Sedona and Grand Canyon - Arizona

I was able to make my way into Phoenix the day before picking up Maya from the airport. YAY! I parked at Planet Fitness to take Dobby on a walk and got a workout and shower. After Dobby and I were gone for about 20 minutes, I walked back to the truck and a security guard was knocking on the trailer door. He told me he got a complaint that they saw someone sleeping in the parking lot. After explaining that I was just going to the gym, he was chill and left. It wasn’t the “Welcome to Phoenix” I wanted, but I’m realizing I will likely not get that often. I finished up all of my reset day tasks, and found the perfect spot to park next to a park surrounded by some apartments only a little ways from the airport. Dobby and I spent the rest of the evening and night just walking around the busy park, people watching and reading. I think I wanted to walk around so much because of the nerves and excitement I was feeling from finally getting to see my lovely lady again. 

I cannot say this enough, I am so thankful for Maya. When I was letting everyone in my life know my plans for hitting the road, so many responses were ‘what about Maya?” I was able to just smile and brag about how rad of a partner I have that she’s going to continue her life in Bend, while I continue mine on the road. The cool part is we’d do that while still loving each other and being together. When we had initially met, I disclosed right away my plans. At that point, I felt confident in what I wanted and the type of person I would want along for this journey of life. I think she was impressed, and maybe even a little jealous she didn’t have the idea to do it first. As our relationship progressed, I would periodically check in and softly remind Maya of my intentions of being on the road for several months in the future, and despite where we would be in a relationship, I needed to do it by myself no matter what. She always did support this idea, and continues to now in ways I didn’t even realize I would need. That is one of my favorite things about the love I share with her. She teaches me so much and it is always while having my back. 

Waking up in the morning I took Dobby on our morning walk and then got to play the fun game of finding Maya at the Phoenix airport with a travel trailer. After the awesome game, Maya joined Dobby and I on the road for the next week and a half! The start of our trip started with a rushed brunch and bad news from the tire shop, but after navigating it all we were off to Sedona to begin! The first campsite we arrived to was only about 15 minutes from downtown Sedona at a free campsite called Windmill. It was pretty busy, which was understandable given its location and the views! The drive to the site gave Maya a good taste of the bumpy ride she was in for. With help from my perfect co-pilot, we pulled The Tank in to a small but nice spot. Having Maya there made the set up process fly by in half the time, which gave us plenty of daylight to explore Sedona and grab some dinner for our first dinner date in months! While we camped in Sedona, we ended up becoming neighbors with a large group from Brazil who came to Sedona to paraglide using a paramotor attached to their backs. They were weary to ask if that would be okay with us due to the loud noise of the motors, but Maya and I were just excited we would get a sick live show to watch at sunset with our dinner. If you have never seen this before I highly recommend looking up a video because it is dope. 

After a couple of nights in Sedona it was time to make our way to the Grand Canyon! Maya and I have been attempting to get to the Grand Canyon for two years, so for it to finally be happening was so fulfilling. We cruised into Tusayan, which is a small town just outside of the entrance to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We found dispersed camping spots on a road called N Long Jim Loop, which was pretty busy but we managed to find a great spot away from other campers with the perfect hammock trees! We got everything set up and it was time to relax and read our lives away in the hammock. On this adventure together, Maya and I decided that I would plan hikes for the Grand Canyon and she would pick the hikes for our next destination: Zion National Park. For our first day at the park, we went on a walk along the rim trail so that Dobby could join us and bask in the beauty. The following day we went on a hike to Dripping Springs using the Hermit Trail on the south rim. Not to brag too much, but we killed it on that hike barely breaking a sweat! The springs were amazing, offering a small patch of greenery within the red rocks.

We spent the nights making the best fires and checking out the stars. The Grand Canyon is at the top of my list of best parks along side Joshua Tree. I will definitely be coming back. For now, we are making our way into Utah to Zion National Park! 

DropBox Link for Pictures of Sedona and Grand Canyon: SEDONA - GRAND CANYON