day trip diaries: Phoenix

Visiting Phoenix, Arizona was a sweet unexpected treat during our Southwest Road Trip. After our time in Joshua Tree, we had planned to leave California and cross over into Arizona to spend a few days at the Grand Canyon before flying back home through Phoenix. So initially, our itinerary included nothing beyond a brief tour of the Phoenix airport.

But there was a change in the weather for the worst that made our plans to camp at the Grand Canyon not the best idea. Also, it felt like we were trying to squeeze the Grand Canyon in and this is not something that you want to rush through. Ultimately, we decided to save it for another trip and just head into Phoenix a little sooner since we were already booked with flights and a hotel there. We simply extended our hotel stay and spent 2 nights and 1 full day exploring the Phoenix area. It's not like us to change our travel plans last minute like this and be so spontaneous, but I'm glad that we did. 

Good morning Phoenix! 

We had arrived late the night before, so we slept in a bit before heading out to breakfast. We randomly picked a spot close to our hotel that turned out to be amazing (we went back the next morning too!) with the best meal and atmosphere. And since we had no plans, Tom and I literally spent almost 2 hours having breakfast here, just enjoying each other's company. 

Since we don't live together, having meals together is a rare and special treat. Honestly, this breakfast talking through our future plans was one of my favorite parts of our whole trip. 

After breakfast, it was time to make a plan for the day. We were almost overwhelmed with all of our options. What we loved about Phoenix, is not just the city itself but the surrounding area too. With being on a mission to visit all of America’s National Parks so we couldn’t resist an opportunity to visit the nearby Saguaro National Park. So we did a day trip within our day trip with driving just a couple of hours to Saguaro.

 You can find more from our visit to Saguaro National Park here. Spoiler Alert: it was phenomenal. 

Being the exciting couple that we are, we ended our day with an early dinner by the hotel pool. 

The next morning, we made another stop at Fáme Cafe for breakfast and then headed to the Desert Botanical Garden. Phoenix is so well known for this spot that we couldn't leave without seeing it. 

Also, somehow having already spent a week in the desert didn't give us enough time with the beautiful cacti there, so we had to get one last glimpse. 

This guy keeps things interesting and is too fun to spend the day with. 

 We loved every minute of our short, but amazing time in Phoenix. 

Here's to hoping that we can make it back one day!