Wanderlust Sunday: Fantasy Tour Part 1
I could get lost on the way to a local friend's house, but can give directions to Oklahoma City without referencing a map. It's because I have wanderlust. Wanderlust is an itch that makes me want to be on the road. Studying highway maps and attractions is the next best thing to getting to go. I've been fortunate though. One of the things I'm most grateful for is the fact that I've had opportunities to travel. I've scratched that wanderlust itch with some really special journeys.
If you're like me, you pull into a town and try it on — imagining your life there if it were at all plausible to just move. I have a list of places where I had the "I could live here" fantasy. Dreamy places I'd stay for awhile if the moon lined up with the stars and money were no object. It's too long to tell you about all of them today, but I figure for a few weeks maybe we can visit them together.
The first place on the Wanderlust Sunday fantasy tour of homes is....
1. SEDONA, AZ
Rufus
and I take a sleep-when-we're-dead approach to road trips and tend to
cover a lot of miles. We've been fortunate enough to visit a lot of
incredible places, but Sedona is the only one that made us abandon the
next day's plans in order to stay another night.
Yavapai-Apaches considered Sedona the Garden of Eden. This shot helps you understand why. Modern residents gather with wine and cheese to watch the sunset. They clap to show their appreciation for a hard day's work when it finally goes down.
Not only is Sedona an absolutely magical place to find yourself, it's in a great regional "neighborhood" too. That's why it tops the fantasy tour of homes. If you have not already, I hope you get to see it someday too.
WHERE I WOULD TAKE YOU YOU VISITED ME THERE:
GETTING THERE YOURSELF
I'm no fool. If you can go, you don't need a guide like me.
Closest Major International Airports:
Farther drive from the above attractions, but generally cheaper to get in and out of and offer direct flights.
Closest Regional Airports:
Discount airliners service regional airports and often have killer fares.
If you're like me, you pull into a town and try it on — imagining your life there if it were at all plausible to just move. I have a list of places where I had the "I could live here" fantasy. Dreamy places I'd stay for awhile if the moon lined up with the stars and money were no object. It's too long to tell you about all of them today, but I figure for a few weeks maybe we can visit them together.
The first place on the Wanderlust Sunday fantasy tour of homes is....
1. SEDONA, AZ
 | |
| Photo Credit: Tim on City-Data |
Yavapai-Apaches considered Sedona the Garden of Eden. This shot helps you understand why. Modern residents gather with wine and cheese to watch the sunset. They clap to show their appreciation for a hard day's work when it finally goes down.
Not only is Sedona an absolutely magical place to find yourself, it's in a great regional "neighborhood" too. That's why it tops the fantasy tour of homes. If you have not already, I hope you get to see it someday too.
WHERE I WOULD TAKE YOU YOU VISITED ME THERE:
| GRAND CANYON NP Grand Canyon, AZ If you had to choose only one place to visit in the American southwest, GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK tops the list. No matter how many photos you've seen of this geologic marvel, none can compare to the experience of peering over the rim for yourself. I hope everyone has the opportunity to go there at least once in a lifetime. To me, The Grand Canyon is like church. Photo: BrotherGrimm |  |
| ANTELOPE CANYON Page, AZ Antelope Canyon is a wind-carved slot canyon on the Navajo reservation near Page. Accessible only with a Navajo guide, the unpaved drive to its entrance is an adventure worth the price of admission. Once there, visitors walk a quarter mile through the narrow sandstone passageway and back. It is one of the most uniquely beautiful places I've gotten to visit. It's known as a photographer's dream. Photo: RickZ |  |
| MONUMENT VALLEY Gouldings, UT You've seen a ton of pictures of this place — the backdrop of The Marlboro Man and John Wayne movies. But it's so remote, it's hard to find in person. A Navajo Tribal park that's well worth the effort to investigate. The park itself is unpaved, which adds to the rugged experience. An absolute must-see if you can find the time in your southwest itinerary. Photo: MotionBlur |  |
| MESA VERDE NP Cortez, CO Before I visited this place, I hadn't spent a minute contemplating the gravity of what I'd see: Indian ruins. America is so young, we think we have to go to Europe or Asia to find ancient history. Yet the remains of an 800 year-old Pueblo city lay nestled in the cliffs of SW Colorado. Pueblos lived in the area long before Christ, but what remains today is the architecture constructed in the early 1200's. Being there simply changes your whole perspective on American history. Photo: Pxl:Pshr |  |
View Wanderlust Part 1 in a larger map | |
GETTING THERE YOURSELF
I'm no fool. If you can go, you don't need a guide like me.
Closest Major International Airports:
Farther drive from the above attractions, but generally cheaper to get in and out of and offer direct flights.
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) - 222 miles from Grand Canyon South Rim
- Las Vegas McCarran International (LAS) 268 miles from Grand Canyon South Rim
Closest Regional Airports:
Discount airliners service regional airports and often have killer fares.
- Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) - 72 miles from Grand Canyon South Rim
- Durango La Plata County Airport (DRO) - 45 miles from Cortez
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