After spending a beautiful night in Williams we made our way south through Sedona and the surrounding areas. As expected the scenery was fantastic.
It was also the case that Sedona was a little infested with new-agey types, many of whom seem to have been attracted to the region because of its 'vortexes.' If you are interested in learning more and happen to find yourself in the region it won't be hard for you to find a crystal store or tour guide who would be willing to explain the mystical powers of the region to you.
From Sedona we made our way to a 45 000 acre cattle ranch for an hour long trail ride, though on horses rather than mules. As we were riding we saw thousands of prickly pear cacti, though no cattle. Even though our ride was cow free it was great. Actually, that it was an hour rather than three likely made it better rather than worse.
On Thursday evening, the day we visited Sedona and had our trail ride, the family side of the trip started. We attended a family barbeque at my cousin's house. As it turned out, it was Rebecca's first chance to meet many of my aunts and uncles. And we got to see the bride and groom to be. Amazingly, though my cousin and her husband have been friends for 18 years (and I have heard his name many times over those 18 years), this was the first time that I actually got to meet him.
On Friday morning my father, brother, and I, while 'the girls' were getting mani-pedis, made our way to the Arizona state legislature. We visited the public galleries of both the House and the Senate and also the Capitol Museum. At the museum, aside from visiting the old legislative chamber, we took in an exhibit on the legislative process in Arizona. Strangely, at least according to the exhibit, they seem to use a fair bit of randomness when creating legislation in Arizona.
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On Friday afternoon we made our way to Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, reputed to be the busiest general aviation airport in the US. While at the airport a few of us were able to take short flights in our host's small Piper mono-plane. While on our respective trips Neil and I both got chances to pilot the plane for a few minutes. I was particularly pleased to get a chance to turn the plane around and then descend a few thousand about 2000 feet.
On Saturday morning we made an early morning trip to a tourist store where I was able to purchase a few souvenirs, including things like prickly pear jelly and prickly pear candy. Oh, I also acquired some cactus seeds. Not surprisingly, almost everyone else who made the trip purchased similar items.
Our next stop was the Desert Botanical Garden, the site of the wedding. As part of the wedding package the guests of the wedding were provided with free access to the site on the day of the wedding.
After a relatively short visit to the botanical garden we met up with Neil and Rebecca and made our way to a restaurant for lunch and then to the hotel where we would be spending the evening. Then, after a brief swim and a quick check of the internet, we made our way back to the botanical garden for the wedding.
The wedding itself, as expected, was great. The weather and the location cooperated perfectly. The wedding ceremony, which was held in an amphitheater, was short and to the point (though there were a few questionable biblical interpretations). The reception, which was held immediately afterwards in an unwalled pavilion, was longer and generally more free-wheeling. For better or worse, I accepted this free-wheeling atmosphere and ran with it, dancing harder and longer than was likely good for me or anyone else in attendance. Anyway, it's done now.
Sunday, our last full day in Phoenix, started with a brunch at the home of the newlyweds. After a few hours there Neil, Rebecca, and I made our way out for some touring and shopping in the Phoenix area. Not only did we manage to visit quite a number of major chain stores, we also were able to visit a local 'Indian casino,' the Casino Arizona.
While this is the largest casino I have ever visited, in many ways it was quite like the two other casinos I have had the pleasure of entering. Not surprisingly, even though it was midday, quite a number of this casino's slot machines were in full swing. Actually, the place was really hopping considering that it was still well before evening and many of the games tables weren't even open. It was also not too surprising to see that a similar demographic, the over sixty set, seemed to be the most prevalent demographic taking advantage of the casino's offerings.
Monday, as many of you might have expected, was largely spent traveling. After an early departure from Phoenix we were able to go through customs and immigration in Toronto and then have a quick lunch. From Toronto we flew to Halifax, where my parents et al had to make a quick connection to their return flight (fortunately they made it).
At the moment I am awaiting the return of Neil and Rebecca, which will finally mark the conclusion of my family's trip to Phoenix and Arizona. As it turned out, Arizona was much more biologically diverse and fun than I expected. Though I didn't really expect to be saying this a few weeks ago, I really don't think that I would mind a trip back in the future. Not only would it be great to see the Grand Canyon on a clear day, but there are a number of things in the Phoenix area that it would be neat to see, it would also be neat to see a few other regions in the state that we weren't able to visit on our brief trip.
