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Bangerter Family Trip! I don't know the last time my mom, my brother and I took a trip together. So how did this come about? Well, my mom's employer offers this perk: use of the company time share along with the company van in Fountain Hills, AZ (located about 10 minutes outside of Phoenix). We also invited my aunt, Marlys, to join us on the trip.
I really enjoyed Arizona. It had been raining for weeks before we arrived, so when we did arrive, the land was so lush and green, it was beautiful. The accommodations for our stay - wow! The home was in a gated community - you actually needed a code or a remote control to open/close the gates. The house was lovely, it was furnished beautifully and the backyard was impressive. It had an illusion pool (you know, where it looks like the water is just spilling over the edge), a hot tub with a waterfall and a firepit. The rest of the backyard, well, it was a golf course, the sixth tee to be exact. I guess at times that was awkward, the players were like right there and probably wondered if we were watching them or enjoying the views.
So how did we entertain ourselves on this week long trip? Well that was easy! One day, my mom, my aunt and I took the van and headed to Sedona. It is this breathtaking, red rock canyon city. Along the way we stopped at a National Park with a cliff side dwelling that was used hundreds and hundreds of years ago, now called Montezuma Castle National Monument. I had never seen anything like that! These people dug rooms/homes into the side of the cliff, they needed ladders to get to their homes. Very neat to see.
Frank Lloyd Wright is my hero. Well, a lot of things he did/said spoke to me. One afternoon we went on a guided desert walk and the home tour of Taliesin West (Wright's Arizona home and school). The desert walk was quite interesting and picture perfect. Our guide informed us of many desert plants and cactus, I was fascinated. Next it was a guided tour of Wright's home. So do you hate how people tend to crowd in the entry way of a home? Well, Wright solved that problem by making the entry ways too short to stand comfortably in. He thought people needed to decide if they were in or out, no stalling by the door. He was also the most stubborn man...after a few years his wife finally wore him down and convinced him to install glass to keep out the bugs. However, the was one room that was decorated just how he wanted and installing glass windows would mean this one vase on this one table would have to be moved forward. He wouldn't allow it, so instead they had to cut a hole in the glass. So the vase remains untouched on the table and half of it sticks out the hole in the window.
One free afternoon I took the opportunity to go Horseback riding. Fort McDowell Adventures was right outside Fountain Hills so I took the short drive over there. Turns out I was the only person signed up for the 1:00 guided tour (the 12:45 tour had 15 people!) so it was just me and the guide! I did not bring a camera and I think the guide thought I was loony because of that, but I had just done the desert walk the day before so I had a ton of pictures, I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the scenery on this one. After that outing I met up with the family back at the time share for a family bbq. I have 2 other sets of aunts/uncles that live in AZ year round or just during the winter.
This day we drove out to visit my aunt Tudy and uncle Dean. They live in Apache Junction during the winter (they have a great view of Superstition Mountain). They told us of this Flea Market near them that we just had to go to. Wow, am I glad we did! This place had it all, some prices were good, some weren't, but that is the way of a Flea Market. You would also find yourself looking at something that a few booths away was several dollars less, so it was the luck of the draw if you picked to buy the item without seeing what was ahead. After spending the afternoon shopping we went to dinner at the coolest place ever: Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ. Imagine a Chuckie Cheese for adults. You order pizza at a counter and then run to find a good seat. The seating is set up in these long tables and benches - it is nothing fancy but it is fun. All eyes face the stage that showcases these organ pipes that are immense (and scattered around are these stuffed animated animals and other instruments, so I guess it is gaudy, but whatever, you just go with it). At show time, up from the middle of the stage floor rises this organ, the sound is incredible. Plus, the organist knows every song out there; I was shocked to hear him play the University of Minnesota song! It was a fun night!
So yeah, it was a good little family trip. I still found time to lounge around by the pool and visit a local spa for a massage, so it was great, I would love to visit Arizona again!
pictures: Not on line yet
~Posted by Ann (transferring travel logs to this site)
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