Happy Hump Day all! Since I seem to be on a roll with pictures (& words too!) on Wordless Wednesday, here is recap #2 of our trip to Arizona. The second outing took us on a hike at The Island Trail in Walnut Canyon to see “rock Island” where people lived in rock houses a.k.a. cliff dwellings. Part 2 of our day was to Meteor Crater, the place where a Meteor actually struck the earth 50,000 years ago.
They make the Island Trail sound like such an easy hike, even this sign didn’t stop us.
What they don’t tell you is that this stairs keep going down, down, down……
Then, you go on paths until you reach the bottom of the Canyon….
The scenery is amazing, but, it’s a little freaky to walk along side the cliff with no rails or anything to stop your fall if you trip.
On the way down it’s pretty cool to see the cliff dwellings that you are hiking too…..plus, isn’t down ALWAYS easier than up. It’s totally the perfect distraction lol.
I actually imagined all of Arizona’s greenery to look like this…I know, I live such a sheltered life LOL. Obviously, it’s more than just cactuses and desert plants. This is a banana plant of sorts.
Cactus!
When you reach the end bottom of the trail it is 100% worth it! There are a bunch of “cliff dwellings” with signs that explain life as people knew it back when this was their house.
We totally told my niece that the “bad” kids had to stay in the “small rooms” until they were good :D What are aunts/uncles for?!
The black on the ceiling is from the fires they would burn at night to cook food, keep warm, etc.
The dwellings really are amazing…..it’s so crazy to think that people would build their houses on the sides of cliffs to protect them from the elements and the animals.
You get the chance to see several different types of natural rock formations that make you wonder how they were formed.
This one looks like “bear claws” ~ yes, I totally “roared” as I typed that complete with my hand movement LOL.
Hallways? Caves? Cool!
Family <3!
Dorkiness ~ Can you tell he LOVES it when I say, let’s take a picture and we hold the camera even though there are like 5 people who could’ve taken it. 😉
After trying to keep up with my 7 year old niece who literally “ran” back up to the top, we were off to Meteor Crater.
They have a video when you walk in that you can watch and the tour guide explains the history behind how the meteor travelling at 26,000 mph hit the earth and created the crater.
This “small” rock is one of the pieces found near the crater. They say that majority of the meteor evaporated when it hit the earth, but, this rock weighs 1,200 lbs – crazy!
Since Arizona was having crazy weather when we were there, we were not able to do our tour because they thought we would be struck by lightning. The meteor is HUGE as in 1 mile across and more than 550 feet deep.
That’s about all I can say about Meteor Crater ~ it was alright to visit, but, not something I’d say you have to do when you visit Arizona.
My next Arizona Recaps will include Slide Rock Park, Sedona, Red Rock Park (My favorite!) and some Blazin’ M Ranch fun.
You can find Recap #1 of the Grand Canyon ~ HERE!
In other EXCITING but FREAKY news ~ I am getting LASIK surgery tomorrow! Ahhh, I am excited and nervous all in one. I know tons of people go through it successfully so I shouldn’t stress.
HAS ANYONE HAD LASIK BEFORE? If so, please share your story with me.
Not sure if I’ll be back tomorrow night, but, should be back for some more fun on Friday! I am going to attempt to get some sleep and not stress
Night all!
Will be thinkin’ about you tomorrow. 😉
LOVE the G.C. Can’t wait to see more!!
ok, this has got to be the most wicked/fun/scary trail all in one! in that one picture it looks like u would fall off the side, which i guess would give u that adrenaline rush thats kind addictive lol. everything is so open and beautiful- fresh air and some of the best views around huh!
xo
I hope everything goes well with the surgery!! (And again, the pictures were awesome! 🙂
What an amazing trip! Your photos are totally making me want to visit Arizona now. 🙂
Good luck with the Lasik surgery! I have terrible vision and have always thought about doing it, but I am too scared. Hope it goes well!
Good luck with the Lasik! Hope all goes well for ya! 🙂
wow!! this is gorgeous… you and the hus are SO cute..i know i say that alll the time…haha. i’d LOVE to get lasik, too! contacts are such a pain!
I recently had Lasik and LOVE IT! I was nervous about it too, but it was quick and totally painless. I had terrible (seriously terrible) vision before getting the surgery and can see perfectly now – it still amazes me to wake up and not have to put glasses on. My doctor told me the day of that each hour I’d gain about 10% vision (things were pretty blurry afterwards) and I think he was exactly right. The next morning I could see well and by day 3 I could see perfectly.
Definitely stock up on preservative free eyedrops and make sure you have sunglasses handy. The first few days I had noticable eye dryness and still have some light sensitivity. Neither one is a big deal or concern to me.
Good luck, you’ll love it!!
Awesome pictures!!!! Good luck with Lasik 🙂
Jen
http://jenslosinit.blogspot.com/
Wowza! Those pics are awesome! Glad to see that your vacay ws so spectacular.
I’m also glad to hear that you were finally able to eat some ‘maters from Mr. Stripey! My tomato vines died a few months ago, but I’ve got 7 grapefruits and (no exaggeration) dozens of satsumas. We won’t have any vitamin C deficiencies around here! 😉
And good luck with the Lasik!! I haven’t had it but know many who have and were pleased with their quick recovery and good results.