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Amy says my dad's house is like a resort. I have to agree. I was so comfortable there that I almost didn't want to bother with the rest of the trip, and just stay at my dad's and be lazy instead.

The pictures are from my Thanksgiving visit. I didn't take any new ones this time. I should have; things look better now that everything is done.

This was a nice little hike in the mountains an hour or two northeast of Phoenix. The bridge itself is neat and kind of creepy. I also liked the trail along the nearby creek, which was not so much of a trail as an occasional sign pointing out which rocks you should be climbing over.

Also worth noting is that the highway you take to get there (from Phoenix to Payson) is beautiful. It's a four-lane divided highway through the mountains with lots of nice views. Apparently it has won awards for its design. I don't have any pictures of the highway, though, since I was kind of busy driving.

Note: The picture quality is worse because I forgot my actual camera and had to use my iPhone camera instead.

This is a very pretty little city in mid-Arizona. The mountains around it are quite nice, as you can see in the photo, and the city itself is clearly built by rich people who want everything to look nice.

Unfortunately, the traffic is horrible -- apparently due to limited space to build roads -- and it appears the median age of a Sedona resident is about 72.

It's about 10 times bigger than I thought. I find it funny that there are warning signs saying "Do not attempt to hike down to the river and back in one day!". Looking over the rim, I had trouble imagining even hiking down in one day, much less hiking back up. Needless to say, the pictures don't do it justice.

We only hiked a mile or so down the Bright Angel trail; not even to the first rest house. We were really just there to see it, and weren't prepared for anything strenuous. However, having seen it, now I want to go back someday and actually hike to the bottom, camp, and come back up. It looks like it would be fun to see it from the inside.

Air travel continues to suck. We arrived at the airport over an hour in advance. After returning the rental car and taking the shuttle to the terminal, we had about 45 minutes before Amy's fight. After waiting in line 5 minutes, the US Airways person refused to check Amy's bags, saying that bags had to be checked 45 minutes in advance and she was thus 5 minutes too late. I found this restriction ridiculous, and my dad -- who has flown quite a bit -- agrees. They told her she could try to take it through security and check it at the gate. That worked, except that security of course threw out her (apparently expensive) shampoo. Ugh. Can someone please create a "Fly At Your Own Risk Airlines" with no security? I would so happily use it.

Next time I go to Arizona, I'm driving. It's only 12 hours, and it should be an interesting drive through the mountains.