Vacation in Arizona

Last week we were in Tucson for vacation. Here's the itinerary:

Monday: Fly to Phoenix
One-year-olds do not travel light! This one required a stroller, booster seat, toys, clothes, a few days supply of diapers and food, and a car seat. Liam was great on the flight, only a few tears. He went right to sleep in a playpen in our hotel, and we followed a few minutes later.

Tuesday: Grand Canyon
We had breakfast at Denny's that morning, and they were promoting their coffee which was, according to their brochure, "Just what you would expect from Denny's." Yes, it WAS as mediocre as we expected! Then we stopped to visit a coworker of Will, who lives on the north side of Phoenix and was dying to meet Liam. We finally got up to the south rim of the canyon in late afternoon. This was the only day Liam wore his baseball cap, since we were afraid he would throw it over the edge. We saw a Japanese man, dressed to the nines in a three piece suit and bowler hat, touring the Grand Canyon in Grand Style.

Wednesday: More Canyon and a Grueling Drive
We did a nice hike in an area where private vehicles aren't allowed. Liam rode in the backpack for about two hours and loved it. In fact, he sang and babbled almost the whole time. On the way down to Tucson, which is a 4-hour trip under good conditions and without Baby Stops, we got stuck in a horrible traffic jam. There was a collision involving a truck full of acid, and the highway was closed. There seemed to be two ways around it, a short way and a long way, and we innocently chose the short way - not knowing that the thin lines on the map represented a labyrinth of dirt roads leading nowhere. We drove past dusty field after dusty field, occasionally seeing a startling site: irrigated bright green fields in the middle of the desert. It is hubris to laugh in nature's face by growing alfalfa and cotton in the desert, leeching the Colorado River and wreaking who knows what havoc to the ecosystem of the Southwest. I could go on and on about the evil that is Arizona, the lack of urban planning, the disrespect for the land (aside from the iconic canyon). Which brings me to Tucson. Failing at the short way, we took the long way around the toxic spill. We finally arrived in Tucson, only to discover we were still 45 minutes of sprawl away from Joan's place.

Thursday: Swimming and Hiking at Ventana Canyon
Liam had his first experience of a swimming pool. He loved splashing and watching his parents swim, especially when we kicked or went under water. It was really hot in Tucson, over 90 degrees every day. In the early evening we hiked up into Ventana Canyon, which is right behind Joan's place. Will, with his long legs, had no trouble climbing up and down rocky banks with Liam on his back.

Friday: Nogales, Mexico
Nogales is the nearest border town to Tucson. We drove down there mostly for the sake of going to Mexico, which is the 22nd foreign country for me and the 1st for Liam. After all the hype about increased border security, new passport requirements for Mexico, and so forth, I was amused to see how easy it is. Walking into Mexico was like walking into Iowa. Except in Iowa, the shopkeepers aren't nearly so aggressive. Everyone claimed to have the best prices in town on junk jewelry, belts, and tequila. We walked around a little, had some lunch (great tamales), and wandered back to the border. This time, on the way back in to the US, we stood in line and perfunctorily showed our passports. Oh, on the way there, Liam threw up in the car - for the first time on this trip, but not the last. Maybe motion sickness?

Saturday: Desert Museum
Over the hills to the west of Tucson is a beautiful valley, in which lies part of Saguaro National Park, and a sort of zoo. We were there in the middle of the day, so most of the animals were napping, but it didn't matter; Liam was not interested in the javelinas and vultures. He was there for the ceiling fans. He LOVES ceiling fans, a fact which proved very convenient, since turning on the fan was a sure-fire way to keep him still long enough to change a diaper. He also saw a Great Dane and they exchanged snoozles. We had a beautiful sunset that night.

Sunday: A Day of Rest
We had talked about going on a hike at Chiricahua Park, but rather than spend more time in the car, we honored the tradition of resting on Sunday. Joan's friend Betsy invited us over for dinner. Just as we pulled in her driveway, Liam puked all over himself again. Betsy sweetly gave me a hug and a lot of paper towels. This time Will did most of the cleanup, for which he will surely be sainted.

Monday: Cleanup and Back Home
Monday morning was spent cleaning up Joan's apartment. I had to clean the glass coffee table three times, because Liam kept leaving fresh finger prints. We finished by noon and went out for lunch. I think Liam was done with vacation; he tossed his cup and most of his food on the floor. He used to eat everything, and lately he has become quite picky, refusing even Cheerios! Our flight was delayed by a couple of hours, so we didn't get home until 2:00AM. That was pretty hard on Liam. He was cheerful up until the last hour or so of our flight, and then he screamed and wailed until he finally passed out in my arms...just as the flight attendant predicted, 10 minutes before landing.