Arizona 2026 October 16-19

I will say, the newly remodeled Portland airport is gorgeous, easy to navigate and being delayed there wasn't a hassle....read on for more on that.

We just returned from a trip to Arizona. I'd like to say it was 8 days of sunshine and warmth, but that would be lying. We happened to visit when the weather decided to take a somewhat PNW turn albeit a little warmer. We had been keeping an eye on the weather and thankfully went prepared. Let's recap our trip. I will do this in a few posts so as not to overwhelm anyone with an obnoxiously long post to cover 8 full days. 

The first 3 nights we were staying with friends. We didn't have any plans except to visit with them, and do whatever spontaneously came up. This was a bit hard for me as I'm used to having more of an agenda. 

There are several of these phrases that display at gates that are currently empty. So funny.

We left were scheduled to leave Portland International Airport at 4:20pm and arrive in Phoenix at 6:50pm. That would have been perfect. However, that was not to be the case, and we didn't actually leave Portland until closer to 6:30 (on the plane, almost  7 when we took off) and arrived in Phoenix at 9:10. Then we ended up waiting until almost 10:00 at baggage claim to get our bags (sometimes checking our carry-on's for free is a hassle). THEN, we had to pick up the rental car. We didn't arrive at our friends house until almost midnight (we did get a little turned around a few times). We had planned to stop for food but we were having a hard time finding a place that was open and not far off the freeway. We were just tired and wanted to get where we were going. Needless to say, we didn't get food. We arrived at the house tired and just ready for bed. 

I will say, traveling this last year has had more frustrating moments with flight delays. Thankfully we didn't have any cancelled flights, but I'm seeing more of a trend of issues with planes leaving on time. I have started making sure I have the day off from work the day after we are scheduled to return from a trip, just in case something goes wrong. Okay, back to vacation.

We woke up on the 17th with a beautiful view from our friends patio, overlooking homes and the city, with mountains in the background. The bed was so comfortable and despite the late night, we fell asleep quickly and woke up around 7:00...Coffee in the french press, and a slow start to the day, visiting before my hubby and I headed down to a local coffee shop and had lunch at In-and-Out (I know, not very original). Most of our meals during the first 2 days were eaten in. We cooked for them the first two nights.

The coffee shop I visited was called Sunny Brew. Such a great vibe inside and my pumpkin latte was great. I visited here one more time at the end of our trip. There are plenty of seating areas from cozy chairs as well as a longer table for more people. It also had a gift area with locally made products for sale. 

Also a first for me was visiting a Sprouts market. It reminds me a bit like a natural grocers here.

One thing we noticed was how small parking spaces seem..we stopped at a Costco to buy some steaks and boy was parking tight. 

Hubby took a hike on one of the mornings behind where we were staying and apparently was attacked by a "jumping cactus". His words were, "a cactus jumped out at me". It is apparently a thing. They don't literally jump, but are loosely attached and at the slightest brush against it or near it will cause them to quickly detach giving the effect of a jump. Thankfully it didn't attach itself too much to him. 

On Sunday afternoon we went with our friends to the Glendale Entertainment District and then to downtown Scottsdale to one of their shopping districts. 

The Glendale entertainment district consists mostly of restaurants and a few shops. Music playing in a central park like setting.

Loved this quote on the wall of one of the shops in Scottsdale.

This statue of Arabian Horses was donated in 1989 by artist Bob Parks. The horses used as models were owned by Tom Chauncey. I didn't go up to the statue but apparently the names of each horse are below them. It was a beautiful fountain.

This also captured my attention....called "pinball wizard" and created by artist Annette Coleman, it was added in 2022 and is located at the Stetson Plaza splash pad in Scottsdale. I loved all the colors. 

This sculpture titled "passing the legacy", portrays an original pony express rider passing the legacy to a more modern counterpart.Created by Herb Mignery it took over a year to complete. 

Finally, off to the right was the hill my hubby walked up. Called "White Peak" it is an approximate 1,680 feet elevation. It is composed of bright, pale quartz and silica. 

It was a relaxing weekend.  I know there is so much you can do in the greater Phoenix area, but we truly were there to enjoy the company of friends. 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin