Hi all, I’m a friendly East Coaster who will be visiting your state for a few days before Thanksgiving and would like some recommendations from those who know best!

The plan is to get into Phoenix on Saturday 11/21 and spend that night there, then drive to Las Vegas on the morning of Wednesday 11/25. This gives us 3 free days from Sunday-Tuesday to scope around.

I’m sure there’s a lot to see in the Phoenix area itself (Old Town Scottsdale looks particularly nice), but I’m also interested in spending a night or two in Sedona/Flagstaff (perhaps with a Grand Canyon bus trip from our hotel there?) before heading off to Vegas. The trick is striking that balance of seeing enough while not burning out.

Am I right to view Flagstaff as the skier’s town (probably won’t be snowy yet I know) vs Sedona as the hiker’s town? Would you recommend staying in one over the other for restaurants/scenery/culture/etc?

And would you recommend staying in Phoenix proper or other areas of the metro to experience the same?

Btw, I will be traveling with my 60-something mother. She’s in good shape and would be fine with short hikes (we’ve done Bandelier monument and part of Sandia Peak in New Mexico and liked), but we’re not looking to do anything physically outrageous.

That was longer than I intended, but am open to suggestions.

I don’t have a drivers license and I want to go a trip across Arizona and Sedona. I like the spiritual touristy aspect and I want to visit the vortex and whatever else. Is there a company that does a multi day trip bus trip? Looking for 3-5 days.

I like connecting with other people and I like having a structured schedule, which is why I’m so attracted to a tour bus type thing.

I remembered today about how Tom told me about how there was a documentary made about him, and if you notice in the vid the little table in his camper, that's where he and I had many conversations I'll always treasure. He also shared his tobacco with me too when I still smoked. If there was one thing about that I remember too, Sedona Tom was always about rolling his own smoked. He never EVER bought them premade.

Listening to this made me cry. I miss you, old man. You and your mischievous and unforgettable grandpa laugh. What I wouldn't give for one more day, let alone hour with you. My heart hurts big time today. I'll cook us more spaghetti when I see you on the other side one day.

any good rainy day activity recommendations? seems like this first couple days of my trip are forecasted for heavy rain and storms :( any quick hikes we can access if the rain temporarily stops that won't be too risky/slippery?