Arizona for Spring Training!

For my 50th birthday (last December), Matt surprised me with the gift of a Spring getaway to Arizona for warm weather and Cubs Spring Training! 

A few years ago, Matt decided to save his birthday and Christmas money to put it in a "Spring Training Fund". When he told me about the surprise that he had planned, I was beyond excited! I couldn't believe that I was finally going to see my Cubbies at Sloan Park! This was a bucket list item for sure!

We requested off from work, purchased airline tickets, reserved a rental/hotels and bought tickets to 2 games at Sloan Park. Then the waiting began!

We were blessed with a beautiful day to drive to Cedar Rapids (1.5 hours) to catch our Frontier flight. We left the house early enough to visit a few Goodwill stores in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area.

Loved the multiple Herky statues at the airport! This one is in the likeness of Hayden Fry (longtime legendary football coach at Iowa). 

Matt has flown quite a bit over the last 10 years for work, to see family, etc. I haven't flown since Alex was a baby (almost 20 years)! I was a bit anxious about getting through security and our connections, etc. However, everything worked out really well!

On the plane and ready to start our adventure!

We left Cedar Rapids with blue skies and sunny weather but as we descended into Denver, the dark clouds were starting to build up. My seat neighbor told me that Denver was expecting a snowstorm that night (we later read that they were expecting up to a foot of snow)! All that I knew was that I wanted to get to sunny, warm Arizona...not get snowed in to the Denver airport! 

Once landed, Matt & I went in search of dinner. We had a delicious burger/fries at Shake Shack - it was just what we needed!

After eating, we explored the airport a bit and then headed back to our gate - we still had a few hours left before our late night flight (yes, it was a long layover!). Time for a game of cards.

Flight #2 Denver to Phoenix. They had overbooked the flight and kept making announcements (with incentives!) for any volunteers willing to be booked on a different flight. With an impending snowstorm, people weren't willing to be bumped. All that Matt & I knew...we wanted to get on the plane on time and get out of Denver before the rain turned into ice/snow!

All aboard! We left a bit later than scheduled, but we were in the air with no hiccups! Praise God!!

We landed in Phoenix at 11:30. After grabbing our luggage, picking up our rental and checking in to our hotel...it was almost 2:00 am (4:00 am central time!). We were exhausted as we fell into bed! As far as travel days goes, it was long, but a smooth, good day!

Day 2 (Thursday) - we woke up (after sleeping in a bit), checked out of our hotel room, ate breakfast and then headed towards Sloan Park for our first baseball game. We made a quick stop at the Dollar Store for snacks and water then drove to the parking lot with the free shuttle. (we rode to Sloan Park in style!!)

Once in Sloan, we had plenty of time to walk around - we visited the gift shop, got our "first visit" certificates, visited both the first & third baselines, walked to the Cub's bullpen then found our seats along the 3rd baseline. 

Pretty excited to see that our starting pitcher would be Shota Imanaga (our big pickup from the off-season).

I loved watching the boys come out to warm up. I am SOOO ready for baseball season to start again!

Just before the game started, Matt pointed out Morel & Suzuki - they were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors...and then took off, racing each other. I love the smiles and laughter that ensued.

Game Time!!!

We headed out to the parking lot to hop on the shuttle - only to find that the line was VERY long and not moving. After realizing that there was only one bus (small!), which was stuck in traffic, we knew that we would be standing in line for the better part of an hour. The parking lot wasn't too far from the park (just over a mile) and the day was beautiful, so we decided to walk back to our car. 

We quickly fell in love with the Palo Verde trees and cactus plants (we took LOTS of pictures, lol)!

Getting to the car, we started our drive north to Flagstaff. Our next 2 nights/2 days would be spent up north (Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Sedona).  

The joys of warmer temps and chocolate left in the car, lol...

Sloan Park from Hwy 202. 

Beautiful drive from Phoenix to Flagstaff on Interstate 17.

I had looked at the weather before leaving home and saw that it was supposed to snow in Flagstaff overnight. We were hoping that the snow wouldn't be too bad (we read conflicting reports) so we decided to continue with our original plans. As we pulled into Flagstaff, the snow had started...

We went to sleep, hopeful that the snow would be minimal and the front would push through overnight. I woke up at 4 am to make sure that the kids at home were up for the school/work day then looked outside. It wasn't too bad...promising!!

Day 3 (Friday) - When we woke up with our alarm at 6:30, we were saddened to see the snow still falling...and much heavier...outside. We did some quick searches and watched the local weather channel - only to see that it was going to snow all day and into the next night. The roads to the Grand Canyon had been closed due to the storm. We decided to pull the plug on our northern part of the week and head back to Phoenix. Thankfully, we were able to cancel our 2nd hotel night and found a hotel (at a premium cost, unfortunately) in Phoenix. 

It was a wise decision, considering we were in unfamiliar territory, a smaller car, no snow equipment or warm clothes on us...even leaving the parking lot, Matt was tentative about the rental car. It didn't seem to have good traction. We prayed over our decision and our drive and started out (texting my family for prayers too!). 

Looking on Google, we saw that Interstate 17 was backed up due to an accident, so we headed south on 89A. We knew that once we got to Sedona, we would be at lower elevation and the snow would've changed to rain. However, we were very worried about driving through the "squigglies" as we kept calling them. 

It took us about 40 minutes to get to the switchbacks (squigglies) (on a normal day, should take about 20 minutes). The highway had been plowed but was pretty snow packed still. When we got to the "squigglies", we were so thankful (thank you God!) that the county had been plowing the switchbacks regularly, so they were drivable. The scary part was (as we were driving down the mountain side) the snow pile on top of the car slid down on to our windshield...as we were hugging a curve! Matt couldn't get the wipers on fast enough! After the fact, we had a good laugh...but it was scary in the moment! You can see the remnants of the snow slide in the next few pictures.

The switchbacks were STUNNING! Especially with the snow. Definitely a blessing in the storm.

By the time that we were out of the "Squigglies",  there was no snow to be found...just rain. 

As we drove into Sedona, we made a few stops, despite the falling rain. There was beauty to be seen, fo sure! One stop that we crossed off our list was Sliding Rock State Park. We pulled over to take a picture near the entrance of the park, but opted to continue on instead of paying to enter and walk down to the water in the rain (maybe we would've stuck with our original plan if we'd had ponchos and umbrellas, but we didn't, so that decision was pretty easy). 

We saw this road off of 89A and stopped to explore. We loved the little waterfall, the creek running over the road. It was a nice detour.

Our next stop was at the Midgley Bridge Picnic Area. The rain had let up quite a bit, so we walked to the overlook - so glad that we did! The views were amazing, even with the overcast skies. The canyon below with Oak Creek running through it...the town of Sedona in the distance...wow!

Once in Sedona, we found a parking spot and walked around a bit - stopping in a few shops, taking in the scenery and finding lunch (Sedona Pizza Company for the win).

An hour or so later, with full tummies, empty bladders and no shopping bags added to our car, we hit the road again. We had heard/read that Sedona is the "#1 hidden gem in the US". Is it really a hidden gem (anymore) if it tops a list like this?? It has become such a huge tourist location so we really didn't know what to expect. It was busy but tolerable. I'm guessing that the rain helped with that. As we drove out of Sedona we were shocked by the line of vehicles (bumper to bumper) approaching Sedona from the south. The line was (easily) a few miles long. At that point, we realized how thankful we were for the scarce traffic and tourists we had seen/dealt with while in town!

As we left Sedona, we turned south onto Hwy 179 - our only other planned stop was Chapel of the Holy Cross. We pulled into the lot and it was pretty busy. We took the first available parking spot, at the base of the chapel, and got ready to walk. 

As we left our car and started to walk, a woman driving a golf cart pulled over and offered a ride to the top. Due to the rainy, cold weather, we graciously accepted and hopped on! She asked if this was our first visit and then gave a quick history of the chapel and surrounding area. She (and the ride) was a blessing!

We stepped inside the chapel and took in the beauty and peacefulness (as much as can be offered when surrrounded by a few hundred people!) We sat in the chapel for a few minutes and then headed downstairs to the giftshop area (with those few hundred people!). We decided that we (still) prefer outdoors to indoors, even with it being cold and rainy!

This house! Wow!

Once back at the road, there was another golf cart ready to drive us back to our car. 

Back on the road again, we drove south on Hwy 179 to Interstate 17 and back to the Phoenix area. We pulled over a few times to take pictures along 179 but the overcast skies and constant rain really put a damper on the picture taking and limited our hiking/exploring.

Once back in Phoenix we crossed a few things off our list - 

We drove by Bill's house (of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure). This house's interior and back yard were used in the film. We also drove by Ted's house (below) and the Circle K (further down in the post).

We then drove downtown to see the Capital Building and Memorial Park. We stopped here on our 2022 vacation, but we didn't visit the Memorial Park. As we visited the park this time, the evening was peaceful, the rain had pushed through and we enjoyed the sunset while looking at that monuments.

We finished Day 3 with dinner and checking in to the hotel. We were grateful for the safe travel back to Phoenix and visiting Sedona during that time. While the weather put a huge damper on our day, we were able to make the most of it. As for Flagstaff...we heard on the news that night that some areas got a foot of snow (with more snow in the forecast for the next day)! We were very thankful that we made the decision to head back to Phoenix!

Day 4 (Saturday) - Our plan for this day was to drive the Apache Trail (hwy 88) from Apache Junction to Tortilla Flat. We were thrilled to see the sun shining when we woke up!

First stop - Superstition Mountain/Lost Dutchman Museum. We walked around the outdoor exhibits and gift shop.

I was planning to sit next to my new friend, but the bench was wet. This will have to do!

Back on Apache Trail, we found a pull off where we could take some pictures of the cactus and mountains.

Canyon Lake Vista

Tortilla Flat - we parked and walked around a bit, visiting the 2 shops and using the restrooms at the saloon (see pics below).

We left Tortilla Flat and continued east on Apache Trail. We drove til the road was closed at a scenic overlook and headed back toward Apache Junction.

We ate lunch (In-N=Out Burger!) in Mesa and then continued south to South Mountain Park. 

A quick photo op at this Corner Market...which used to be a (THE) Circle K (2nd picture is a screenshot from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, borrowed from PhoenixNewTimes.com). 

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K" - Ted

We really enjoyed driving through South Mountain Park - we drove to the top of the mountain to Dobbins Lookout. The sun had disappeared at some point on our drive and it was chilly on top of the mountain, but the views of the city below were impressive.

We *may* have found a treasure here. 

Leaving South Mountain Park, we drove to Dreamy Draw Recreation Area. We got there just as the sun was setting. We only had a few minutes (before they closed the gates) to get out to snap some pictures and walk around. On the drive to Dreamy Draw, we saw a beautiful rainbow!

A fighting chicken saguaro! 

One last stop before a late dinner and finding our hotel. Arizona Falls is a man-made waterfall in the heart of the city - thanks to the the Arizona Canal. They built the power plant and falls to accommodate the 20 foot drop in the canal. We loved seeing the falls at night - the sky and clouds were beautiful and the area was quiet - so peaceful!

Day 4 - wow!! We saw so much! Phoenix has so much beauty to be shared. We caught a glimpse and were impressed! 

Day 5 (Sunday) - One of the blessings of this trip - we got to stay in a IHG Villa Resort for 3 days for free! A few months ago, Matt got a call about participating in a time share presentation. His immediate response was no, but they listed off the resort locations and one was in Scottsdale. They made an offer he couldn't refuse - 3 nights for a fair price and once we sat through the presentation, we would get that money back. At the time of booking, they didn't have any available rooms at the resort, so they had us staying at a nearby Holiday Inn. A month before our trip, Matt got a call from IHG - there was an opening at the resort, so they were upgrading us. Wonderful! We didn't have a clue how nice our villa would be! We walked in on Saturday night and our jaws dropped. 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, washer/dryer, full kitchen, dining room and living room as well as 4 patios. 

So, you may be asking "Are you proud Timeshare owners now??" You will have to keep reading to find out that answer 😉

We left the resort and headed to our 2nd Cubs game. This time, we parked near the Shuttle lot and walked to Sloan, taking our time and enjoying the walk through Riverview Park on our way to the ballpark. What a beautiful morning!

We got to Sloan around 11:30, the gates would be opening soon (for a 1:00 game). However, we decided to bypass the gates and head over to the practice field to watch some hitting practice. We had heard that the practice fields were the place to go to see the players up close and one might be lucky enough to get a picture and autograph. We stuck around for an hour and were lucky to get a few pictures. Ron Coomer, Cubs radio personality and former Cub's 1st & 3rd baseman. It was an honor to meet him!

Elise Menaker - TV personality for the Marquee network. I got to meet her counterpart (Taylor McGregor) last summer in Pittsburgh. Fun times!

This cart picked up our starting players and drove around the back side of the practice fields, so we didn't get to see them go by. Boo!

The Red Baron, Rick Sutcliffe!

Miles Mastrobuoni came out and signed autographs, met with fans before heading over (behind the practice fields) with the rest of the team. What a nice guy! It was fun to watch him interact with the kids along the fence. 

We headed over to the ballpark and enjoyed a second win!

We walked back to the car and then headed to dinner - Chicago Deep Dish pizza in Phoenix! Lou's is our favorite and we were so excited to eat here after the game! 

We found a few drive by letterboxes on our way back to the resort and then called it a day. 

Day 6 (Monday) - We started our day with a 9:00 tour of the property and timeshare presentation. We were told by multiple people (during the presentation, when they saw our wrist fobs) how lucky we were to get to stay on the property during the peak tourist season. They all said it is almost unheard of during the Feb - April time frames. "Come here in August and you have your pick of the Villas". It was a huge blessing for sure! After 2 hours of touring the resort, listening to their presentation, etc...we walked out of the sales center with the cash promised us (to cover our 3 night stay) and nothing else lost! Woot, we held our ground and came out ahead!

We grabbed lunch then headed back to Sloan Park. We wanted to walk around without the crowds (the team was at an away game for the day). 

Next stop for the day - Papago Park. There are multiple (LOTS) of boxes at this park, so we headed to Hole in the Rock first and climbed to enjoy the view from above. 

We spent the next few hours at Papago Park - letterboxing, hiking, exploring. It is a neat park!

Hunt's Tomb - George Hunt (first Governor of AZ) had this pyramid tomb built for his wife's burial when she died in 1931. He was also buried here in 1934, as well as their daughter and his wife's family. 

"I hate these things!" Trying to find boxes buried around these proved to be prickly! Ha

Our last stop for the day - Tovrea Castle (nicknamed the Wedding cake Castle). It was already closed for the day but we found a box nearby and snapped some sun-kissed photos of the castle before heading back to the resort for the night.

Day 6 - We saved our kids' inheritance, found lots of letterboxes, explored parks and enjoyed a great day together! We finished our day back at the resort. We did laundry and packed up. Our time in Phoenix was quickly coming to an end.

Day 7 (Tuesday) - Our last day in Arizona. We had a full day of no commitments (games or presentations) and beautiful weather! We decided to head back towards Apache Junction and find a few letterboxes out in that area and then do a hike in the Superstition Mountain area. 

We had stopped at the Goldfield Ghost Town on Day 4, which was a Saturday and the place was PACKED! We left and found something else to do! We pulled in today with much less traffic and enjoyed walking around the touristy Ghost Town and then left to find some boxes in the area. 

Next stop - we headed to Lost Goldmine Trailhead. I had read that there was a Petroglyphs trail (Hieroglyphics Trail). Unfortunately, I didn't read anything else about it. If I had, I would've found out that it wasn't Petroglyphs Trail, but Petroglyphs Spring via Hieroglyphics Trail. We didn't have a clue how long the trail/hike was or anything of the sort. We hiked for a mile (a bit more) and then decided to turn around to head back. Another half mile and we would've been treated to a spring...possibly a waterfall because of the time of year/rain from the past few days. It wasn't a hard hike at all. Unfortunately, the trail was VERY rocky and we spent most of our time watching the ground to make sure we didn't trip or step on any creepy crawlies. Matt was able to find 2 boxes too. We turned back after the 2nd box. Even with the disappointment of missing out on the spring, we enjoyed the beauty around us (see the pics!) and the warm sun with the cool breeze. It was nice to get out and enjoy the day!

Driving back into Apache Junction, we searched for a few more boxes and then went in search of a late lunch. 

We arrived at our hotel and checked in for the evening (a new hotel, next to the airport). As Matt grabbed our bags from the trunk..."Um, there are chickens back here" LOL! Unexpected...

We repacked our suitcase and backpacks so they were ready for our flight the next morning. Got caught up emails, texts, etc and watched the Iowa boys basketball game. Early to bed, our 7 am flight meant getting up around 3:30. Yuck.

Day 8 (Wednesday) - Our alarms went off way too early! We were up and checked out of the hotel around 4:15, heading to the airport. We had to return the rental and get checked in for our flight (we had to go to the counter due to issues with Frontier's app and not loading our 2nd flight boarding pass), go through security and then wait for our flight. Leaving from a larger airport, really makes one appreciate the smaller airports (Moline, Peoria, Cedar Rapids). We got through everything fine and our flights were uneventful. So thankful for a good day of travel. We had just enough time in Denver to grab lunch and get back to our gate to start boarding. Woot! AND, the flight to Cedar Rapids left early and arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule! We grabbed our luggage and headed out to the van. It was definitely colder at home (by 25 degrees) but it was sunny and no wind so no complaints from us. We drove home (1.5 hours) and enjoyed dinner with Will & Kaitee. A wonderful day all around!

What an amazing week away! A huge thank you to Matt for making this happen. Thank you for sacrificing your gifts for me. I loved getting to see my Cubbies play at Sloan Park. Definitely a special treat and a bucket list item that I get to cross off!  To spend it with my best friend - all the better! Goodbye for now Cubs - we will see you at Wrigley in a few weeks and we will definitely be back for Spring Training in the next few years and hopefully spend more time in Flagstaff and Grand Canyon with no snow!