January in Arizona – Two Floridians trying not to Freeze - COMPLETE - 5-8 About This Page:

[DrDolphin]

Who – Terri and Chris Sellers (DrDolphin and Crick85, respectively)
Where – Phoenix; Sedona; Grand Canyon; Flagstaff; Phoenix and lots of things in between
When – Jan 8 – 15
Why – Well here is where the story gets interesting. We were originally booked on the Disney Wonder’s Panama Canal relocation cruise in January. Well – after paying for the wedding and honeymoon in March/April this year – we just could not find the $8,000 for the cruise – not to mention excursions, etc that would have happened. So – we transferred the deposit to a “to be scheduled” Disney Cruise (thanks to travel agent extraordinaire Sara for all the help on that front!). OK – if we aren’t going to Panama/Caribbean/Mexico in January – then what?? First we talked about a ski vacation – Vermont? Colorado? Utah? And at one point had booked a week in Salt Lake City to ski and do genealogy research – well that fell to the wayside (money again – skiing ain’t cheap folks!!) – so – NOW WHAT??? Chris already had the leave approved and we wanted to use some of it...

We started talking about places we wanted to go and things we wanted to see – and my dear hubby informed me he had never seen the Grand Canyon – and that is where he wanted to go. So – I whipped out the “Planner” hat and off we went. The last time I went to the Grand Canyon I was 14 years old and we went as part of a youth retreat for church. In addition to the canyon – the group went to Montezuma castle and slide rock in Sedona. The summer before that Mom, Dad, Lori and I visited the Canyon while moving from Lynnwood (Seattle) to Albuquerque.

Money was still a major consideration. I happened to have one free ticket on Southwest sitting in my account – and after a couple of additional trips for work in November – I earned another. I booked the airfare right away to make sure we could get it. Two tickets – RT between Jacksonville and Phoenix $10.00 each – Check (so loving southwest airlines!!). I rented an SUV from Hertz – which I hope will help with the snow/ice situation on the roads. Then hotels had to be booked– which meant deciding where we were going. We decided that since the Grand Canyon was the focus of the trip – we would do a northerly route – which also means we can go back to AZ again since we have been finding lots of things we want to do that just won’t fit. We got a map of Arizona from AAA as well as a Tourbook as a place to start. We also went to Barnes and Noble – and each picked out one book about Arizona. Ok – with the map on the floor, and a highlighter in hand – we each circled what we wanted to see – Chris wanted to see the Grand Canyon and Meteor crater (ok my husband likes holes in the ground – noted), while I was interested in Montezuma Castle – I have a photo of it – but no actual memory of being there, and some of the other National Monuments.

After we figured out what – I got onto www.Hilton.com and looked at what Hilton-owned properties were within a decent driving distance of each of our preferred locations. I ended up booking 4 separate Hilton properties using my Hhonors points for 6 of our 7-night stay (Free people – that means we are staying for FREE!!!). Our one night that I could not “Hilton” was the Grand Canyon – and we decided to go all out. We are booked at the El Tovar – in the park proper, right on the rim. I remember visiting this hotel when I was a child, but staying there was never an option then.

Weather – ok – one word – JANUARY – that means COLD in northern Arizona (highs in the teens and lows in the negatives at the canyon’s south rim this week). The south rim of the Grand Canyon is at 9,000 feet in elevation – almost 2 miles up and is prone to snow storms in the winter. We both quickly realized we lacked sufficient cold weather clothing to take this trip. We’ve spent the last 3 months getting boots, long underwear, coats (well for me), etc in preparation – needless to say – clothing for AZ in the winter ain’t cheap. Good thing the hotels were free.

Our itinerary looks like this:

Jan 8 – fly from Jacksonville to Phoenix. Land in Phoenix at 1030am. Spend the day touring Phoenix. Overnight – Homewood Suites Biltmore.
Jan 9 – drive from Phoenix to Sedona. Tour along the way. Hilton of the evening – Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa (One of Chris’ favorite 3 letter words).
Jan 10 – Tour Jerome, AZ and other attractions near Sedona
Jan 11 – Check out and drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Overnight – El Tovar Hotel
Jan 12 – Checkout and drive to Flagstaff, AZ. Tour Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater. Overnight – Hilton Garden Inn - Flagstaff
Jan 13 – Drive to Petrified Forest National Park and Meteor Crater
Jan 14 – Check out and return to Phoenix. Tour along the way. Check into Doubletree Phoenix Airport
Jan 15 – Fly out of Phoenix and return to Jax.

I am not sure if there will be any updates while we are in Arizona – and cell phone coverage may be spotty at times – so Gowalla posts might be few (sign up to follow me on Gowalla.com). However, we will do a full report with lots of pics and some video too when we get home.

[chezp]

What a wonderful trip you've got planned. I can't wait to hear all about it.

[Colexis Mom]

Great plans Terri! I hope you have a great time!

[pamcarey]

Cool! Sounds like a great trip! The one time that I visited the Grand Canyon, it was also in January.

[Huntermom]

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I think the Grand Canyon is a must see for everyone.

[lauriep]

Sounds like a great trip. Love all the freebies! With all those free Hilton nights you can certainly splurge on one night right on the canyon rim.

[clio]

Sounds like you have a great trip planned. Free is always good.
Liz

[cubfancolleen]

Sounds great! And it may be cold - we camped there in April one year and it was 28 at night! Brrr! But so worth it! And how great that you are splurging on a stay at the hotel right there!

[lexiemom]

Sounds like it is going to be a wonderful trip! Can't beat $10 airfare and free hotel rooms!

[lazanya]

Great plans Terri! Have a wonderful time!

[iamgrumpy]

My Aunt lives in Williams AZ which is the "gateway" to the Grand Canyon the train leaves from Williams that goes up to the Canyon. We visited by car a few years ago and it was amazing. I know from talking to my Aunt that it has snowed and is quite cold so I think the SUV and the Winter clothes will be necessary!

Phoenix and Sedona will be nice from what I remember from the drive up some gorgeous sights to see! Have a great time!

[disney_duke]

This sounds amazing! I love ARizona, and we're headed to the same area this coming summer (slide rock will be visited for sure). Can't wait to see the pictures. Have a safe and fun trip!

[TroianRae]

Sounds great, Terri.
Can't wait to read all about it......

[DrDolphin]

Quick update -

The bags are packed (well mine are - someone else is still working on them at 815pm.... he is weighing his now - 39.2 lbs!!).
The kindle and iPod are charged.
The camera batteries are charged, the video camera batteries are charged and the extra memory chip has been located.
We are checked in for the flight - we took a cue from Princess Sharon and did Early Bird - a first for me - and usually I wouldn't - BUT since we will be in the middle of the desert next Friday at 1030am - I didn't want to worry about being able to check in and get a decent seat for a 4 hour flight....
Tomorrow's clothes are all laid out -
And all the confirmation paperwork is printed out and in the travel folder.

I think we might actually be ready to go to Phoenix...

Then I realized today- that this weekend is the BCS championship game in PHOENIX - our flight is going to be SO full... this could prove interesting.

Well - let me sign off - I will be on Gowalla and Facebook for the trip - but I doubt I will log in much.

Praying for beautiful vistas, clear starry nights and warm fingers and toes (well a girl can hope, can't she?).

[lexiemom]

Have a safe and wonderful trip!