My husband and I recently returned from a trip to the southwest desert area of the United States
We spent a week in Tucson, Ariz. a city I really love. It’s about the size of Winnipeg, and much quieter than Phoenix.
There are unlimited desert hikes in and around Tucson. One afternoon, we did the Painted Hills hike. Located on the outskirts of the city, it is a quiet, amazing trail. We also spent a day in Sabino Canyon, riding the shuttle to the top of the Canyon and hiking from there. I love the desert landscape with its variety of cacti and succulents.
Photo by Jeff O’Leary
The natural beauty of the American southwest is absolutely breathtaking.
We stayed in a casita close to the University of Arizona. The campus is huge and offers many activities. We enjoyed the Linda McCartney photo exhibition in the Centre for Creative Photography. We also bought a five-visit pass for the university’s fitness facility, where we enjoyed swimming in the Olympic-sized outdoor pool and soaking up the April sunshine.
From Tucson, we traveled to Phoenix where we enjoyed visiting friends. Then we drove north to Sedona to marvel at the red rocks. In Flagstaff, we traveled through state forests and snow showers.
Finally, we arrived at our destination, Hurricane, Utah. This was our first visit to the state and both of us were blown away by its beauty. Our Airbnb was about 25 minutes from Zion National Park. Zion is grandiose. We visited on three separate days, hiking three different trails — the riverside trail, the weeping rock trail, and the emerald pools hike. At Zion, a shuttle bus takes you to the top of the canyon and narrates the history and importance of the park.
We also visited Bryce Canyon National Park. Although the snow on the trails made it tricky to hike, we managed to see the hoodoos and and the forests. We spent one night in the historical Bryce Canyon Lodge. Utah is blessed with natural beauty — desert, forest, mountains, rivers, sand dunes and clean cities.
From the wild country of Utah, we drove through desert to the sparkling lights of Las Vegas. In Vegas we took in Cirque du Soleil’s Love. If you grew up with Beatles music as your soundtrack, I would highly recommend this show, which is well worth the price of admission. We do not gamble, but enjoyed people watching in the casinos and on the Strip.
Our final night was spent in Palm Springs. The three-and-a-half-hour direct flight from Palm Springs to Winnipeg was easy and enjoyable.
The southwest desert is a remarkable area of the United States and well worth a visit.