facts” we learned throughout the tour were pretty interesting and well worth it. Although we only spent about 24 hours in Sedona, we would give it an A+ and felt like that amount of time was plenty for us.
Scottsdale
After Sedona, we traveled to the Scottsdale area for the next few days. When we got there, we changed gears from “road-trip-outdoorsy” vacay to “sit-by-the-pool-and-relax” vacay. We grabbed dinner in Old Scottsdale one night and really just enjoyed relaxing by the pool after a few busy days of exploring.
Phoenix (for the Sports Fan)
Matt love, love, loovesssss visiting and touring new football/baseball/basketball stadiums, like that’s his “thing” when we travel. And for all the blog “stuff” he puts up with (and is so patient about) on a daily basis, the least I could do is make a point to tour/visit these new stadiums with him when we are in new cities. So of course when we’re in AZ for the first time together… for HIS birthday… we had to check out the stadiums there.
We first toured the University of Phoenix Stadium (where the AZ Cardinals football team plays). And even though the “gift” for the 30th was the travel in itself, I haaaaaddd to sneak in a little birthday surprise for Matt’s big day. Matt is a huge Cubs Fan and part of the reason he chose to visit AZ (outside of the outdoorsy stuff and warm weather) was because he knew his beloved Chicago Cubs were playing the AZ Diamondbacks in Phoenix last week. So not only did he get to see the Diamondback’s stadium, I also surprised him with tickets to the game from seats we would NEVER usually splurge on. We got to the game super early and were able to watch batting practice from right above the dug-out. To say it was a HAPPY birthday is quite the understatement.
Our spring break trip to Arizona was so. much. fun and really was the perfect way to celebrate Matt’s 3-0! I don’t turn 30 for another two years but I’m already thinking about where I should celebrate. If that celebration is half as fun as this one was, I’d call it a big success.
We also visited Washington D.C. for spring break, here’s a recap of that trip right here.
Bridget
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