Sedona Arizona - Day 5 - Heading home

 Sep 26,

Up early to head back home. It's been fun, but I can't wait to see and hug my girls.

Sedona Arizona - Day 4 - Last dinner

 Sep 25,

Sedona Arizona - Day 4 - Pink Jeep Tour and Scottsdale

 Sep 25,

This morning we got up, took a couple of great shots of the morning sky, packed, put our luggage in the car, and went on a Pink Jeep Tour. I wasn't sure what to expect with the tour, but it was pretty neat. Besides going on a bunch of roads I didn't even know a car could get through, they made a few stops so we could take pictures. There were some nice views. 

After the tour we had lunch at a local place and got in the car to drive to Scottsdale. We are spending the night here because it is closer to the airport, and tomorrow we have to get up early to catch our flight back home. The place is nice, but it also feels a little stuffy. Not sure why. Lionel had hoped to maybe spend time by the pool when we got here, but it is crazy hot. So instead we are going to hide in the room, read, and chill, until it is time for dinner.

Sedona Arizona - Day 3 - Second day of hiking

 Sep 24,

This morning we went on a couple of trails. First we did a 2.4 mile loop called "The Baldwin", which was relatively flat but did have some elevation here and there. Surprisingly, it also had a couple of areas with some much needed shade. After the Baldwin we drove to Bell rock. You could either do a path all around it, or try to climb it. We initially decided to do the path, but the path was not well marked and we did not want to struggle with it. So we decided to climb it. It was definitely the right decision as the views were nice, and we were out there for less time than it would have taken to do the whole path.

After our hikes we had lunch at a place called Mariposa Burger, and walked around for a little bit in the center of town. Lionel was tired though, and doesn't have a lot of patience for shopping anyway, so we only hit a few stores before heading back to the house. He offered to drop me off, and pick me up later, but traffic into town was getting heavy (it is the weekend after all) and that seemed like a hassle. So we are resting now, and will later go back out for dinner.

Sedona Arizona - Day 2 - First day of Hiking

 Sep 23,

Today we did a couple of hikes, one in the morning and one of the afternoon. We started our morning hike at 7:50 am, and it was actually a cooler hike by the creek. We walked for 7.4 miles but it didn't feel too bad until the end. By then we were definitely getting tired. After the hike we had lunch at a cool local place called Pump House, and then went on our second hike of the day. This time around it was much hotter, and much steeper, so we definitely had to work for it. It was only about 1.5 miles, but it was not an easy one. Good news is that we definitely had nice views at the end.

After taking naps, and taking a shower, we went out for dinner at a place called Elote, which of course was Mexican-style food. It was really good. We both enjoyed it very much while we talked and googled facts about Sedona (it is much smaller than we originally thought) and other cool places to retire eventually. 

Sedona Arizona - Day 1 - Travel day

 Sep 22,

Today we got up at the crack of dawn to catch our first flight. We did not have a direct flight, so we had to fly Cincinnati to Minneapolis, and then Minneapolis to Phoenix. We had to wear our mask the entire time we were traveling, except when we were eating or drinking, but it was not too bad. We were tired though from getting up that early. When we arrived in Phoenix we picked up the rental car and drove to Sedona, which took about 2 hours. We found the rental house, which has pretty cool views,  rested for a little bit, changed, and went out for dinner. After that we pretty much read and lingered as long as we could before we passed out for the evening. We didn't want to go to bed too early, because we would wake up too early as well, but we were definitely tired from the day.

Dividend Day 2021

 Sep 19,

This year Dividend day was back, and for a split second I was part of it. Sofia had to work, but Lionel, Bella, and I went together.  I just wanted to be part of it for a little while, one last time. I know that going forward,the girls don't want to go with us anymore. They want to be with their friends.

After a little while we let Bella go with her friends, because she would have more fun with them anyways, and after saying hi to my friend Jessica and her family we headed back home. Bella stayed for much longer - longer than I would have thought. Better her than me. It was really hot outside, and after walking around in the sun I was really tired.