Arizona
- Maggie Coyle
- Nov 4, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 18, 2019
December 20, 2017
My family and I had landed; in our second home, Tucson, Arizona. We always stay at the Westin LaPaloma Resort when we visit Tucson. It is by far my favorite hotel in Arizona. With the mountain views, golf course, Elizabeth Arden spa and amazing rock pool, it is tough to beat. Our room faced the Santa Catalina mountains. Every few hours the changing sun altered the look of the mountains. It is breathtaking.
December 21, 2017
The first full day in Tucson we started with a 10 am tour of the University of Arizona, starting at the Old Domain. From the minute I saw the main entrance with palm trees lined up and the mountains off in the distance, I knew this was my dream school. Everyone road bikes, it was such a friendly environment. After the long walking tour, my feet were exhausted. But we had a lot more planned ahead of us. We drove north several hours to the town of Sedona and checked into our hotel for the night. We had never been to Sedona before and heard that the “must see” was the sunset at Airport Mesa; one of the well known vortex spots. Wow was it worth seeing! The view of the sunset hitting the red rock mountains is indescribable. You just have to experience it. As the sun set, we descended the mountain and stopped for dinner at Mariposa Restaurant. This was the most beautiful restaurants I had ever seen. It was elegant large stones, iron sculptured butterflies and fire pits outside to warm diners in the cold. Oh and it was basically on top of this mountain range so you can imagine how the view was.
December 22, 2017
This morning we had yet another 10 am tour, but this one kept me on the edge of my seat, literally. A “must do” in Sedona is the Pink Jeep Tour of Sedona Red Rock Canyon. Although it was a two hour tour, it was totally worth every minute. A tour guide in each pink jeep would drive five to six people over thinned rock cliffs and drive around in circles to scare you as you hung off the edge for dear life. Looking down, it was a long way down. If you are scared of heights, I strongly recommend skipping this tour. There was even a cliff called the chicken point because it’s so narrow people chicken out. After the jeep tour and lunch at a southwestern restaurant in town we made our way to the Chapel of the Holy Cross Cathedral. The Chapel is carved into the side of the red rocks. The huge cross on the outside of the church faced the sun, reflecting over the city. It was absolutely stunning.
December 23, 2017
Up early again and out the door we headed south toward the Mexican border where my great uncle has a cattle ranch in Green Valley, AZ. I was able to go ATVing with him and my dad. My great uncle Bill is in his 80’s yet he still has the energy of a teen. We rode over the mountain till he stopped and pointed and said,“ hey there’s Mexico.” Being out in the actual desert is a different experience. The vegetation and wildlife are like nowhere else. There are many lizards, havelenas, snakes, coyotes, and wild horses. There are more types of cacti than I ever imagined. Some like the saguaro live for hundreds of years! As the sun started to set, Bill said we had to head back. The temperature drops quickly when the sun sets. That is something most people probably don’t realize about the desert.
December 24, 2017
Christmas Eve was our last full day in Arizona and we spent it by going to church at St. Thomas the Apostle. Once again, the open window of the church overlooked the mountains, it was breathtaking. Although this was a shorter trip, I knew I would be back. Arizona is a place you have to go more than once. There is so much to do, no matter where in the state you go. I highly recommend visiting Sedona, if any of the places.
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