When we last left our hero, he was leaving Vegas and headed for Sedona. We got into Phoenix at 1:00, and originally planned to stop at the zoo before heading north. But after we’d gotten the rental car and loaded everything in, we agreed that we were tired and it was better just to head north. I think Linus especially appreciated the chance to just stretch out and relax after all the bustle of Vegas and meeting his family. He took some time to get reacquainted with this love, Sophie.
The next morning, we woke to find that it was raining, so we stayed inside all morning and just relaxed.
Linus takes lounging very seriously.
The rain finally cleared in the afternoon, so we decided that a small walk should be possible. We headed out to Chimney Rock and Thunder Mountain, which are just on the edge of town.
Here you can see the clouds were still lingering, and we were afraid we’d get stuck.
The walk wasn’t enough to keep Linus from being lulled to sleep on Yen’s chest.
I absolutely love this photo.
Hello! Look who finally popped up.
Hiking was sure a lot different compared to last year. I was just finishing the first trimester and was so very tired all of the time! It’s nice that Yen can carry him now.
Here’s Linus back at the hotel, dry and relaxing.
Much happier now that he’s taken his pants off.
Here’s the view from the resort. We decided to get out and see the place. Last time we hadn’t really done that.
The property map shows a labyrinth. It wasn’t… very challenging.
I played some chess…
Then we headed back inside. It was cold!
The next morning the weather was much nicer, and so we returned to one of our favorite trails from last year, Broken Arrow. You can see the Linus was really taking it all in. He’s missed his walks!
Last year we were puzzled by a note on the map marking Devil’s Dining Room, which we never saw. I don’t know how the heck we missed it, because when we found it this year, we were pretty surprised. It’s a giant sinkhole!
You can see that the trail was still pretty muddy from all of the rain.
Nope. Still won’t look at the camera.
So Yen figured, “Me neither.” Don’t you just love their matching hats?
There it is: Chicken Point, our destination. In the distance you can see Bell Rock, where we’ll go the next day.
Scale!
Nope. The views can’t keep Linus awake.
The rock along the bottom of this photo is Submarine Rock. See it? See the teeny people standing on it? Dive! Dive!
On the way back, we decided to take a different trail, which goes much higher up. Here I go…
Here we’re looking back on the trail. It’s actually a bike trail. I can’t imagine riding a bike on it.
Linus was pretty tuckered out after all that hiking (even though he was just bouncing along), so we went for a drive in the canyon north of town. There had been enough rain the day before that we actually saw a little waterfall.
Here I am in our rental car. Yep, we chose the smallest possible! I confess there was a moment when we were struggling to load all of our luggage when I thought, “This is dumb. We should get something bigger.” But I’m glad we stuck to our principles and with this nimble little guy. Yen said driving it felt like driving a go-cart.
And now back at the ranch for more R&R.
Linus is really into his books these days. He pays attention and looks where you point. It’s much different from the old days when all he did was try to chew the corners.
Yen has been dying to take some photos of Linus au natural. We saw the big white comforter on the king-size bed and thought, “Those aren’t our sheets…” Linus was baffled by the experience, I think. We put him down on a towel for protection, and the texture must have felt pretty funny.
Look at that: another beautiful day!
We call this rock Jabba’s Palace. Nerd alert.
We stopped off for lunch. Here’s Linus checking out his ride. “You mean I really fit in there?”
Last year I named this one Mount Bunny Ear. I’m going to print the photos of each of us with our bunny ears. I’m fabulous at home decorating.
Huh. I’m surprised there weren’t more photos of that hike. Anyway, it was Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. Now back to the baby.
Linus is used to a bath every other night (not with soap each time – don’t worry). We didn’t have his little bath tub, so Yen got into the big tub with him.
Clean and ready for bed!
Here’s Linus the next morning, ready for another photo session. Check out his hair. That’s what happens when it gets wet and we don’t have a comb for afterward.
Who’s cuter than the Gerber baby? Linus, that’s who!
Sassy baby!
We tried a new trail I found on a list of underused trails. The first part of it was good, but after the first mile, we saw why it’s underused. It gets boring fast!
Here’s Linus taking a break in the car.
After the disappointing trail, we decided to finish our trip off with another favorite from last year, Fay Canyon.
Linus… had had enough.
Happy once again behind the wheel. He’s such a boy.
“Seriously, Mommy. People are looking.”
We thought that was the end and headed to the airport. Only… we took a wrong turn and ended up on a too-long but very, very beautiful drive. And we missed our plane! So we had an extra day in Phoenix. We checked into a hotel.
And then headed for the zoo.
Linus helped Yen plan our route so we could make the most of the two hours we had.
Fattest prairie dogs ever.
We were pretty excited by this: a California Condor!
It’s Sophie!
It was surprisingly warm for a January day, even in Phoenix. We were all happy to just sit on a bench and watch people go by.
Poor Linus. It was a long trip! But then we headed home and we was safe and sound, back at home.
