Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Travelogue: On The Road To California. Day 4.

Blogger's been a little screwy lately. My Day 3 post from a few days ago has disappeared and is nowhere to be found. Hopefully, it will return, but if not I'll redo and repost. Anyways, on to day 4!

We woke up in Tucson with a minor medical emergency. My mom was having some sort of allergic reaction and her face was getting puffier and more red by the minute (I will not be posting pictures of this as my life has been threatened if I did). After some medical consultations with a couple of family members, we picked up a prescription for her and headed back to our villa.

I guess the medicine kind of knocked her out, because she was down for the count. She told me she was fine and I should go explore, so off I went.

A couple of years ago, I spent a week at the Canyon Ranch Spa here in Tucson and fell in love with Sabino Canyon, which was just a short bike ride away. I really wanted to stretch my legs and do a little hiking around, so that's where I headed.

It is such a beautiful place to relax and reflect. Last time I was there, I saw several artists set up throughout the canyon, painting a giant cactus or a perfect Southwest sunset over the mountain. I can certainly see why they would find inspiration here.

Our long sleeves are a little deceptive, as it had turned pretty warm at this point. The sun was so strong, though, and I didn't want Maddux to get burned. We ended up shedding some layers by the end of our hike.

These cacti have an almost regal quality. Some seem as tall as buildings!

The hike begins.

Into the canyon. I was keeping an eye out for mountain lions!


After our hike, I drove around Tucson for just a little bit and found this amazing church:


Maddux's grin cracks me up.


After swinging by to pick up my mom on the base, we headed out to meet some family for dinner at a cute little diner called Little Anthony's.

But of course Maddux had to stop and play in the little red car out front.

My cousin Jen and her husband, Jamie. This was the first time they had met Maddux!


Most of the gang! L-R: My cousin Julianne, who is so adorable. She's a mascot at the University of Arizona and was even on the Ellen show! My cousin Jen, who lives most of the time in L.A., where she is an actress. You can see her in the movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, as well as several TV shows like "How I Met Your Mother." Jen's awesome husband, Jamie. They got married at the Santa Barbara Zoo. How cool is that?! He has worked on several TV shows, but is currently a Producer and Writer for "How I Met Your Mother." My cousin Jason, who is a great guy married to a sweet girl. He has served our country in the military for several years, and is hopefully home for good! My cool cousin Robert, who works in Parks and Recreation and coaches kids. His girlfriend Sarah, who I got to meet for the first time. She is so cute and super sweet. On the bottom is Chubby Maddux, Sore-from-hiking Me, Still-A-Little-Puffy-Faced mom, and my awesome and hilarious aunt, Diane. Love them!

And of course, what dinner is complete without a little Hula-Hoopin' in the parking lot?

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