We woke up on Sunday morning at 5am and drove down to Orem to meet Brandon at Devin's parent's house. We were driving by 6:45, and grabbed a quick breakfast for the road. We drove while the sun came up, and didn't stop again until Beaver. We grabbed a few snacks, refueled, and took our exit to head into Arizona.
It was a really long drive, the scenery was unexpected, thick forest, and we all took turns driving and sleeping (i actually never drove...haha). We stopped for lunch in Jacob's Lake. The burgers and cookies were delicious and exactly the pick-me-up we needed for the second half of the drive.
The rest of the drive went by sort of quickly, and as we came around the corner to the Vermilion Cliffs, it finally felt like Arizona, and our adrenaline lasted until we pulled onto the carefree highway in Phoenix.
I fell in love with this city immediately. I had never seen cacti in real life, not like this. It was everywhere. It just seemed like the coolest thing to me. It was such a different place than Utah, and I loved it for that. It was so refreshing to be somewhere totally new. Somewhere I had never been before, and knew nothing about.
We went straight to a restaurant to meet Devin's aunt and uncle, and their daughter, Rory. We ate delicious enchiladas and mole outside (70 degrees at 6pm, thankyouverymucharizona) at El Encanto next to a gorgeous pond with authentic music and dance entertainment. We ate until we felt sick and then drove a few minutes to their home, right off the 51.
We got settled in, and even though it was only about 7pm, we were tired, and spent the evening relaxing and watching football. Devin and I brought our air mattress, which we knew would guarantee us good sleep (surprising, huh). And it was worth it.
The next morning, Devin woke up really sick. He tried his best for most of the morning to get over it. We took the dogs for a walk at the park just down the street, but he found himself back in bed right after, and stayed there for the rest of the day. He thinks it was food poisoning from the burgers at Jacob's Lake.
I spent most of the afternoon with him in bed, watching reruns and taking long naps. He kept apologizing, but I assured him I preferred it. Relaxing is one of the main reasons for vacation anyway, right? It felt nice to have some down time like that after the 10 hour drive.
That night, Brandon and I left Devin at home and met John, Caree and Rory at the Desert Botanical Garden for the Chihuly in the Garden Exhibition. On our way there, the sun was setting and the traffic was horrible. It was so strange to drive at 5pm and still see sunlight. In Utah, the sun would have been behind the mountains already, but I loved the change. It was so refreshing to be in the desert!
When we got to the garden, we had dinner at Gertrude's - one of the most amazing meals I've ever had. Of course, one of my favorite things about going somewhere new is trying new food. I had an achiote and citrus marinated chicken sandwich with bacon, avocado, jicama slaw and aioli on an amazing brioche bun. It was to die for. After our meal, we went out to the garden. It was already dark, but I snapped some photos anyway. It was just too gorgeous. the exhibit was basically colorful blown glass sculptures installed with the cacti, and it was so unique. The weather was perfect, and it was a relaxing evening. I wish Devin could have come.
i'll never travel without these headphones again! lifesavers, i tell you.
view from our table at el encanto
music and dance entertainment right next to our table
Lala, this sweet little 5 month old puppy, may have converted me to chihuahuas. she was the sweetest most cuddly little thing. i was probably so attached to her because i missed coop so much!
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