Our Arizona Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas Eve!  I started this post after we got home from Arizona.  Then I tripped and blackened my eye.  Typing with one eye swollen shut just wasn't cutting it.  Then I fell into a bit of a writing slump.  So here I am writing about Thanksgiving on Christmas Eve!

 

Since we were able to spend Thanksgiving 2019 with the McElhaney crew, our plan for this year was to be with my family.  In September my uncle who normally hosts our gathering let us know he wouldn't be doing that this year.  Not even knowing how restrictive the holiday would end up being in California, we decided to take a trip for just the two of us.

Our criteria:  within driving distance, out of California, somewhere we could be active outside, and somewhere cold.  Our top two choices were southern Utah and Flagstaff.  They were both around 500 miles.  I started searching AirBnB and VRBO and finally decided on Flagstaff.  We found a cute townhouse that would allow us to cook our own food and we were set.

 

We drove (actually my awesome husband did all the driving for this trip) part way on Sunday, November 22nd and arrived in Flagstaff on Monday, November 23rd.  Much of our route was the same that Les and Lance took in 2017 when they rode their bicycles across the country.  Les had so many stories from those first few days of their trip.  (If you've never read Les' blog from that trip, you owe it to yourself to take the time and do so.  It's here: http://mcbraam.blogspot.com/)

 

We made a grocery run on Monday night and started settling in.  Our rental had everything.  We've stayed in a lot of rentals over the years (especially in Hawaii) and this one had the best kitchen.  There were enough dishes to fill the dishwasher and not run out.  Every type of pot or pan was available.  It was at the end of a circle drive and completely private.  It was a duplex, but we never saw or heard anyone next door.  There was open land directly behind us and though we were less than three miles from Interstate 40, it felt so far away.  The fireplace was also a bonus.

We went for a relatively flat hike on Tuesday, just getting acclimated to the elevation - Flagstaff is at about 6,900 feet, while we live at 1,000 feet! We spent Wednesday at the Grand Canyon and took hundreds of pictures.  It's SO amazing!  I'll do a separate post because the Grand Canyon deserves it.

Our Thanksgiving day started slow.  We ate breakfast, texted with our families, and relaxed.  A little after noon, we finally loaded up our bikes and headed out.  We rode the 15 mile Mormon Lake Loop.  It was a beautiful day!  The route was hilly, but fun.

We wanted to eat out for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Our first choice was Cracker Barrel, but with a 90 minute wait, we decided to pass.  We end up at the Northern Pines Restaurant, connected to the Days Inn.  They were serving a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and could seat us immediately.  It wasn't our typical Thanksgiving feast with family, but we enjoyed it.  We got pie to go and both slices were excellent!

Our plan for Friday was to not get in the car!  I was going to go for a run and Les was going to ride his bike.  The weather had other ideas.  It was cold like it had been all week, but the wind was howling.   We basically hibernated for the day and thoroughly enjoyed it!

We checked out on Saturday morning and headed to Sedona, with plans to drive to Needles to spend the night.  With no plans or reservations, it was tough to find an activity.  We finally booked a trolley tour and it was just right.  I'd definitely like to go back to Sedona for a longer visit.

 

We spent the night in Needles and drove the rest of the way home on Sunday.  We got an early start and were able to avoid too much traffic.  All in all, it wasn't a typical Thanksgiving, but it was a great one!