After our beautiful ceremony in the Manti Temple, we all went to

After our beautiful ceremony in the Manti Temple, we all went to Colleen's house
where she'd prepared our wedding
dinner. When dishes were done and
we had posed for pictures, Judy,
Rosie, Kay, and Bert went out to
decorate our car for the trip with shoe
polish and toilet tissue designs.
We had decided to leave the
snow and ice of Utah and head for the
sunshine of the southland. So, after
giving the car a very brief washing,
we took off, driving south and
stopping for dinner and overnight at
Kanab.
Virginia with Vermilion Cliffs in background. Between Fredonia,
AZ and the navajo bridge over the Colorado at Marble Canyon
Early next morning, we
got maps at the friendly,
neighborhood Standard Station
and charted the course for the
rest of the trip--down through
the Vermillion Cliffs, the
Navajo Bridge in Marble
Canyon, and. finally into the
cactus country of southern
Arizona.
We arrived in Phoenix in
the early evening and drove
around the city looking for a
place to stay--with atmosphere. Finally settled on the Kon-Tiki Motel on Van Buren. We
moved in, rested, and made plans for the evening. Kermit checked at the desk for
suggestions on what to do in Phoenix on Christmas Eve. We decided to spend it
quietly--just dinner and perhaps a movie.
We had Christmas Eve dinner in the red plush surroundings of the famous
Durant's Restaurant. The food was marvelous--the best steaks ever.
Durant’s 2611 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Upscale, old-school chophouse serving steak, seafood & martinis in a vintage red-velvet
setting.
Christmas morning in Phoenix was warm enough to swim in the motel pool! But
we didn't bring swimsuits so we had to forego that. Instead we embarked on a tour of
Phoenix and the surrounding areas. We drove down to see Durant's and Goldwater's in
the daytime; down Camelback Road and the residential areas; then on to Scottsdale.
Scottsdale was intriguing – looks like something out of the Old West with its hitching
posts and swinging saloon doors. However, I understand that prices are like something
out of the 21st Century.
We continued on down to Mesa looking for the Temple, following Kermit's
"intuition" which led us right to the grounds. We parked the car and got out to look
around. We loved the temple
grounds. Everything is
beautiful--lemon (Ponderosa)
trees, cactus of all kinds, and
lovely poinsettas in bloom.
After taking pictures and
enjoying this lovely oasis in the
desert we went back to Scottsdale,
this time to walk around and look
at things closely.
We parked the car and
started walking. Of course all the
stores were closed for Christmas, but we could window-shop. Some of the shops--most
of them, in fact—looked very interesting, but we couldn't spend our money.
We left Phoenix early the next morning, heading back home. We took the scenic
route through the mountains this time, instead of the freeway. The winding road led us to
Jerome, a quaint little ghost town high on a hill. We explored some of the stores, bought
Sam a present, and conversed with the store people while we waited for the wild wind to
subside.
It didn't, but we had to go anyway. Continuing on through the mountains, we soon
ran into a snowstorm--quite a contrast to the sunshine of yesterday.
We drove through Sedona and started up Oak Creek Canyon in spite of the snow
and traffic warnings. But the snow and the darkness made the canyon nearly impossible
to navigate, so we turned back to Sedona. It was very romantic and beautiful, being
snowed in. We found a nice cozy room where we could curl up and watch the snow
sparkle in the moonlight.
In the morning it was easy to negotiate Oak Creek Canyon and continue through
the Pass to Flagstaff. We stopped in Flag for cheese and cracker snacks to eat along the
way; then drove on home to Blanding.
The honeymoon was over. . .