Arizona so nice, we visited twice

     When Austin learned he had a conference in Arizona, I told him I would be tagging along. I thought it would be fun to head back to Sedona without Campbell this time and to go to the Cardinals game. We dropped Campbell off at school and headed to Charlotte for our flight. We decided to use Turo again and once again had a great experience. We are guessing the airport hasn't figured out how to make money off of Turo it because we had to grab it from a nearby hotel. It just so happened that the hotel was across the street from In N Out! Austin chose the hotel this time and it was perfect. It was in the heart of downtown and walkable to everything which was perfect for us. Also when we checked into The Orchards Inn they gave us chips and salsa, what more could I ask for besides a margarita?! 

    I had been trying for weeks to get a reservation to Elote and kept on striking out. We decided to give them a call on the way up and were able to get a reservation that night. Austin said its probably the best food he has had of that type. I agreed it was delicious! If ever in Sedona this is a must do!

  The next morning we were up and had a delicious breakfast at HP Cafe before doing a couple of trails in Sedona. We also decided to make the drive to Flagstaff via 89A which is supposedly one of the prettiest drives in the US. We drove through Oak Creek Canyon and Coconino National Forest on the way. We were a little too early to see the leaves changed but I'm guessing it's gorgeous if you can catch it at the right time. We had lunch at The Toasted Owl, it was this quirky little outdoor spot in Flagstaff. It was a little cool to be sitting outside but we did. You wouldn't think there would be much difference between Sedona and Flagstaff temperature wise but there definitely was. We also hit up a cute brewery before making the drive back to Sedona. There was a wedding just outside of our hotel Friday night and I must say the backdrop was breathtaking. We ended up having dinner at The Vault which we actually ate at last time and enjoyed it so much we came back again. They have a patio with heaters so it was a perfect dinner.

    The next morning we were up and headed back to Scottsdale. Before we headed out we had already decided that we wanted to stop by and eat at the pump house. Again we ate here on our last trip but this time decided to do breakfast before we headed on one last hike. We hiked Devils Bridge and the views were breathtaking. I was so glad I decided to purchase hiking boots before our trip as they came in handy. 

    We made the drive back to Scottsdale and Austin had plans to play golf with colleagues and I had a date with the spa. The conference was at The Scottsdale Resort so that is where we stayed the last leg of our trip. I enjoyed a nice massage then met with up some friends to watch the Carolina game while Austin golfed. We ended up meeting a lady from South Carolina who was the only other person in the bar besides us cheering for the Gamecocks. 

    Sunday we headed to the Cardinals game. They were playing the Eagles who happen to be undefeated this season so it was a little rowdy. We headed to a little brewery before the game to have lunch before the game. The game was a lot of fun and Austin scored us great seats. I was exhausted so we just ordered room service for dinner and called it a night. Monday it was back to South Carolina and back to reality. We love Arizona, specifically Sedona. I absolutely cannot wait to go back again! 

Yellowstone (Company Trip Edition)

We decided after our trip to Sandals last night and our group's obsession with the Yellowstone series that we would step out of our normal trip and head to Montana. Austin did a wonderful job putting together the trip for our group and I'm pretty sure everyone agreed it was our favorite to date. We flew out bright and early Saturday morning into Bozeman. Travel tip: We used Turo for our rental car and had a great experience. It was substantially less expensive then renting directly through rental agencies and we had a wonderful suburban. We stopped to grab lunch and some essentials and checked into 1872 Inn in West Yellowstone. We all agreed that the location was perfect as it was walkable to all of the shops and downtown area. 

Sunday we were up bright and early for our tour with Darcy. I was not too crazy about the 6:00 start time but we ended up seeing so much wildlife starting that time of day. I think the only animal we did not see was mountain lions. For dinner we headed to Firehole BBQ which was featured on Diners Drive Ins and Dives. We called it an early night after having our second early morning. 

Monday the guys ventured out on their fishing trip. From what we heard they had a great time, so much that they scheduled another trip for later on. We intended to do a spa day for the girls that day however West Yellowstone was not the spot for that. There was one lady who did massages in town. We had a blast being ladies who lunch and shopped. We ended the night with dinner at Serenity with a very entertaining meal provided by a lady at another table ha. We wound up meeting up with our tour guide at a local bar. It reminded some of us that we are now 40! 

Displaying my bear spray! 

Tuesday we were up and headed to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful and to see Primastic. Only one other in the group had been to Yellowstone before and I wanted to make sure that Austin was able to visit these two spots. It was nice having a slow day with no real plans except to see these two spots. We had dinner at Pete's. Austin wanted pizza and I was happy to enjoy some pasta which is a rare treat! 

Wednesday we headed on our rafting trip. Wyatt was our guide and he was AWESOME! He is actually a professor at Montana State University. He also played college basketball as a point guard which you know Campbell loved. Our only regret was that we should've done the more difficult or longer rapids but we had the best time! A few of the guys and Morgan headed our fishing again. I was contemplating fishing but when Austin and the guys described the size of the mosquitoes I decided to sit that one out. I headed downtown to finish up a little shopping then met some of the group at Bullwinkles. They had the best huckleberry moscow mules and surprisingly amazing bison meatloaf. 

Thursday was probably everybody's most favorite day of the trip. We rented ATVs for the day and now everybody wants one at home! After this trip I consider myself outdoorsy ha. We had some great views and had a wonderful Mexican lunch complete with margaritas! Our last dinner was at Madison Crossing. 

Friday we were up and ready to travel home. It was a wonderful time and we already brainstorming for our next company adventure! 

Spring Break 2022 - Arizona

I decided that I really wanted us to go to Arizona for Spring Break which means Austin thought it would be a good idea to put me in charge. I have a newfound respect for all that goes into planning a trip. We started our trip out by flying into Phoenix. We immediately went to a Diamondbacks game. Luckily for us MLB got it together before our trip. The weather could not have been better.

We checked into our hotel in Scottsdale which was absolute perfection. We stayed at the Westin Kierland Resort We relaxed, swam, played basketball and ping pong before we headed to a Suns Game. As you can imagine this was the highlight of Campbell’s trip. We were a little disappointed that some of the starters weren’t playing because of the upcoming playoffs but we had a great time. Sidenote, we saw both the Warriors and the Suns play this year and now they are playing against each other in the NBA Finals.

The next day we were up and ready to hit the road to head the Grand Canyon but not without enjoying the beautiful weather and gorgeous property. 

We left picture perfect weather and woke up in the Grand Canyon to snow! We had only planned one day at the Grand Canyon so we had to regroup. We went ahead with our ATV ride as scheduled and had our helicopter ride that afternoon. 

Our last stop was Sedona and it did not disappoint. Austin and I agreed we would like to go back and spend a week in Sedona. It was just so charming with great restaurants and an adorable downtown. Our first night we ate Mesa Grill. It was located just outside of the Sedona airport. The next morning we were up and ready for the Pink Jeep Tour. We did the Broken Arrow Trail and it was such a fun experience. I had heard this was a must do in Sedona and I have to agree. We were able to access quite a few places that we wouldn't have been able to access without a jeep and most likely a guide. 

We had lunch downtown at El Guavo 89 and we had heard that Black Cow had the best ice cream and Campbell agreed! 

Dinner at The Vault

Our last full day we hiked Fay Canyon Trail then hit up the Pump House for lunch before heading back to Phoenix to catch our flight. 

We decided that Spring Break trips should from now on be relaxing and we can use the summer break for adventuring. We LOVED Arizona, specifically Sedona and can't wait to go back!