No Stone Unturned

So, I have this obsession. Everywhere we go I consider the fact that we may never return so I vow to cover every inch. The problem with this is that it is nearly impossible. This beautiful country of ours is endless. There is just too much to see. I want to exhaust every state, every city, and every park. The closest I get is when we're in a county, state, or national park. I get the map and I plan. No stone unturned.

Joshua Tree National Park was one of the only national parks my family had to drag me out of unfinished. As we turned east I got my chance. We literally stopped right in front of it. The road ahead of us was completely blocked until further notice. A shootout and pursuit of an escapee had shut down the road ahead for miles. Quick thinking. Wait it out or turn around and hit the southern part of Joshua Tree National Park we regretfully missed on round one. No contest. We turned around.

We spent the afternoon hiking in the Cottonwood Oasis grateful for the chance to explore this side of the park. We had to dry camp in the Cottonwood Campground far from civilization and service which made for a serene evening complete with a breathtaking desert sunset.

The next morning, able to check off every corner of Joshua Tree National Park, we got word the roads were open and moved on to Arizona. We started by heading up to Sedona to visit my aunt and uncle. Here is another place I could absolutely live. Beauty literally surrounds you in colors only found in the west. It has all of the amenities of suburban life, but also all of the quaint shops, galleries, and restaurants of small town living. That and it is a haven for hiking and biking. My aunt took us on a gorgeous hike up Bell Tower and through Slide Rock State park as well. My aunt and uncle have a beautiful home with floor to ceiling windows overlooking this endless natural beauty and they invited us to a home cooked meal after our day of exploring. And they have legos. Win. Win. They spoiled us. It was such a wonderful evening and opportunity to spend time with them on my own.

Hiking Bell Tower

Sliding Rock

We stayed in Dead Horse State Park while in Sedona which was a treat in itself. We were close to Tuzigoot and Montezuma National Monument and loved exploring the ruins of the Ancestral Puebloans in this area. We also made the harrowing trek up to the former boom town of Jerome, the city that is "Too strong to die." It is the most unique, little town precariously perched on the mountain top and we ended up splurging on a burger and a prickly pear margarita at the Haunted Hamburger. We couldn't resist. We watched the sun set over Sedona in awe. It was breathtaking.

Tuzigoot National Monument

Montezuma National Monument

Prickly pear margaritas!

Our haunted hamburger!

Our view!

After Sedona, we found a state park centrally located between Saguaro National Park and Tombstone. We lucked out. Katchner Caverns State Park was the place to be as we hit it on the weekend of their annual Cave Party. We had a blast. We hiked, went on a cave tour, attended their awesome cave party, and found a new obsession... snakes.

These bat ears are amazing!

We spent a day exploring Saguaro National Park. It is surprisingly small, and split into two separate parks an hour apart, but seeing Saguaros in person made it absolutely worth it. They have a wonderful Jr. Ranger program which taught us everything about these mammoth cacti and their inhabitants. We didn't catch sight of our favorite burrowing owls, but we did get to see jack rabbits up close. This is actually more remarkable than it sounds; they are huge and their legs are as long as a dog's!

Look at those jack rabbit legs!

These two...

We spent another day checking off a bucket list item, horseback riding in Colossal Cave Mountain Park. This trail ride took us on the most remarkable trail through the desert, in and out of saguaros, and right into a stream. It was such fun! I have to give it to my husband; he does not care for riding horses. He was last on the trail and his horse loved to hang back in order gallop to catch up. I could not stop laughing. He wins the daddy award on this one!

We ended our Azriona adventures with a day trip to Tombstone. We strolled the streets with Wyatt Earp, checked out the O.K. Corral, and tried to find Nellie Cashman's Restaurant only to find it had been converted into a Mexican Restaurant. We were so sad. M had researched this remarkable woman who held her own during the Gold Rush and we wanted to get close to a piece of her history. There really is so much to do in Tombstone to get the full experience, but we do free and there isn't much to do there but stroll on a budget. While I would highly suggest splurging and doing it all for the full experience, we still got the feel of the place with its wooden boardwalks and re-enactors strolling the streets in full costume. It was such fun! We have loved studying this era, so seeing it come alive was worth it.

Arizona is a remarkable state with so much to see and do. We have covered much of this state between this visit and our initial visit back in September, yet we marked so many things we want to return to explore right along with all of the adventures we would do all over again! No stone unturned! We will be back!