We have taken the plunge into the depths of nerdy birding and went on a trip to Arizona. Arizona is one of the best places to observe birds. We were a little earlier than a birder would like but there were still some great birds to see and a few rarities. We not only went to observe birds but also to explore some of the great places that Arizona has to offer.
Day One - And It Begins
We began our trip on the 6th of March flying into Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. However it was right around 6:30 pm so the sun was just dropping behind some of the surrounding mountains and by the time we picked up our luggage the sun was down. We hopped on the shuttle to the car rental and enjoyed our first moments of warm air.
After renting our Jeep Compass we pulled out onto route 17 toward Mayer. Before we got to our cabin in Mayer we had a couple things we had to do first. One was to roll down our windows and listened to the Traveling Wilburys play "End of The Line" while we made our way out of Phoenix (video below). No real reason for this, just a great song to listen to while on a road trip.
Second we had to stop at an In-N-Out Burger and get something to eat. I understand that this is not the most interesting of places and it is not a local eatery that the Nerdy birders usually attend but we do not often get the chance to eat at one and we wanted something fast. About an hour or so in the car and we arrived at our first house.
Our first house was not really a house at all it was more of a one room cabin. The "resort" was called Creek-side Cabins and Lodge and the funniest thing was the heart shaped tub that was in the room, very romantic! After a long day of travel we turned in early and dreamed about the fun that was to come.
Day Two - Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, and Flagstaff
A number of things woke us up on that second day. We had the time change which was a difference of two hours, the fact that we were so excited to be on vacation, and lastly the sound of a new bird outside of our window. All of these factors added up to us watching the sun rise. Although the sun was at our backs we could still watch our backyard come to life from our deck. Between the back deck, the front of the house and outside the resort we managed to see a Broad-billed Humming Bird, Cassin's Vireo, Chipping Sparrow, and a Say's Phoebe among other birds that we regularly see back home. This was a great start to our trip and needless to say, the Nerdy Birders were pumped.
After breakfast at the Cowboy Steakhouse and Saloon we packed up our things and headed out toward Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona with our next bed waiting in Flagstaff. Near Oak Creek Canyon we stopped at Red Rock Secret Mountains National Forest. Here we spotted an Acorn Woodpecker and a Steller's Jay before leaving the parking area. The hike was nice and it was warm but unfortunately the previously mentioned birds were the only ones we spotted.
After the hike we jumped back in the car and continued on to Sedona. Sedona was beautiful with the red rocks, sun shine, and small town shops however it was very touristy plus we did not have much time to stop so we viewed most of it from inside of the car. We pressed on to Flagstaff where the Hotel Monte Vista awaited.
Driving into Flagstaff you don't feel like you are in Arizona. You feel like you are in a mountain town somewhere in Colorado. Perhaps it was the crisp mountain air or the elevation, but it was most likely the white peaks on Flagstaff's now dormant volcano named San Francisco Peaks. Luckily for us they had their only two snowfalls of the winter two weekends before we arrived otherwise there would not have been snow on the peaks.
The Hotel Monte Vista was beautiful. The hotel was built in 1926 and is known for the celebrities that have stayed there and the paranormal activity that is reported in some of the rooms (more on this in the next chapter). The hotel places a placard on the door of each room with the name of the celebrity that has stayed in the room. However when we arrived our door did not have a placard. We later asked the front desk if any celebrity had stayed in our room and they said that John Wayne had stayed in every room on the second floor so it was safe to assume he stayed in ours. They went on to say that although he rented the room he spent a great deal of his time in the basement bar. The Monte Vista Lounge was once a speak easy and housed illegal gambling at one time. This sounded like a great place for the Nerdy Birders to hang out, but first we had to meet some friends that we're going to show us around Flagstaff.
Day One - And It Begins
We began our trip on the 6th of March flying into Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. However it was right around 6:30 pm so the sun was just dropping behind some of the surrounding mountains and by the time we picked up our luggage the sun was down. We hopped on the shuttle to the car rental and enjoyed our first moments of warm air.
After renting our Jeep Compass we pulled out onto route 17 toward Mayer. Before we got to our cabin in Mayer we had a couple things we had to do first. One was to roll down our windows and listened to the Traveling Wilburys play "End of The Line" while we made our way out of Phoenix (video below). No real reason for this, just a great song to listen to while on a road trip.
Second we had to stop at an In-N-Out Burger and get something to eat. I understand that this is not the most interesting of places and it is not a local eatery that the Nerdy birders usually attend but we do not often get the chance to eat at one and we wanted something fast. About an hour or so in the car and we arrived at our first house.
Our first house was not really a house at all it was more of a one room cabin. The "resort" was called Creek-side Cabins and Lodge and the funniest thing was the heart shaped tub that was in the room, very romantic! After a long day of travel we turned in early and dreamed about the fun that was to come.
Day Two - Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, and Flagstaff
A number of things woke us up on that second day. We had the time change which was a difference of two hours, the fact that we were so excited to be on vacation, and lastly the sound of a new bird outside of our window. All of these factors added up to us watching the sun rise. Although the sun was at our backs we could still watch our backyard come to life from our deck. Between the back deck, the front of the house and outside the resort we managed to see a Broad-billed Humming Bird, Cassin's Vireo, Chipping Sparrow, and a Say's Phoebe among other birds that we regularly see back home. This was a great start to our trip and needless to say, the Nerdy Birders were pumped.
 |
| Broad-billed Humming Bird |
 |
| Cassin's Vireo |
 |
| Chipping Sparrow |
 |
| Say's Phoebe |
 |
| Acorn Woodpecker |
 |
| Steller's Jay |
Driving into Flagstaff you don't feel like you are in Arizona. You feel like you are in a mountain town somewhere in Colorado. Perhaps it was the crisp mountain air or the elevation, but it was most likely the white peaks on Flagstaff's now dormant volcano named San Francisco Peaks. Luckily for us they had their only two snowfalls of the winter two weekends before we arrived otherwise there would not have been snow on the peaks.
The Hotel Monte Vista was beautiful. The hotel was built in 1926 and is known for the celebrities that have stayed there and the paranormal activity that is reported in some of the rooms (more on this in the next chapter). The hotel places a placard on the door of each room with the name of the celebrity that has stayed in the room. However when we arrived our door did not have a placard. We later asked the front desk if any celebrity had stayed in our room and they said that John Wayne had stayed in every room on the second floor so it was safe to assume he stayed in ours. They went on to say that although he rented the room he spent a great deal of his time in the basement bar. The Monte Vista Lounge was once a speak easy and housed illegal gambling at one time. This sounded like a great place for the Nerdy Birders to hang out, but first we had to meet some friends that we're going to show us around Flagstaff.
Tony and Sarah were once living in Ohio and where colleagues of JoAnna's. Now that they have relocated to Flagstaff we met up with them for dinner. They showed us some of the shops downtown and made some recommendations for food for breakfast the next morning. After dinner we slowly made our way back toward the hotel where we parted ways.
Back in the hotel we immediately hit the Monte Vista Lounge. We had friends, Aundy and Jason, that had just flown in from Ohio who were planning to meet us for drinks. As we sat at the bar we discussed the days highlights and pondered what John Wayne would do if he was there. We decided he would probably say "listen here pilgrim, have another drink" and so we did.
After days one and two in Arizona we had collected another six birds for our life list which put us at ninety four total. There is more to come so stay tuned for days three and four where we ponder our existence and explore one of our nation's greatest National Parks with our good friends Aundy and Jason. There will be laughs, tears, and yes birds.
Happy Birding!
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