We are the Hudsons: Summer Time Travels Part 2

Once we celebrated July 4th we headed up north! Jake and I took the 4 hour drive up to the Grand Canyon for a day of overcast skies and much cooler weather than down in Phoenix! The Canyon is still just a big whole in the ground as I said when i went as a child, but there is a little more beauty to be seen in it as an adult. The beautiful scenery and colors that were created by all the water running through the canyon make for some magnificent views and great photos! Jake was brave enough to climb around and get some good pictures looking down into the canyon, while me and my ever growing belly stayed on course just to be safe. We went to the highest point which is just over 7,000 feet in elevation by bus and got to walk around a bit and get some more pictures. Lucky for me they offer free bus rides to many points around the canyon so my walking was minimized! If you are planning to take in a meal while at the canyon and don't want to pack your own, may i suggest eating at the oldest lodge, El Tovar in the area as they had wonderful quiche and some yummy desserts! Here are a few pictures from our adventure!

Along the trip we stopped in Flagstaff, my second home! the weather was beautiful, only 78 degrees and even with some new improvements to the college campus, my town was still the same. It is always nice to go through your old college town, visit familiar restaurants and reminisce about the college days! I was also able to stop in and pick up a little onsie for my little guy! Go Lumberjacks!

The next day we rested in Phoenix, went to Old Town Scottsdale for a walk around and gabbed lunch at Carlsbad Tavern, yum! If you haven't been its delicious, New Mexican style food, similar to Richardson's. That evening we drove to Tucson where Brian's old stomping grounds are and headed to 4th Ave for Brooklyn Pizza! It is always a little strange to see such a big college town empty but it made it easy for us to get a table! The pizza was good, the company better and we turned in for the night! The next day we woke up and found a small cafe, Le Buzz with lots of homemade pastries that were delicious for breakfast! This is on your way to Mt. Lemmon. Then we continued our trip to Tombstone, AZ. The town that was too tough to die is still standing. With the City Hall in tact and many of the shops and tourist attractions there or recreated you can spend a good portion of your day walking around the OK Corral and the shops. One new "attraction" is a mine that has been named "The Good Enough Mine" that was recently reopened about 4 years ago. There was much debris and rock covering the entrances to this once silver mine, but they have since removed the debris and of course created a tour to see the mine and experience the very comfortable 70 degree weather. It was a very interesting tour and activity, there are still many tunnels to be uncovered and many items have been found along the way that help date the mine. If you are in town i would recommend this activity as Brian, Jake and I all enjoyed it. That about wraps up my week of touring the southwest, now on to more adventures with baby! Here are a few pictures below: