AZ to SoCal

I told my wife and kids that I had three objectives for our vacation: family, photography, and beer.

I fulfilled all three spectacularly.

We have been talking about going to Arizona for years. My brother, and his family, live there; my wife's brother and his family, also live there. Both live in the Phoenix area—one lives to the far west, along Highway 10, which eventually ends in Los Angeles: the other to the southeast of the city core, also not far from Hwy 10, where it runs southeast, toward Casa Grande, and eventually, Tucson. On the map, they appear to be not very far from one another; in reality, they are a vast distance.

Everything is far away when you live in the Phoenix area.

As I said, we've wanted to see our family, where they live, for years, but personally, I have never been keen on going to Arizona. I don't like excessive heat. I don't like cowboys (unless they're in movies that include Clint Eastwood). I don't like the gun mentality. But in our research to head to the American West, I discovered that Arizona is a photographer's oasis, that the craft-beer industry had ballooned, much like it has in the Ottawa area, but on a larger scale.

Everything's bigger in America.

My wife and I decided that we would spend time with our kin and their families, but that we would also explore the state and take as many photos as our data cards could hold. And I would have every opportunity to visit breweries and pubs that served local beer.

And so I was sold.

This vacation would have three objectives: family, photos, and beer.

When I returned from my family vacation through France, many of my social-media friends said that they wanted me to share the experience. Extended family members also wanted to know about our trip, and so for a few weeks, I blogged about that vacation and it was well-received.

I'd like to do that again.

If you want to follow the ride—after the fact—stay tuned. I won't go into this trip day-by-day, as I practically did with my France vacation, but I'll share the highlights. I also won't share a lot of family time, as that is intended just for my family, and I've already shared that aspect with them on Facebook.

This vacation took us around many areas in Phoenix, but also all the way north, near the Utah border, to the Navajo region of Page, to the Grand Canyon, to Flagstaff and historic Route 66, to Sedona, to Tucson, and back to Phoenix. We also ventured further west, to Southern California, where we explored the beaches and neighbourhoods of San Diego.

If you like beer and are interested in hearing about my brewery experiences, I will share a little on this blog, but I am working on a larger, beer-centric post for my Beer O'Clock blog. Check there later in the week.

Interested in the Brownfoot Road Trip of 2016? We pull out tomorrow.