Summer Road Trip 2019 – West Coast

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This last summer my husband and I embarked on a 40-day road trip, packed to the gils in our SUV – angling northeast from Arizona, through Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, Sonoma County and on up the west coast. Making stops in Bandon Dunes, Portland and Seattle before heading across the border into Canada. This second leg of our trip included stops in Whistler, British Columbia and then across the water (Strait of Georgia) to Vancouver Island to spend time in Tofino and Qualicum Beach. Our third leg took us back stateside where we made our way back down through Seattle, east to Coeur d’Alene and into Billings, Montana. Then we began our southernly descent towards home going through Jackson Hole, Colorado Springs and Durango.

Golf, although not the main driving force of this trip, played a major role in how we organized this trip and deciding where we were headed. Our intent was to see as much of our amazing country, and new destinations in Canada, up close and personal, taking major highways only when time was of the essence. We had to pre-book certain parts of the trip, so staying somewhat to a schedule was imperative, but overall the total number days on the road was left to play out however it played out.

A single write-up of this trip would be labeled a novel, so as not lose my readers attention, I will break the trip up into the three different legs so I can share more details of each amazing stop on this bucket-list filled journey.

FIRST LEG – West Coast

Choosing which way to make our way up to NorCal was a challenge coming from the Phoenix Valley. Not many routes across the national forests that line the eastern border of California, from almost the northern tip down to Bakersfield, north of LA. We wanted scenic – so we meandered our way taking in the following amazing destinations on the first part of this leg.

Las Vegas:

Day 1 – Southern Highlands Golf Club was the first stop on our trip to play this beautiful private club. One of only four courses co-designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. and Robert Trent Jones, Jr.  RTJ, Sr. passed away during the construction of this course and there is a plaque on the 12th hole commemorating his passing – the last hole he finished. For the first time in our 33-year marriage my husband, a 14-hdcp, played really well and beat my score (I’m a 5-hdcp) – so this is now his favorite course!

Southern Highlands – a lush green oasis in the Las Vegas desert, with amazing views. Every tree was planted during the build process.

Day 2 – Ever wanted to put the pedal to the metal and go as fast as you can – legally? Drive whatever your dream sports car is at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas. A track with multiple turns to test your maneuverability and one long straight away to ‘let it out’ and see how fast you can go! Exhilarating – or so my husband said after driving his dream car – a Porsche. He was amazed at how physically demanding it was driving these cars – for just 7 laps, can’t imagine the exhaustion after driving 500 laps for the pros.

We finished off the day, our 33rd- wedding anniversary, with a fun whimsical dinner at Lakeside restaurant at The Wynn – singing frogs et al!

Exotics Racing – Las Vegas – Porsche 911 GT3 RS – powerful – fast. Bucket list item – check!

The Lakeside restaurant in the lower level of The Wynn sits on a man-made small lake, where you are serenade by singing frogs, bouncing balls and flittering butterflies.

Yosemite National Park:

Day 3 – We hadn’t been to Yosemite in over 30-years, so we were anxious to return. There is no easy direct route into Yosemite National Park. Due to narrow, windy, single lane roads – the last 80 miles took 4 1/2 hours, the last 20 miles took 2 1/2 hours. But with the beauty surrounding this whole area, one hardly notices or cares that you are forced to drive slow and take in the overwhelming aura of this park. El Capitan stands majestic to your left as you approach The Ahwahnee Lodge, Half Dome looms large in the distance, a multitude of massive trees line the roadway, rushing waterfalls thunder in their descent. A magical mystical place.

El Capitan – makes Alex Honnold’s free solo ascent even more impressive when you see this iconic rock structure in person.

Half Dome in Yosemite draws in your with it’s unique shape and just out of reach location.

Day 4 – Up early to drive to a high point in the park to witness the sun rise along El Capitan, bathing the Half Dome in sunlight. Driving out of the park, we stopped to walk through one of the many Giant Sequoia groves that dot the park. Standing at the base of these looming, behemoth trees is mind-blowing.

A high vantage point in Yosemite presents a sunrise show with the sun rising behind El Capitan bathing Half Dome in the morning sun.

Giant Sequoias – aka Redwoods – stand out with their size and robust red color.

Sonoma County:

Visiting Sonoma wine country was another bucket-list item for us. We have been to the Napa Valley multiple times and wanted to see what it’s quieter, smaller sister had to offer. We stayed at the new boutique hotel, MacArthur Place – 5 blocks off the main square in Sonoma. Spacious, well-appointed rooms, a great bar setting, an amazing eating experience at their top-notch restaurant Layla, and friendly attentive service throughout the whole complex warrants a return visit.

MacArthur Place in Sonoma is great new boutique resort that has brought service to a whole new level.

The next two days we were treated to full days of wine tasting and seeing the sights of Sonoma, organized by Val & Mike Marino, of California Wine Tours. Top notch service and wine tour experience!

Day 5 – Wine tours at: Hanzell, Deerfield Ranch and Repris. All had very unique wine caves.

Hanzell, Sonoma – going into it’s seventh decade of making wine, specifically Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, uses a holistic ‘farming’ approach in caring for their vineyards by growing veggies and fruit trees along wine rows, allowing farm animals to mow, dig, and fertilize the cropland. By appt. only.

The rustic stone barn tasting room at Hanzell offers panoramic views of the Sonoma Valley.

Deerfield Ranch, Kenwood – Red Blends are their speciality, with a focus on low amounts of sulfate and histamines, creating a smoother tasting wine while using less tannins, but also reducing additives that many people are sensitive to and can hamper their wine tasting enjoyment. Open to the public.

The wine cave at Deerfield Ranch opens up into an inviting, well lit, living room style setting.

Repris, Sonoma – wines 125-years in the making, is a well-hidden gem – not even known to most locals. The climate of this Moon Mountain Vineyard creates some the highest quality grapes in the region. Their 18,000 sf cave reveals the natural stone walls left behind the big dig to create this natural wine cellar. By appt. only.

No matter how bad the fires got, the wine cave at Repris would safe coat a major portion of their wine supply. Great place for fun wine tastings too!

Day 6 – Wine tours at: A. Rafanelli and MacRostie.

A. Rafanelli, Dry Creek – sits on some of the most pristine property in Sonoma County, focusing on Zinfandels, Cabs and Merlots. Shelly Rafanelli, 4th generation, is the winemaker and her sister, Stacy, runs the financial side of the winery – continuing the Rafanelli legacy of great winemaking. By appt. only.

The Rafanelli family has been on this property for four generations and it shows! Absolutely gorgeous setting!

MacRostie, Healdsburg, is in the Russian River Valley, the go to AVA for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The property sits with an expansive vista that allows you an opportunity to contemplate life of maybe one day opening your own vineyard or winery. Open to public, but reservations highly recommended.

MacRostie Winery – a great place to contemplate life and take in the amazing vistas.

Bandon Dunes:

Day 7 – Back on the road to make our way to our first golf bucket-list destination, Bandon Dunes. The American version of Irish golf links. Upon our arrival at our cottage that sits at the edge of a lily pond, frogs were ‘croaking’ out their mating calls and on cue a momma deer and her two fawns appeared at the base of our balcony. A great start!

A momma deer and her two fawns made an appearance at the base of our deck at Bandon Dunes, right on cue to our arrival.

Day 8 – Up and at em’ early for our first round at the original Bandon Dunes golf course. The cool breezes off the Pacific had our attention quickly with no trees to break the blustery winds.  With 7-holes fully are partially along the ocean, our attention was focused on those stinger shots to keep our balls low and in play on this naturally created course winding through dunes and natural vegetation.

Are we in Ireland? It’s hard to tell the difference – Bandon Dunes does a great job of pulling off a true links golf experience.

Day 9 – Pacific Dunes became our favorite course at the resort. It was more captivating with its layout – challenging, but not in a quirky way. A playable distance, but an emphasis on shot making. With 7 holes fully or partially along the ocean, the 3-club wind had our attention today.

Probably the most photographed hole in Bandon Dunes is the 10th hole at Pacific Dunes.

Day 10 – Old MacDonald only has 4 holes that are directly affected by the ocean, but with some of the world’s largest greens and deepest bunkers there is no shortage of challenges. We were taking full body turns on some of our putts and hitting backwards out of several bunkers.

Our caddies walking off the back of one of the monstrous greens at Old McDonald. I needed a wide angle lens to have been able to capture the whole green.

Only way out – is backwards! Brutally tough and deep bunkers at Old McDonald.

Portland:

Day 11 – Our first trip ever to Portland – lush green rolling hills welcome you as you wind along the Willamette River and it’s tributaries, which make it very challenging to get around. There are no direct routes to cut through rivers and hills, but tour circuitous route allowed us to experience the beautiful Oregon countryside. We were treated to play on an old course – circa 1896, Waverley Country Club, along the banks of the river. A tight, heavily treed course with wrist breaking rough.

The picturesque 16th hole at Waverly Country Club – aptly named the Punch Bowl. Long shots end up in the Willamette River.

Seattle:

Day 12 – Seattle is similar to Portland in having to work your way around waterways and hills. We stayed at The Edgewater where we were upgraded to The Beatles room – where apparently they stayed back in the 1960’s. After walking to get our morning coffee at the original Starbucks, we headed to our second golf bucket-list experience – playing the famed Sahalee Country Club. Even the greatest players have been brought to near tears with fairways tightly lined with thick stoic stands of woods and greens harder to hold than my living room glass coffee table. Some greens were so tough to hold we just picked up our balls and walked to the next tee.

Evening view from our room at The Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, show cases the Seattle highlights with Mount Rainier lurking in the background.

Does anybody have a chainsaw?? As if the greens aren’t hard enough, they have to line the fairways with these monstrous trees, just to test your golf mettle a bit more.

Can you say tight? It’s hard to envision trying to pipe down the tight fairways at Sahalee CC, just outside of Seattle.

Almost a third of the way through our road trip, my husband and I were still talking to each other, we had already experienced enough amazing adventures to fill a life-time, but were energized and excited about the next two legs of our trip to visit new destinations and revisit old favorite destinations.

Check the Global Gallery in the near future to see more pictures from the first leg of our summer 2019 road trip. And stay tuned for ‘leg two’ of Summer Road Trip 2019.

 

Pinehurst – finally!

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As I have mentioned in previous posts I am an avid golfer. I grew up in a family where you learned to play golf and ski or you find a new family. I decided I liked my family so I didn’t fight it when parents put me on my first set of skis at age 3 and put golf clubs in my hands at age 6. I skied until about 10 years ago, when I decided I liked my body in one piece and risking the slopes with an aging body was no longer a smart play. Golf, although mentally taxing, is a little kinder on the body and has given me opportunities to see some of the most amazing tracks of land across this great country of ours.

I played my first tournament at age 8, and made golf my focus from that age on. I spent the summers on the golf course, while all my friends were hanging out a block away at the local pool. They were working on their tans and I was trying to hide my golfers tan. But that’s what comes with the territory of being a serious golfer. Living in Minnesota we had a very short golf season, but that didn’t deter our desire to play this crazy game. We spent our winters fixing clubs, hitting into nets and creating our dream courses on large pieces of tag board. Minnesota had one of the strongest junior programs of any state in the country, so we had plenty of tournaments to play in once the snow melted and the courses opened.

Our family of six had a standing tee time every Saturday and Sunday at our local course. My dad never missed a Men’s day and my mom – who got us started in this crazy game – never missed a Ladies day at the club. My Mom grew up in Duluth, and way back in the day, to earn a little summer fun money, she caddied for little known Patty Berg, one of the founding members of the LPGA. If Mom had only known back then what an icon Patty would become she would’ve stayed on her bag a lot longer.

My two next oldest brothers and I spent from sun-up to sun-down working on our games. If we couldn’t play, we took multiple shag bags of balls and headed to the largest fields we could find and pound balls hour after hour. Then head to the putting green and work on our putting, short game, sand game, and trick shots! Hey I took hot dog lessons when I was a young skier – so for golf I had to learn to hit every trick shot my brothers threw at me. They were pretty cool to let their little sis tag along, but they gave me one rule to abide by – ‘keep up’ – because they weren’t waiting around for me. So I learned to hit the biggest ball my 110 pounds of body mass could muster. It wasn’t anywhere near as long as they hit it, but it was enough to ‘keep up’ with them.

My oldest brother was more the team sport guy – baseball, football, basketball. But the stud athlete he was allowed him to play a pretty solid game of golf. My middle two brothers were the golfers of the family. They both had scratch handicaps for most of their high school years. One summer, the older of the two shot the course record of 63 on our home course. The next week, the younger brother topped that feat and beat the newly set course record by one.

Golf was such a huge deal in our family that for our high school graduation my parents gave us a choice between a week of golf at the most renown golf resort in the country, Pinehurst, or help in buying a car. My oldest brother took the car, but the two golfing brothers chose trips to Pinehurst. In the seven years since my oldest brother had graduated from high school, I put my all into the game of golf. My intent from the age of at least 12 was to become a professional golfer. I put the time and effort into achieving this goal, even moving to Arizona in my junior year of high school so I could practice year round. But what quickly became evident was that I was good, but probably not good enough to play at the pro  level. Or if I was good enough it would be a constant struggle of just trying to make cuts. I became burned out on the game and sadly hung up my clubs at age 18 for the next 5 years. No Pinehurst for me.

In the ensuing years I picked up my clubs again, and other than another 5 year break when my kids were born, I put enough effort back into my game to keep my handicap in the middle single digits. My husband took up the game after we got married. He played sparingly over the years with a very busy work schedule, but he was a strong athlete and made strong enough progress that in the last 20 years we have been able to enjoy some of the most amazing golf tracks around today: Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Pasatiempo, Bandon Dunes, Sahalee, Interlachen, The Ocean Course – but the one that kept eluding me was – Pinehurst.

Even though I willingly gave up the game of golf for a time, I never let go of the dream of one day wanting to play Pinehurst. Partly because Pinehurst was part of our families golf legacy, partly because of its place in history in the game of golf as a whole. Earlier this year we were invited by friends who belonged to Pinehurst to come play this iconic golf mecca. It took me all of 3 seconds to accept.

This has been my longest standing bucket list item – golf related or not. After 37 years of bypassing my opportunity to play Pinehurst for my graduation gift from my parents, last week I was finally able to check Pinehurst off my bucket list. We could not have hit better weather – 75 and sunny every day. Pinehurst now touts 9 courses in its’ line-up and was the location of the World Golf Hall of Fame from 1974-1998. Back when my brothers went, there were 5 courses with the 6th just about ready to open. My husband and I only had a few days, so we let our hosts pick the courses they recommended playing – as long as one of them was #2.

Pinehurst #2 is where it all happens. This is the course that has played host to several iconic US Open Championships and a myriad of other major tournaments. Champions list includes: 2014 US Women’s US Open and Men’s US Open played back to back – Michelle Wie & Martin Kaymer; 1999 US Open emotional winner Payne Stewart – there is a statue in his honor at the 18th green; 1951 – Sam Snead captained the winning Ryder Cup team.

The fairways are tightly lined with towering Loblolly Pines, and where their pine needles don’t fall in mats of slippery undercover, there are unending seas of waste areas consisting of the local sandy base with native wire grasses sprouting up like landmines. Not a hilly course, no water, but keeps your attention.

The greens are small, undulating, crowned and fast. We had a tough time keeping the balls on these upside down bowls – they were running at about 11 on the stimpmeter. For US Opens they run about 12.5-13. One of golfs most notorious sayings is ‘Drive for dough, putt for show’ – but at Pinehurst you need to put the ball in the fairway so you can hit your approach shots with the highest lofted club possible to have a chance of hitting a landing area about the size of a dime and keeping the ball on the green. Then work on your breathing – a lightly tapped putt is all you’ll need to have a chance of it dropping. Or take your lag putt and run to the next tee!

We played Pinehurst #6 first – this Tom Fazio designed course was the most benign of the three we played, but it still demanded big drives and aggressive approach shots. A wayward tee shot easily turned into a double bogey just getting back in play. But a good course to prepare for what was to come on #2, which we played on our second day at Pinehurst. We finished our tour playing Pinehurst #9. This Jack Nicklaus design incorporates every discipline available to this imaginative course designer – tons of water; winding, rolling, lush, tight fairways; deep bunkers with wet heavy sand; long narrow undulating greens; towering pines lining the fairways with beds of slippery pine needles.

My Pinehurst mission is replete. I came, I saw and I got conquered – mainly by #2. I would love an opportunity to go back, knowing what I now know of the course, and give it another whack!

I generally intertwine my pics throughout the post, but there was a story that needed to be told, supplanted at the end with a few photos of the adventure that was Pinehurst. More pics available to view in the Global Gallery.

Played #6 in our first round at Pinehurst. Shot a respectable 78 with 3 double bogeys. Should’ve stopped after this round.

The end of October #6 & #9 will play host to the LPGA Q-School Finals. Good luck gals!

The drive into the entrance of #2 just oozes iconic golf course.

One of the famed waste areas on #2. Try and hit out of it to a crowned green with a landing area the size of a dime.

Sure you can hit that fairway. And you better hope that you do, as the green is about the size of a nickel and sloped at a weird angle.

By the 12th hole, our scores were in the stratosphere, so we decided to have some fun and have a head to head – literally – putt off.

Still smiling after the round and enough energy left to do the famed Payne Stewart fist pump!

Uphill, long, dog-leg, tree-lined hole at #9 had us all taking the esteemed Jack Nicklaus name in vein.

But alas, we made it to through with our dignity and love of the game intact. Shooting a 41 with 2 double bogeys on my last 9 at Pinehurst was a bit of salve on the wounds from the previous 27 holes.

Luckily they make a tasty and strong margarita at the Ryder Cup bar at the Pinehurst Resort. All is well that ends well – at the 19th hole.

Hunts Mesa, Monument Valley et al

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Hunts Mesa. A destination, an experience, a vista that will live with me the rest of my years. I’ve been coming to Arizona for 40 plus years, and spending time in the National Parks and accessible tribal lands located within a days drive from the Phoenix Valley have been on my bucket list all those years. Recently I finally made the four hour road excursion north to take in the sights of Secret Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Monument Valley where Hunts Mesa rules over the valley below, showcasing many more monuments than what you see at ground level.

Page sits just south of the Arizona/Utah border, near the shores of Lake Powell, and was base camp for the next several days. It is a good central location with so much to see and do within a couple of hours drive in just about every direction. This historic little town sits northeast of the Grand Canyon, with easy access to the Colorado River for some river rafting via Lee’s Ferry.

The view from the hotel in Page looking towards Lee’s Ferry and the Colorado River.

Because of the proximity to Page I was able to experience in 24 hours:

Secret Canyon – one of the areas slot canyons. It has an opening on both ends of the canyon, and you can also climb to the top of the canyon to take in a birds-eye view of the wavy slots from above. Weaving in and out of these wavy sandstone walls gives you an appreciation for the power of water as it swirls in these tight areas and has for centuries, leaving perfectly aligned ribbings along each orange-ish/pink-ish sandstone wall. The flood waters still come fast and hard from far upstream and can catch you unaware as you sit in these canyons with clear blue skies above. This slot canyon may be smaller than the famed Antelope Canyon, but it allows you access to ‘people free’ photos with a secluded 2 /12 tour with 15 people or less. Very intimate experience with a tribal guide who shared stories of his youth growing up in these canyons, and great photo tips.

Secret Canyon slot canyon – a maze of tight wavy curved sandstone walls.

Secret Canyon – no this is not a painting or highly photo-shopped. Handy work courtesy of Mother Nature inside Secret Canyon slot canyon.

Lake Powell, and all of it’s watery arm extensions, is an amazing location to catch the setting sun, lighting up a backdrop of multi-colored rock formations and inky blue pools of water with their rugged shorelines. Photographing the sunset is a popular evening activity with parking lots full of tri-pods and eager shutterbugs trying to capture the perfect natural lighting on the perfect natural setting. One of the countries largest man-made reservoirs, one could spend days discovering the many hidden gems of Lake Powell and is a must return for me.

A high vantage view of Lake Powell as the sun was setting over the marina.

Boat launch into Lake Powell at Wahweap Marina near Page.

Horseshoe Bend trailhead is a 5 mile drive from Page. The 3/4 mile easy hike to the edge of yet another amazing feature created by centuries of water powering it’s way through bedrock to create  this horseshoe shaped bend in the Colorado River. The contrast of multiple blue hues of the water weaving through the multiple shades of orange bedrock is breathtaking. So are the vistas all along this canyon, but with multiple deaths a year in the area from people getting too bold to experience the perfect view of looking over the edge of the rim a railing was recently installed above the bend to give security to the nearly 2 million annual visitors.

Horseshoe Bend photographed with a fish-eye lens showcasing all the amazing colors at sunrise.

The next day, after unfortunately coming across a horrific bus/SUV accident on Highway 89, where 3 people were airlifted to area hospitals, we were forced to change our plans of going to Bryce Canyon and ended up at a very unique little spot about 30 miles west of Page:

The Toad Stools sit at the southern edge of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Park with an easily accessible trailhead right off the highway. These multi-colored formations – from bright white, to a golden cream, to rustic orange – are mind boggling in how large boulders teeter atop a pointy sandstone spire that look ready to crumble. Even though they’ve been this way for centuries how do they not topple over?? I sure don’t want to be under one whenever that does happen! The 1.8 mile hike is easy, and generally not over crowded – plenty of space to spread out and see all the amazing rock formations and wall art created by Mother Nature herself.

Toad Stool – cream colored massive sandstone walls provide a backdrop to orange toad stools.

Finally made it to Bryce Canyon the next day – after a 2 1/2 hour drive northwest of Page along a two-lane windy road:

Bryce Canyon sits at an elevation of almost 9000 feet. I visited on April 5th and arrived to an amazing amount of snow. What a contrast of colors with the intense orange coloration of the rock formations dotted with thick layers of snow. It is meditative to fully absorb the aura of these cathedrals and amphitheaters of orange and cream colored spires and natural arches created by the extreme weather conditions that exist in this location. The canyon was named for a mormon homesteader, Ebenezer Bryce, in 1874. In Bryce Canyon you climb to above views of the spires, whereas in Zion National Park you drive through the low lying bases of similar formations. For this reason, Zion does not get as cold and is about 30 minutes closer to Page, which means larger crowds.

Bryce Canyon – this massive amphitheater of sandstone spires dusted with snow spreads out over miles.

A very cool natural arch, bathed in snow, at the farthest open end of Bryce Canyon.

Saturday, April 6th, 2019 – a day that will live in infamy, at least in my little world. A day I wasn’t sure I was going to live to see the end of, but when I did, I was oh so glad. The 2 1/2 hour drive from Page to Monument Valley mid-morning was non-plus. Enjoyed lunch at the The View Hotel while looking out over the world-renown Monument Valley. At 2:30 my travel companion and I met up with our native Indian guide, Toney Begay who works for Monument Valley Safari Tours. A man we would surrender the safety of our well-being to for the next 18 hours. A man who grew up in the area and has been a guide for over 40-years.

Some of the more prominent monuments basking under the crystal blue skies and blanket of white cotton candy clouds above Monument Valley.

For the next four hours we meandered along a 8-mile ‘road’, often going no more than 5-10mph, up the backside of Hunt’s Mesa, in a four-wheel-drive Suburban. I was happy to be enclosed and securely fastened by my seatbelt. The ‘road’ and I use that term loosely, wove through low desert sand dunes; up rock faces where we felt we were going to tip over backwards; along pathways that were no wider than the vehicle where we felt we were going to tip over sideways; and along drop-offs 100’s of feet on both sides of the road in one area. In these tribunal lands there are no guardrails, no barriers of any kind – one slip of the truck on a slick rock or a loose rock gives way – and it would’ve been all over.

Our roadway up the back side of Hunts Mesa to our vista point overlooking Monument Valley.

A higher vantage of the pathway we were about to embark on – with drop-offs of 100’s of feet on either side of the road.

I have always had a fear of heights, especially severe drop-offs. But I knew if I were going to get the best pictures I had to brave the ‘elements’ and sit up front. My travel partner sat in the back, often with her hands covering her eyes. Our highly experienced guide oozed with confidence, and we had no choice but to trust in him and his years of experience. During high season he makes this drive 5-7 times a week and often twice a day. He was so confident of his abilities he acted like we were out for a Sunday drive on the flatlands of Nebraska.

We took many deep breathes, and embraced the adventure that lay before us. When we arrived at our destination, we quickly understood the expression of awe when we told our slot canyon guide a few days earlier we were going to Hunts Mesa. He told us we were in for a treat of a lifetime and he was spot on!  As heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, lump-in-the-throat the trek to the top was – we felt we earned the views that now laid at our feet.

The heart stopping, mind blowing, gut churning, nerve-wracking trek was all worth it!

The whole of Monument Valley spread out before us like divas all battling for center stage to claim the crown for best in show. Each deep red rock monument has been given their own name by tribal ancestors over many centuries. It is hard to fathom this canvas of unique subjects was created by centuries of wind and water, not a pick and chisel at the hands of man. Their lines are majestic, magical, mind-bending – and nearly perfect, in their own right. I took over 600 pictures in the 18 hours we spent in the presence of such greatness.

On our way back down Hunts Mesa we stopped by our evening viewing point to see it had been overtaken by a heard of wild goats.

With no city lights for many, many miles in any direction the thick blanket of stars we experienced were bright enough to bath Monument Valley in a soft glow. Because we booked this tour on such short notice I did not have the proper equipment and knowledge to properly capture the night sky, but we were lucky enough to come across an amazing professional free-lance photographer who did capture some amazing pics that evening from the same look-out we were stationed at. Check out Ranjan Bhattacharya at rbfotoartcreations on Instagram.

On our way back down Hunts Mesa Toney asked if we were in a hurry. Thankfully we said no and were treated to more amazing sights along these sacred tribal pathways: Anasazi ruins built high up in rock faces; rock formations with a wow-factor to rival the world renown monuments we originally signed up to experience; and a hidden gem, Spider Arch, tucked deep along a dry river bed, through porcupine footprints, massive pincushion cacti – to a natural arch to rival any I have seen in person or in pictures.

There was a bit of a slick sandstone rock face we needed to ascend to take full advantage of the visual before us. Our guide Toney showed us how to navigate the rock face by traversing and to keep our bodies low to the rock. We were slip sliding all over and about to give up when I decided to risk doing a face plant and stood up and ran as fast as I could creating enough momentum to carry me up the rest of the face – only to be rewarded with one of Mother Nature’s most awe-inspiring creations. My travel partner plays the native flute and the site of her playing in this natural amphitheater, with our native American guide lying on his back listening peacefully will be a visual that will stay with me all my days.

A short but challenging rock face we had to climb to fully experience the whole of Spider Arch.

It doesn’t get much better than to be witness to my travel companion playing her native flute for our Native American guide as he relaxes under the Spider Arch.

As we made our way back out on to the main road to head back to our vehicle, all of our anxiety from the drive up Hunts Mesa was erased by the plethora of visuals that now filled our mind, our heart and our soul. Along with a new appreciation for the Native American culture that flourishes in places like Monument Valley. Toney and his tribe are a proud people and I am honored they choose to share these amazing sites – sites I will never take advantage of, and will do all I can do support their culture and their heritage so they will continue to be open to sharing these amazing adventuresome experiences.

Check back soon for more pics in the Global Gallery from Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon and all the other sites we visited.

Snow in the Arizona Desert

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Yes, snow in the Arizona desert. And no, not in the high desert country – where it is the norm to have snow, and lots of it. Flagstaff and the White Mountains get enough snow to be home to ski resorts. Both places being only hours away from the Phoenix valley so you could conceivably ski in the morning and make it back to the valley for a round of golf, or at least a few holes.

But this most recent snow event happened down in the Phoenix valley – the low-lying desert with average elevation around 1000 feet. I have been coming to the Phoenix area for more than 40 years and have never experienced anything like this. Snowflakes here and there, but not actual accumulation of snow on the ground.

North Phoenix, Cave Creek area, can get ground accumulations on occasion but they are upwards of 2000+ feet in elevation; or down in Tucson where they have had several snow accumulations this winter of 4-6 inches or more, but they are at 2500+ feet in elevation or more.

Heavy snow accumulation in Tucson happened several times this winter.

For us, this is a once in a lifetime weather experience here in the desert so I felt it was worthy of a blog post, if for no other reason than to share some pictures not often captured in Arizona. I have often wanted to experience the desert with a little snow cover – but assumed I’d have to time a trek to Sedona or the like to get those photo ops. Never thinking I’d ever have the opportunity to capture these kinds of photos in my own backyard.

I live in the east part of the Valley where Four Peaks, Red Mountain, the Superstition and McDowell Mountains rise up out of the desert. Inhabitants here revel at awaking to the view of Four Peaks blanketed with snow on occasion. But generally these snow storms hang in these outward lying mountain ranges and just supply us with this ‘off in the distance’ majestic visual while we stay snow free, basking in the valley’s sun.

Being from the midwest, where the four seasons abound with diversity, I have truly missed experiencing a little snow here and there. So I was giddy with this anomaly snow event. With temps hovering around the freezing mark the snow quickly turned into sheets of ice by morning, leaving everything glazed over with a whitish hue.

Our home sits high on a hill, elevation of 1945 feet on top – with a steep curvy driveway and an elevation change of 300 feet from top to bottom. During the build we joked how it’s going to be a real challenge to shovel in the winter and worry about sliding down the icy driveway. Never in our wildest dreams did we think this could be a possibility. Luckily by the time we woke up during this recent weather event – the roads were wet, but not icy. I’m sure if we’d had to make a middle of the night run, it might have been a different case.

On February 22nd, 4 inches of snow fell in Fountain Hills, 9 inches in the McDowell Mountains, and 12 inches in the Tonto Hills and Carefree areas.** The last measurable snow event, of an inch or more, recorded in the Phoenix valley, was in 1937. There were traces of snow in 1998 and 1990.*

Waking up on February 23rd to snow in our Arizona backyard.

No golf today!

Rarely do we see temps low enough to create icy creations.

Even this ‘Elk’ was wondering ‘what the heck’ – he moved south to get out of the snow!

Red Mountain, although shrouded in clouds much of the day showed a hint of snow – first time ever.

The McDowell Mountains that separate the east valley from Scottsdale, and where we spend a lot of winter months hiking – just 10-15 minutes from our home.

Although the actual peaks of Four Peaks are slightly shrouded in clouds, the density of the whiteness of snow shows how deep it had to be – upwards on 3 feet for this mountain range about a 20-minute drive from Fountain Hills.

Palm trees and a golf course in the same picture of the snow-capped Four Peaks mountain range was a sight to see.

But don’t let this snow event deter you from heading to the desert in the winter to warm up and get a reprieve from the real winter wonderlands in the country, especially in a year that has experienced the extremes of snow and cold temps. By the end of the next week we were back up into the 70’s, still a little snow showing on Four Peaks, and a full 10-days later all traces of snow were left only in our memory banks.

Within days a good amount of the snow had melted off of Four Peaks.

And now 10 days later, not a trace of snow to be seen – even on Four Peaks. Ahhh…winter in Arizona.

Thank you to *12 News – KPNX-TV (https://www.12news.com/article/weather/snow-in-phoenix-its-happened-before/383134939) and **KTAR – FM news (http://ktar.com/story/2449524/snow-lands-really-sticks-in-phoenix-during-record-rainy-day/) for stats used in this post.

Ireland for sightseers and music lovers

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Ireland is for golfers. But what has changed dramatically in recent years, is its appeal to anybody and everybody. The tour company we used for our ‘golf’ trip to Ireland, by the name of ‘Links Golf-Ireland‘, informed us that 10-15 years ago their tours consisted of about 80-20 percent in favor of golf tours, but in recent years that percentage has totally flip-flopped. The word is out – Ireland has a host of noteworthy places to visit. From a multitude of sea-ports, to the jaw-dropping rugged shorelines, to the lush ’emerald’ green countryside full of shamrocks, leprechauns, and fairy trees.

Shamrocks everywhere in Ireland, even painted on the back of our travel mate’s head!

Wonder what kind of mischief this leprechaun is up to. If we grab him he has to grant us 3 wishes for his freedom!

One of many fairy trees that dot the Irish countryside – reminding us of the importance of Irish folklore.

As mentioned in the previous post, the culture of Ireland is worth a visit to experience. The locals either stay local, or after a stint to check out what the rest of the world is all about, tend to return to their original roots. If you need to learn how to relax and enjoy what just being alive really means, spend some time in Ireland for a front row seat to what the Irish have perfected. I believe I also mildly touched on the importance of ‘music’ to the Irish culture in my previous post. One of the true highlights of our 10-day excursion was listening to our tour guide/shuttle driver, Eamon Hegarty, regale us with Irish tunes in his melodic Irish lilt and soothing voice. We couldn’t get enough and rarely did he repeat himself with the same song – and one song, Seven Drunken Nights, went through the whole week as each stanza started with the day of the week.

It was of great importance that we didn’t tucker ourselves out during the day, so we always had enough left in the tank to make it to a local pub, or three, each night to listen to live Irish music. Music that takes you in, and quite often takes you from a place of grief to a place of joy and happiness by the end of the song. Or take you on a journey of self-deprecating humor that has a place for everyone to connect. I can only imagine many of these songs being born on the bar stools of many a pub, plenty of Guinness to loosen the tongue and lips.

The entrance to the Guinness Brewery – looks like you’re entering Fort Knox.

Look at all those vats of Guinness – they must have known the beer drinking North Americans were coming!

Little known fact – Guinness owns the right to the harp logo. If any other entity, including the state of Ireland wants to use the harp logo they have to use the mirror image of it.

Luckily several of our party had been to Ireland several times, so we wasted no time winging it through our trip.  On our way to have our first pint of Guinness at Gogarty’s Pub and before we took in some great live Irish music off the back entrance off another great pub, Stag’s Head, we took in some of the local history: The General Post Office; The Ha’penny Bridge; Illen Bagpipes; Phoenix Park.

The General Post Office, where an uprising was held in 1916 for Irish Independence from the British Empire.

The Ha’penny bridge over the River Liffey.

A random gathering of an Irish musical group outside the back entrance to Stag’s Head Pub in Dublin.

The next morning had us up bright and early and off to Old Head Golf Links – in the rain and thick fog. Afterwards we headed to the idyllic little port town of Kinsale. After checking into Perryville House, and a long hot shower to thaw out from the chilly day on the course, we snuggled up in our jeans and sweaters and walked down to Finns’ Table to enjoy a relaxing 5-star dining experience. Followed by another walk, and a pop into a pub for a little music and what would become a regularity of having a Red Breast Irish Whiskey or some other Irish scotch whiskey for a proper wind down to our long day.

Perryville House, Kinsale. A quaint Inn off the bay in Kinsale – large comfy rooms and a great bar lounge area.

The harbour in Kinsale – a beautiful backdrop to a quaint little town where you can enjoy 5-star dining in your jeans.

The following day after our round at Tralee Golf Club we worked our way towards the more inland base of Killarney – where we spent two nights at the Ross Hotel. One great thing about all the Irish towns – they are all very walkable. After a dinner of Irish Stew and a very intense tutorial on the proper pouring and drinking of Guinness by our gracious host Eamon Hegarty, we set off to do a little late night shopping of soft and cozy Irish wool sweaters and accessories, and jewelry before tracking down more live Irish music and Irish whiskey.

Ross Hotel, Killarney – great location in the town center, next to a beautiful church, walking distance to castles, pubs, shopping…

How to properly pour a Guinness: Step 1 – pour the glass 1/3 full – let sitl; pour second 1/3 – let sit; pour final 1/3 – let sit. Takes about 20 mins.

Amazingly the glass is still cold. Now ‘stroke’ glass to help beer separate from head. If dranken properly the size of the head should remain the same until the beer is gone.

After a day of golf at Waterville Golf Links, the gals took the next day to explore around Killarney, a couple of us hiking up to one of the many castles that dot the Irish countryside, Ross Castle ruins, circa 15th century. Followed by a visit to Inch Beach – a long stretch of beach that is slowly connecting the arms of the Iveragh (Waterville) Peninsula and the Dingle Peninsula, our next destination.

Ross Castle – a 15th century ruin that sits on the edge of Killarney, a 30-minute easy walk from the town center.

Inch Strand – an idyllic stretch of beach. Great for strolling, searching for seashells, and surfing – if you are so inclined.

Dingle. What a great name for a town. It had a vibe and a style that put a perennial smile on our faces. Colorful buildings filled with local artisans working away at their art, from jewelry to leather goods to knitting. We were also treated to a tour of Dingle Crystal, where we met the owner and head craftsman, Sean Daly, and watched him create one of his original cut-glass styles on Waterford Crystal he brings in uncut. One of Sean’s original cut-glass designs is called the ‘beehive’ named after the beehive huts that exist on Slea Head, Dingle Peninsula, where a big part of the recent Star Wars movie was filmed. We had dinner at Sean’s son’s restaurant, called Solas, named after one of Sean’s styles of cut-glass.

Colorful buildings align the streets of dingle, housing multiple artisans and pubs.

The gals huddle around Sean Daly in his workspace where he spins his magic cut-glass freehand designs.

Then the real highlight of the trip was waiting for us at John Benny’s Pub, where the owner’s wife, Eilis Kennedy, one of the world renown Celtic Divas, and of the duo, Lumiere, gave a somewhat impromptu mini-concert with several of her Irish musical friends. We were mesmerized by their vocal talent and instrumental savvy, with several drop-in’s adding to the musical mix.

Eilis Kennedy and her colleagues regale us with their Irish folklore music – both vocal and instrumental.

The next day took us to our most favorite lodging of the whole trip, Moy House. I could just post pictures and need not write another word – but this a ‘writers blog’ so write I shall. At least a caption or two. Moy House is a 200-year-old home that stood in disrepair for most of its life until a family member lovingly and meticulously renovated it about 20-years ago into a magnificent country house with each room as unique as the lay of the land, and a chef that creates a 5-star dining experience for every meal, with produce and proteins grown on site.

Moy House – a country home turned into lodging of 12 rooms, a full stocked self-serve bar, 5-star restaurant, and 50-acres of walkable grounds.

The rear views of Moy House – overlooking Lahinch Bay.

Stone walls fill the Irish countryside. People could only carry the rocks so far and just piled them up in a line that became property lines.

Lahinch Beach parallels the western holes of Lahinch Golf Club. It is a long expansive beach that allows for some pretty big waves to be created and is well known for its surfing. That’s a little out of our comfort zone being from the AZ desert, so we watched the youngins’ give it a go and stuck to strolling the wide swath of sand with the tide being out giving us ample room to spread out and each find our own private beach experience.

Lahinch Beach – lined with massive boulders to protect the town from high tide.

The bright buildings in the town of Lahinch sit as a colorful backdrop to Lahinch Beach – one of the most popular surfing beaches around.

Enroute to our next destination of Galway, we stopped at the ‘must see’ destination of the Cliffs of Moher. Stunning sea cliffs that go on for about 14 kilometers and range from 390 feet at the low-end up to the biggest drop-off at 702 feet – with no railings along any part of the ridge, so visitor be ware!

One of the highest points at the Cliffs of Moher, just outside of Dingle. A sight to be seen!

The pathways run along the edge of the Cliffs of Moher for 14 km, no railings in sight.

We arrived into Galway on a misty day, but ventured out on a beautiful walk along the waterways outlining this quaint city, dotted with a 14th century Gothic Church, a majestic Cathedral, and more history than all of the US combined. We sauntered around the city streets and low and behold found an interesting little pub to imbibe in our nightly Guinness consumption – at the 800-year-old historic King’s Head Pub. But the music wasn’t your regular Irish fodder so we went to the streets and were greeted with an ensemble of young musicians who randomly gathered and gave the people a musical treat streaming from a multitude of traditional Irish instruments.

Galway, sandwiched between two waterways is a great walking city with beauty along every shoreline.

Galway Cathedral stands tall within the town of Galway.

But the interior was the real sight to behold!

We finished our trip with a three-day stay back where we started, at the Brooks Hotel in Dublin. Now that we were comfortable with our surroundings we spread out and took in as much of the city as we could in what little time we had – more pubs, more shopping, more golf. Our second to last day in Ireland provided a few of us with a highlight of one of the most visually satisfying hikes I have ever experienced. The Howth Coastal Walk – about 10 miles north of Dublin, was a moderately challenging hike along the water’s edge, up and down steep embankments, with views of the ocean, a lighthouse, and immersed in a plethora of colorful unique flora and unique rock outcroppings.

Some of the views from our Coastal Walk on Howth Head were absolutely stunning.

The original Baily Lighthouse off of Howth Head was built in 1667, and is now a fully automated but still working lighthouse.

Some of the colorful flora that dotted the Coastal Walk on Howth.

As busy and full our 10 days in Ireland was – exhaustion never fully set in because the full experience was too exhilarating and left us saying good-bye to Ireland with very big smiles on our faces and a definitive intent to return to the Emerald Isle. But I won’t wait 40 years again for that to happen.

Check out more great pictures from the sights of Ireland in the Global Gallery.