Day Twenty-Six - Phoenix, Arizona

Jess snoring kept me up pretty late last night, but I was still awake before her at 8:00 this morning. We rolled out of bed, halfway packed, and headed down to enjoy the hotel's continental breakfast. We caught up with one of the other guests that we met last night and chatted with him for a little while. Him and his wife had flown into Vegas from Buffalo, New York and had rented a car for the trip.

We made it out of the hotel by 9:30 and headed towards the Grand Canyon. I took a nap in the car, and before I knew it we were at the gate paying $25 to get into the park. I don't mind paying to get in, but I hate having to buy a seven day pass when I will only be in the park for an hour or so. Like every other park we have been to on this trip, Mather's Point was under construction so we had to go to a different lookout point. It seems obvious, but the canyon is HUGE. There really isn't any other word to describe it. Informational boards posted answers to commonly asked questions. One of the most commonly asked ones..."how often do people fall over the edge?" The answer..."People seldom fall over the age. Those that do fall seldom survive the original 300 foot drop." Power of positive thinking, right? We crossed to the other side of a barricade and I couldn't help feeling queasy standing so close to such a massive drop. We followed a highway that led along the canyon for a little while, stopping to look at over at the views.

Just a heads up for any future Grand Canyon visitors, fill up the gas take before you get off of the freeway (I think it is I-40). Gas near the freeway was $2.89 (still pretty pricey). We were running on E on the way back down and ended up paying $3.39 (which is still cheaper than the $3.47 we saw right outside of the park). It was ridiculous. Jessica getting cornered by this massive tumbleweed helped distract me from the highway robbery that we encountered at the gas station at least.

We made it into Phoenix by mid-afternoon and relaxed at her cousin's house for a few hours. We eventually headed out of the house to get some dinner (KFC!) and to get some drinks before we went out tonight. Arizona has drive through liquor stores, which means we didn't even have to get out of the car. Ha. I picked up some things to (attempt to) make Washington Apples. This way I can bring the leftovers to California with me and show Bryce the new drink I learned when he comes home. I made some back at Amy's house, but it wasn't as delicious as the ones we had back in Missouri. Oh well, practice makes perfect I guess. After drinks and dinner, we got dressed up and headed to Westgate, a collection of bars near Cardinal Stadium. We started in Margaritaville (I was hoping they would play Fins, but no such luck) and then headed to Saddle Ranch to watch people try to ride the bull. Luke AFB is near here, and there must have been some sort of ball going on tonight. The Marine Corps birthday isn't for another week and a half, but we saw lots of Marines in their dress-blues with girls in dresses and a few sailors dressed up as well. A few rode the bull, and by some miracle none of their uniforms ripped. We chatted with a few airman (not dressed up, the mystery continued), and it was entertaining to see the branch rivalry.

Oh! And I found one of my favorite people...Maverick! He wasn't sure if he was Maverick or Goose, but I told him he should go with the one that survives.

A friend of Amy's showed up with another friend, and we headed back to Margaritaville. I headed outside to get some fresh air, and wound up wandering around the complex for the next hour or so. People were surprisingly friendly, and I enjoyed seeing all of the different costumes. While wandering, I found a sailor (an actual one, not a costumed one) that had evidently been abandoned by his buddies passed out on the sidewalk. I woke him up to make sure he was alright, then headed into a bar to find some bottled water. $10 later, I came back out with some water for the (now throwing up) sailor. A police officer had stopped and the guy apparently had his friends coming back to pick up up, so I gave him the water and continued wandering. Word to the wise, drink with friends who will watch out for you. Never having experienced it (and never planning on it), I don't know for sure, but Ron White has taught me not to be drunk in public.  If you don't know that joke, please go rent Blue Collar Comedy Tour.

We finally made it out of there and headed back to Amy's house. We're spending tomorrow in Phoenix too, so we don't have to worry about waking up early. Jessica's camera is currently MIA, but I will add the pictures as soon as it turns up, assuming (and hoping) it does.