PHOENIX, ARIZONA

My parents and I met in July, 2000 for a tour of the Southwestern national parks. The tour began in Phoenix, and ended in Las Vegas one week later. The first night was spent in Phoenix after a brief tour of the city. That night, we stayed at the Doubletree La Posada Resort, at the foot of Camelback Mountain. The next morning, we left Phoenix for the Grand Canyon.
 

This statue stands outside the Heard Museum, a museum devoted to American Indian art and culture. We visited the museum during our tour of Phoenix.

This picture shows Camelback Mountain rising over our hotel. This picture was taken in the morning, shortly before leaving for the Grand Canyon.

 
En route to the Grand Canyon, we stopped at Montezuma Castle National Park, site of a five-story dwelling constructed into the cliffs. This was constructed in the twelfthcentury by the Sinagua.

 
We also stopped to see Bell Rock and Courthouse Rock, two formations of weathered sandstone. This picture shows Courthouse Rock; my parents Dick and Charlie Jo are posing in front of Bell Rock in the picture at the top of this page.
 

 
We met this fellow during our final stop of the day, at the Museum of Northern Arizona. In addition to the dinosaur, this museum has an interesting collection of Native American art and artifacts.

 
That evening, we arrived at the Grand Canyon. After viewing an Imax movie on the history of the Grand Canyon, including its exploration by John Wesley Powell, we proceeded to our hotel on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.