avatarKevin Alexander

Summary

The author's family took an unexpected but ultimately enjoyable summer vacation to Arizona, exploring various attractions without a strict itinerary.

Abstract

In the summer of 2019, the author and their family embarked on a vacation to Arizona, a destination chosen somewhat arbitrarily by the author's wife amidst the family's indecision. Despite the initial lack of enthusiasm for visiting Arizona in the heat of late June, the trip turned out to be a memorable experience. The family, who enjoys heat and new experiences, visited places like Flagstaff, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon, and encountered unique sights such as a meteor crater and an oversized Randy Johnson mascot. The vacation's unscripted nature allowed for spontaneous exploration and discovery, leading to a family consensus that this trip was a favorite. The author reflects on the journey with fondness, highlighting the value of serendipity in travel.

Opinions

  • The author's oldest son predictably suggests beach destinations, while the younger son is more adventurous with his suggestions.
  • The author, who works for an airline, contributes city options based on the feasibility of flying standby.
  • The author's wife is the practical force behind the vacation planning, often making the final decisions.
  • The family's typical vacation planning process is described as messy and unpredictable, yet it usually comes together quickly.
  • The author expresses a fascination with the desert landscape and enjoys the spontaneity of stopping to appreciate unexpected sights.
  • The author admits to an irrational fear of snakes but does not let this deter the enjoyment of the trip.
  • The family appreciates the beauty and tranquility of Flagstaff, which contrasts with the rest of Arizona and reminds the author of the Rocky Mountains.
  • The author finds Winslow, Arizona, to be somewhat disappointing, except for the famous corner mentioned in the Eagles' song "Take It Easy."
  • The author values the unexpected experiences that arise from not having a strict travel plan, such as discovering a meteor crater and a giant Randy Johnson mascot.
  • The trip's success has led to unanimous approval from the family in retrospect, with everyone voting for this trip as a memorable travel experience.

PHOTO ESSAY

Summer Vacation in …Arizona?!

A destination picked in frustration turned out to be a family favorite

Photo by author

At first glance, visiting Arizona in late June doesn’t seem like the best choice for a vacation, but that’s where my family and I found ourselves in the summer of 2019.

Our travel planning usually goes starts with a group text from me asking, “where should we go on vacation?”

  • My oldest son will list 1–2 beach destinations, and stick to them no matter what. I can’t say I blame him.
  • My younger son will blitz the chat with suggestions. Just when you think he might’ve settled on a solid pick, he starts anew. He is naturally curious and wants to see the world. Today.
  • I work for an airline, so we fly standby. I’ll throw a few cities into the ring, and try to figure out if we can realistically get where we want to go.

Meanwhile, my wife is usually actually doing the work of picking a place and lining something up.

From the outside, this might seem messy and unpredictable, but it normally takes just a few days to line everything up, and off we go.

That didn’t happen this time.

We just could not come to a consensus. Each of us advocated for where we wanted to go, itineraries were planned, only to get scrubbed. Back and forth we went. Inertia took over. Eventually, my wife just announced we were going to Arizona, and that was that.

In a lot of ways this made sense:

  • My best friend lives there now.
  • Neither of our kids had been there, so this would be a new state for them to mark off.
  • We like heat.

I hadn’t been there in ~20 years, so it would feel new to me as well. We also knew we wanted to see Flagstaff/Sedona and the Grand Canyon, but other than visiting with my friend our first day, had no timeline to work with.

Everyone takes family photos at rest stops, right? Photo by author
I took a lot of photos like this. The desert landscape fascinates me and I couldn’t stop looking at it. Photo by author.
I’m irrationally terrified of snakes. Maybe coming to the southwest wasn’t the best idea? Luckily for me, we didn’t see any while there. Photo by author.
We would see something interesting (viewpoint, rocks, trees), and just stop to check them out. No rushing from place to place, ticking boxes on a list. Photo by author.
Playing with camera filters. Photo by author.
Some people we met in a Grand Canyon parking lot. Photo by author.
Photo by author
On the way in. We took a picture for another family, and they took ours. Photo by author.
This meteor crater is amazing, and totally worth driving out to see. It’s roughly 20 minutes from Winslow, or 45 from Flagstaff. If you like offbeat attractions, this is for you. It’s hard to convey just how big this thing is. Photo by author.
Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, Arizona. Photo by author.
Flagstaff is my kind of town, and it’s easy to forget you're still in Arizona. The high elevation and vegetation give it much more of a Rocky Mountains energy. Building art like this was everywhere. Photo by author.
We stood on a corner in Winslow Arizona — it was such a fine sight to see. The rest of the town is honestly a little sad. Rundown, and consisting mainly of shops selling tourist junk. Swing through on your way to/from somewhere else. Photo by author.
You can’t tell from the picture, but I’m in a group of 5–6 people standing in the street taking a look at this flatbed Ford. Photo by author.
We’ll never be accused of being tall, but… Photo by author.
My son is fearless. He’ll talk to anybody and try anything once, including striking up a conversation with the organist at Chase Stadium. Photo by author.

Our trips are usually well-scripted. We will do X today, Y tomorrow, etc. But when you don’t have a plan, it creates space for all kinds of things you weren't expecting, like gigantic meteor craters….

… Or over-sized Randy Johnson mascots.

In our case, a vacation birthed from uncertainty worked out well. After seeing this prompt, I took the discussion to our group chat for a vote. The responses came back almost immediately, and this time there was no doubt.

Everyone voted for this trip.

#travelmemories

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