Spring Break 2011

Eric and I took a break from the cold Michigan winter and spent last week visiting my parents in Fountain Hills, Arizona where they have a beautiful winter home.  My brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew were also visiting, so we were fortunate to get to spend a day and a half with them before they had to head back to Iowa. 

The Phoenix area was experiencing colder than normal temperatures, so it was a little chilly our first few days there.  Temperatures were in the upper 50s/low 60s during the day, which was still better than being in Michigan.  One night it even snowed in the mountains...apparently a rarity. 

Here are a few pictures to enjoy.

Addison "shopping" at the Phoenix Children's Museum market.












Snow capped mountains.



Colton enjoying the playground.



Colton digging.

Brooke & Addi on the playground.

Great mexican dinner in Scottsdale.

Mom, Dad, Eric and I traveled north on Monday to Jerome - one of the largest ghost towns.  Jerome was once a bustling copper mining town...now all that is left is a town of about 500 artists.

After a quick tour of Jerome, we continued north to Sedona to see the beautiful red rocks.  The scenery was amazing.

View from the Sedona airport - waiting for sunset.








Sedona sunset

Sedona sunset

We spent the night in Sedona and continued north the following morning for the Grand Canyon.  This was my first time seeing it and it was absolutely amazing.  They had gotten a big snow storm a few days prior to our visit, so the trails were a bit muddy and/or snow/ice covered, which made walking the rim a little scary at times.  The pictures do not do it justice.

Waiting for sunset.

Grand Canyon sunset

We spent our last 2 days back in Fountain Hills and were able to enjoy sunshine and almost 80 degree weather.  We took in a spring training major league baseball game in Scottsdale and went for a nice hike around Fountain Hills.  Eric and I look forward to future trips back to Arizona.

Giant Saguaro Cactus

Fountain of Fountain Hills