My significant other, Desiree, and I have been together for a little over eleven years. We’ve never traveled on an extended vacation together, for lots of reasons, but most of them boil down to money. Sure we have done long weekend road trips out of town and have gone camping and floating but little to nothing she would consider an extended romantic vacation getaway.
Last year our financial situation changed for the better and we started planning our first real vacation together. We had a lot of fun planning which beach to visit or which cruise to embark on. Then the unthinkable happened, the world went into lockdown, and we weren’t allowed to travel outside of the country. The cruise lines were all but dead in the water, and many of the beaches were closed. We’ve been very blessed during the pandemic because we’re both working from home, we’re healthy, and have been able to provide support for our families. But Desiree was a little crushed. She had huge expectations for this trip and it seemed like we weren’t going to be able to go on the romantic vacation of our dreams any time soon.
I quickly went into problem-solving mode because nothing makes me happier than rectifying a problem that will make my future bride giddy with excitement. I suggested we think about our romantic vacation differently and showed her a few “romantic looking” VRBOs in Sedona, AZ. She went into the planning phase immediately and had flights booked to Las Vegas shortly thereafter. Desiree is a master planner and before I knew what was happening she had booked the VRBO in Sedona and the beginning of a two-week adventure started to take shape.
The first leg of our All American Adventure starts in Las Vegas where we will rent a car and drive to Grand Canyon National Park. The Grand Canyon National Park Website
The Hoover Dam is currently closed because of COVID, so we will have to admire the engineering from a distance. Grand Canyon here we come. Hoover Dam Website
I have visited the Grand Canyon several times in the past but Desiree has never been and I think everyone should see it at least once in their life. It’s breath-taking. We’re hoping the South Rim entrance is open when we go because, in my opinion, the most beautiful parts of the canyon can be seen from this side. The South Rim Trail and South Rim viewpoints will be our first opportunity to take some heart-stopping pictures. We chose to stay at the Grand Hotel for a couple of nights before driving to our next destination.
After our visit to one of the greatest wonders of the world, we will take a scenic, two-and-a-half-hour drive to see “The Most Beautiful Place on Earth” according to the official visitor's guide of Sedona, AZ. We’re going to hike Devil’s Bridge, visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross and check out the arts and shopping that are well known here. The Romance awaits at our private bungalow with views of the red rocks and our own private hot tub. We plan to enrich our spiritual well-being while in Sedona, from a responsible social distance of course. Visit Sedona, AZ
After a few days of relaxation and spiritual enrichment (see also imbibing spirits) the last leg of our adventure starts with a five-hour drive to Zion National Park in Springdale, UT. Zion National Park website
Desiree found a private cabin for us near the park and we are looking forward to hiking the Kolob Canyons, maybe getting to take the scenic drive, (COVID may have closed this portion of the adventure), and possibly doing some amateur bird watching. Zion is home to two hundred and ninety-one species of birds and we’re hoping to be able to spot a few and identify them. I want to make a Pokemon reference here but I don’t want anyone to think I plan on catching the birds and storing them in a little ball to fight battles for me later.
We will spend three days in Zion and then drive back to Las Vegas for a night of dinner and dancing before getting on a plane and heading back to our real lives. I’ll make a follow-up story with pictures of our travels and maybe some video for our readers right after we return, from our Pandemic trip. We’re very excited about this adventure and I’m looking forward to sharing the rest of the story next month. With a little perseverance and planning, we were able to put together a really fantastic trip even with a pandemic.
