When I decided to visit B! in Arizona, I had no idea that I was setting myself up for the road trip of a lifetime. I thought I’d fly out, chill around, smoke cigarettes, drink coffee. Normal stuff. And while I did all those things, I also saw amazing sights, took in amazing vistas, and took a LOT of pictures. I mean a LOT. Flickr is probably regretting only charging me $25 for my pro membership right now.

It all started when B! mentioned that we should go to the Grand Canyon. I’d never seen it, save for a fly-by en route to LA four years ago, so I was all game. Rather than drive all the way to the south rim, we decided to stay in Williams that first night and take the Grand Canyon Railway up to the gorge.

Unfortunately, there was no cafe car. I’d had visions of getting plastered a la Amtrak, but, on minimal sleep, I would have settled for some java. No dice, though. We had entertainment on the ride,

which, thank God, because the scenery left something to be desired.

That was pretty much it, for two and a half solid hours. I’d thought the train ride would afford us some spectacular views, but the biggest excitement came when we passed a cow farm. By the time we got to the canyon I didn’t know what I wanted more: a coffee, a bathroom, or a stiff drink.

Then the train stopped. We got off. And what unfolded as I crested the hill above the depot was nothing short of amazing.

There’s no way to describe it – even when you see it, you can hardly believe it’s real. It’s unimaginable. The trails were too slippery to do much hiking. so B! and I got some lunch and just enjoyed the view. Two cocktails later, I was just tipsy enough to go exploring, and I found this

all stuck into the rocks trailside. Anyone know what that’s all about?

By the time we were ready to leave, I was absolutely exhausted. But not too exhausted to appreciate the amazing AZ sunset.

We got back into town around 6, got some food, and hit the road to Utah – a 5 hour drive through night desert.

full canyon set here, more to come later.