We started in Phoenix, of course, and so we did have one day in Phoenix to look around. Once the conference was over, we picked up our car and went to Scottsdale, which is a well established neighbourhood on the east side of Phoenix.

We ate some excellent food as well. There is lots of Mexican-style food, but we loved this little pizza joint the best.

Phoenix is in a very flat valley and so with just a little elevation, you can see some lovely vistas.

Despite being very dry and virtually a desert, there is lots of water carefully preserved in reservoirs.

Next, we took our rental car and headed north towards Sedona. On our way, we detoured through a national forest. It started as a forest of saguerro cactus and slowly transitioned into a pine forest. Here and there were some juniper trees.

We then stopped in Jerome, an old mining town perched on the side of a mountain with a spectacular view of the valley below.

From Jerome, we pushed on towards Sedona, where we had an AirBnB waiting for us. Sedona is famous for its hiking trails, on which we made great tracks.

We came across a few examples of wildlife, including this woodpecker…

… and a herd of javalinas (AKA peccary) which visited us in the middle of the night (hence the lack of clear photos).

One day we decided to follow our musical hearts and head for a remote, dusty part of Arizona along Route 66. On the way, we passed through some flat forgotten lands.

Eventually, we came to Winslow Arizona, where a girl in a flatbed Ford slowed down to take a look at me.

Winslow is on Route 66, which is perhaps the only reason anyone has heard of it.

North of Winslow is the Painted Desert. This too, is a forlorn place with nothing but sand and dust as far as you can see.

After a few more hikes and some amazing views …

… we turned north and started for the …

… The Grand Canyon!

We stayed in the Grand Canyon Village and so could just walk out of our little cabin and wander over to the main trailhead.

One aspect of the canyon that surprised me was how abrupt the canyon edge is. If you were walking through the forest that sprawls along the edge, you cold come very close to the edge before realizing that there is a giant, mile deep hole in front of you.

Just because it is so grand, here are few various shots of the canyon. In one way, they all look the same, yet in another every one is different depending on the light.

One day we took a helicopter ride over the canyon. This was quite spectacular, especially as you fly over the edge and the ground drops away more than one mile.

While flying over the canyon, you catch great views deep into those spaces not visible from the edge.

Over the couple days, were managed to walk and drive around much of the park area getting views of the canyon from different spots, and at sunset and sunrise.

Note that we did not venture into the canyon. As one of the caution signs noted, “Going down into the canyon is optional, climbing back up is not!”