AZ Vacation....

So the family and I are heading west! Loading up the ole family truckster and setting out on the open road......err....open skies I suppose.....LOL.

Anyway...we're heading to Scottsdale on the 4th of April for the week.

We are mostly planning to hang at the resort, but we are definitely taking a day trip up to Sedona to see the red rock canyon's and mild hiking. The kids (10 and 6) will be in tow....

Anyone got the best spots to go and see? Not necessarily tourist traps....but....the good stuff.

I am tossing around the idea of maybe a Jeep tour or ATV tour.....anyone suggest one they've been on that was awesome?

Going to do some hiking stuff around Scottsdale. Wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, but just realized it's like a 5 hour drive from Scottsdale...is that right? If so....probably not doing that.

Whatcha got peeps?

 

Gonna be in Scottsdale the week prior myself for some golf (and maybe check out the Barrett Jackson event), Sedona is on my radar to check out one of these days eventually. If you're staying at all in Scottsdale and looking for a some good SE cuisine The Mission is one of my favorite restaurants in Scottsdale, it's considered "Mexican-fusion". There's one in Kierland and one in Old Town (original).

Roaring Fork and Fat Ox are 2 of my other fav restaurants.

 

When you're driving up to Sedona check out Oak creek canyon,used to be a spot where you could swim if I recall correctly,Been about 40 yrs though since I've
been there Btw you'll wish you were on a motorcycle,amazing ride.

 

Make sure you go stand on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. I bet you see a girl in a flat bed Ford.

 

Will definitely try that Mexican place....we are staying in Kierland

 

let me know if you buy anything at Barrett , we’ll transport it back to Naples for you haha
Well be down there for all the auctions ! phx is killer this time of year

 

Nothing personal, but saying you’re going to Arizona and staying in Scottsdale is like saying your going to Colorado and hanging out in Denver.

 

Well played sir

 

Never seen women in Denver that look like the women in Scottsdale....just sayin'

 

Go out to east Colfax after dark.

You'll see anything that you can think of.

(and some things that you wish no one ever thought of)

 

Devil’s Bridge hike in Sedona is beautiful and not too difficult.

Indian Gardens in Oak Creek has one of my top 10 sandwiches with their Bacon & Brie

https://www.indiangardens.com/

Slide Rock State Park is a few miles down the road.

 

Take a ride out to Tortilla Flat. Cool little town. And when I say "little" I mean... like population of 6 little. Good little saloon with kick ass burgers. It's probably a 30-40 minute drive but it's a great ride.

 

Edit I can’t get my phone to cooperate so this is at the top:
I just looked googled, if you are coming all that way to Arizona the south Rim is only 3.5 hours away? I did that as a kid at 9 years old and loved it. When my wife, kids and I went back a few years ago to visit Flagstaff and Sedona, we went to the north rim and I didn’t like it as much, possibly the difference between 9 year and 50 year old life?

Slide rock looked cool when we went to Flagstaff, and Sedona. We also went to the Grand Canyon on that trip but, it was a different section....northern possibly where they built the glass bottom lockout section that is something like $20 per person to walk out on?
https://grandcanyonwest.com/explore...MItevN5tq07wIVfj6tBh2W9gXQEAAYASAAEgIxGPD_BwE

We took a river rafting trip from there. IMO that was interesting but it was a large powered deal and the water was so reddish it stained your clothes. The best part of that was the helicopter ride out, we all really enjoyed that. I imagine if I had never river rafted in a small boat and even 2 person kayaks, I would have enjoyed this river raft experience more?

We also went into some caverns on the way out that were really cool. I will try and find the link and post it.

 

Don't waste your time on Winslow...spent a summer there working at the APS power plant in Cholla. The painted desert and the petrified forest were kinda neat but not worth the trip from Scottsdale.

 

+1 for The Mission. Not inexpensive, but good. If you want a relatively inexpensive good dinner, try Pomo. Love their pizza. All the pasta is made fresh. If you like ‘snacking as a meal’, Postino in old town has some good wines and great charcuterie boards.

 

This is how to see Arizona

 

It's tough to beat a crystal clear sunrise on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Sedona was too touristy for my taste.

Eagar is way east of where you are based, but it's really pretty in that area.

When I go somewhere with scenic natural beauty, I usually just look on a map for a twisty two-lane & just head 'that-a-way' and let the interesting things find me.

 

Would be fun to go just to say I've been there but it's nearly 4 hours from where we are staying....no Thanks.

 

Golf and Barrett was all I could think of. I’d have to get there on day one, I can’t swing anything rolling across the block on the weekend. Where are you going to play?

 

YES!