PHOENIX

We just got back from a trip down to Phoenix. It was a spur of the moment thing because we got plane tickets for $99. Woo hoo! It was one of the best Christmas present we could have asked for. Thank you Sun Country!

Phoenix State Capitol

Desert Botanical Garden

TUSCON

One of the oldest towns in the US, a 2 hour drive from Phoenix. We had lunch in Phoenix in the oldest Mexican restaurants in the country, El Charro.

Courthouse in downtown Tuscon

Mission San Xavier del Bac

This lovely chapel is referred to as the white Dove of the Desert. It certainly lives up to it's name.

SEDONA

Red rock country Sedona makes for a gorgeous stop on the way to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix. It's a destination in itself of course, but we managed to make a couple of whistle stops here early in the morning.

Red Rock Country

Chapel of the Holy Cross

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is lodged between the red rocks. It's beautiful and provides a great birds eye view of the town of Sedona.

GRAND CANYON

We drove up to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix and our good weather luck ran out. The canyon hid behind a thick layer of fog which refused to lift until after sun down. We'll have to make another trip down here on a different season.

On the way back, we were caught in a snow blizzard. It was like being home in Minnesnowta, except much worse. Not what we expected from our winter retreat in Arizona!

GRAND MARIAS - MINNESOTA

It's our favorite little town in Minnesota right on Lake Superior. We made our annual pilgrimage there over fall to see the fall colors.

Sunset over Lake Superior

OMAHA, NEBRASKA

We popped into Omaha, Nebraska earlier this spring. I wish I could say we ran into Warren Buffet. That would be a great story. We also visited Westroads Mall. This was before the tragic shooting.

Downtown Omaha

ALASKA - SKAGWAY

Ma and I went on a cruise to Alaska to check out the glaciers. We got some great weather and no rain. Which is unusual because some of the coastal towns like Juneau and Ketchikan have about 6 dry days in a year!

Jewell Gardens in Skagway