A Revival: In the Valley of the Sun~ Day 1

Summer 2011 Road Trip - Arizona & Las Vegas, Nevada

Dates: June 16-20, 2011

[Post 1 of 4]

Last Summer, we road tripped it out to Arizona and Nevada...well, for the most part. We took a quick plane ride from San Diego to Phoenix (just to maximize the time we had out here).  I have never been to the Grand Canyon, but I've always wanted to go. So, we (me, my sister Charlene, Enrique & my cousin Alee) decided to go. Our road trip itinerary? It's a doozy, but we drove from Phoenix --> Jerome --> Flagstaff --> Campe Verde --> Sedona -->Williams to see the Grand Canyon --> Flagstaff --> Las Vegas by way of old Route 66! 

We designated Flagstaff as our home base in Arizona, since it's right in the middle of all the places we wanted to see. I took SO many photos...so this is going to be a pretty long post! With that being said, I'm going to break up this post into 4 different parts- highlighting what we did for each day of our road trip/vacation. Here we go with Day 1!

{Location: Phoenix, AZ}

[Cracker Barrel]

We landed in Phoenix around 8am and got our car rental, then we made a beeline for Cracker Barrel! 

I totally love this place! It had an old country feel to it, but playful at the same time. Their general store at the front of the restaurant was stocked with novelty odds and ends, packaged sweets, and vintage toys. 

{Tidbit Fact}

There is no Cracker Barrel in San Diego...or anywhere in southern California! That makes me very sad :(

{Love}

Breakfast food! Buttermilk biscuits with gravy, yummy french toast, fluffy scrambled eggs & sausage patties...their breakfast was SO good. So so good! 

[Arizona State Capitol Museum]

[Phoenix Art Museum]

{Love} How friggin cool is this exhibit?!?

{Tidbit Fact}

I love museums. I enjoy going to different kinds and just absorbing all it has to offer.

[Starbucks in Downtown Phoenix]

Of course I had to get my Phoenix Starbucks city mug before heading out of this city! Yesss, and another one gets added to my collection :)

{Tidbit Fact}

I collect Starbucks city/state mugs! I prefer to buy the mugs myself when I visit the cities/states that carry them during my vacation stays....but I also accept and appreciate them as gifts! A lot of my family members and friends have given me mugs as gifts from their vacation stays :)

[Jerome, AZ]

We got a tip from a local in Phoenix to take a detour and visit the city on a mountainside, Jerome. We were also in search of a place for a late lunch, and the local suggested we try The Asylum...yep, exactly what you think. It's that large building at the very top there in the picture.

{Tidbit Fact}

The Asylum restaurant/Jerome Grand Hotel was once a fully functioning asylum! Since then, it's been changed and renovated into a hotel/restaurant.

We checked it out. Driving up here was no easy task! The roads were so narrow and steep...I'll admit it, I was nervous driving the SUV up here. As it turns out, The Asylum was a bit on the high end side of dining and we were really just looking for a simple lunch.

The Asylum was a no go for us (a bit on the pricey dicey end of our budget)....we decided instead to explore the rest of Jerome for a bit before heading out to an early dinner :)

{Love}

The city of Jerome is hauntingly beautiful...it gives off an eerie vibe (well, probably because all the stores were closed/closing since it was near 5pm and the streets were bare) but it also was very attractive because of its unique surroundings. Loved it :)

It was a LONG first day for all of us...but definitely a great start to our road trip/vacation!