Catching Up

One of the nice things about road trips is being able to stop and visit old friends along the way.
As we arrived in Surprise we were greeted by our friends Beth and Scott into their beautiful new home. It is so joyful watching our friends in this new stage of life. They left the same area we came from near the same time as we did and decided to retire in Arizona. They, like us, built their retirement home and it is gorgeous. They definitely have a knack for decorating. I’m really happy for them, they have found their happy place and have really settled into their new life well.
They took us out to the cutest little western town called Wickenburg. What a fun little place. They have these cute statues all over town, pioneer people in different poses. A fun place to explore.

We then met up with friends, our former pastor Rick and his wife Patti from our Tennessee days for lunch. It was great catching up, it had been several years since we’ve seen them. Always a blessing to us. They left Tennessee and followed their children and grandchildren to Arizona. Their son in law pastors a church near Phoenix and our friend Rick has gotten involved in a prison ministry called “Behind the walls.” Saving souls for those who can be forgotten. It was a wonderful visit.
We then met for dinner with more friends we’ve known since we lived in Browns Point back in the eighties. These friends, Gary and Phyllis, were our neighbors, we attended Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. concert on their final tour together. What a great memory. They became good friends to us and we have kept in touch all these years. They moved to Arizona years ago and we had always hoped to make a trip there so we could see them. We finally made it. They have struggled with some health issues so I was glad to see them doing so well.
Friends are such a blessing and I treasure every friendship, I am truly blessed to have so many good friends. My friends mean a lot to me.
After leaving Surprise we left for West Grand Canyon, there is a glass sky bridge you can walk out on as it hangs over the canyon. It was majestic standing on that bridge looking down through the glass at the canyon below. Gene wouldn’t go on it as he doesn’t love heights, but I did and it was awesome.

West Grand Canyon sits on tribal land. It is not part of the National Park system. It is on the Hualapai Reservation. They have a beautiful area giving the history of the tribe and its traditions. I will post a link at the bottom of my blog. It was definitely worth the drive.

From West Grand Canyon, our next stop was Las Vegas for the night, and appropriately we stayed at the Pink Flamingo. What a way to finish this portion of our trip. I have loved Pink Flamingos since I was a very little girl so the hotel was the perfect pit stop. Next stop was the Great Redwood forest. I look forward to sharing the next portion of our trip. so until next time….