2023 Travel Plans

Another year, more dreams of adventure await! We planned in reverse this year. We had talked before about a specific idea but dismissed it as 'maybe when we're retired'. Then in December I said screw it, let's do it this October. So this October we are doing what I've titled our Wild West adventure and it includes yet another bit of movie site travel (see Oregon trip). We will land in Pheonix and day one is for Jeff...he want to stand on a corner in Winslow Arizona. If this doesn't get you singing an Eagles song then move along youngin'. I'm actually laughing because it's even a bit before our time. it's his mom's favorite band. But a good song none the less. We'll also stop to see a meteor creator nearby before we spend the night in Flagstaff. Really this is just a travel day with two stops thrown in. The next two days is the adventure! We are headed the next morning to Monument Valley for 24 hrs. If you're like 'what's that?' Google that shit. Iconic West. Trust me, you have seen images. The issue is that it's far from most everything thus why we need a travel day. We'll stop at Forrest Gump point where he decides he's tired of running before heading into the park itself.

We've reserved a room at The View Hotel which is the only hotel in the Navajo land of the park. All rooms have a balcony facing the buttes for sunrise. If you've read my Grand Canyon or Yosemite posts, you know I find sunrise in beautiful spaces magical! And we're going to book a 3 hr sunset Navajo guided backcountry tour. So excited for this day! Then after Sunrise, we'll head off for Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon X for late morning/early afternoon tours before turing south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We really enjoyed South Rim in 2018 for sunset & sunrise. We should get to the park about 3pm which *should* give us just enough time to drive to 3 viewpoints and see sunset from the lodge & have dinner there. We hope to stay in the park at a Pioneer cabin but have a room booked 18 miles north in case we can't get one of these coveted spots. Then sunrise and drive to Vegas for annual Birthday trip.

In June, for my girls trip I'm visiting one of my best friends in Georgia. She's been teaching at Georgia Southern for like 15 years and I've never been. (Honestly because she comes up here like twice a year). But I said we have to do 24 hrs in Savannah. I did 5 hrs in Savannah in 2010 and fell in love with the town so I'm excited for a full day. I'm looking at historic Marshall House for a hotel, and possibly doing a sunset river cruise and or carriage ride, cemeteries and squares & parks galore. And the food! Should be so fun.

And finally the first up trip will be just Vegas in April. It has nothing exceptional planned but the story on how it came to be is somewhat comical to me. We originally thought in spring we'd take his parents on a junket to Reno/Tahoe (ages 79 & 76) as it is little walking compared to Vegas for their mobility issues. Jeff got his free flight offer but I didn't so we couldn't do that. We explained to his parents and they joked while it would have been nice getting them a free flight and room, it still saved them thousands by not taking them gambling. We then changing topics to my SIL's upcoming 25th wedding anniversary. I said if I were them I'd want to do a European vacation. Jeff reminded me I said I wanted that for our 10th or 15th. Our 15th will be next year in 2024 and he gets offers from Norwegian Cruise line due to his status with Caesar's. well, we went home, looked at the offers and I was like "OMG it would only cost us $3,000 more than we spend to go to Vegas to do a 7 day cruise from Barcelona to Rome with 6 ports? Gambling at night on the ship while we cruise and day excursions at each port? We need to keep your status up this year so we can do it!" So 2x Vegas this year it is! All so we have a very discounted European Cruise next year. I don't actually like the idea of a cruise because of being stuck on a boat, but this one you're cruising at night and every morning you're at shore at a port from like 7am to 6pm. And how else can you see France, Spain, and Italy in such a short time for such a low price? Very excited to do this if it comes to fruition. So not only is 2023 planned but 2024 is in the works!