Alicia - Keys to the Summer Tour: A Night Out at the Maverik Center (West Valley City, UT)

                                                                                                                             One of the most unforgettable stops on our Utah vacation had nothing to do with hiking trails or national parks. Instead, it was a father-daughter adventure centered around music, memories, and a dream that had been years in the making. While planning a weeklong trip to Moab, I discovered that Alicia Keys' Keys to the Summer Tour would be stopping at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, just outside Salt Lake City, on July 28, 2023. Egypt had been a lifelong fan of Alicia Keys, but every previous opportunity to see her perform had slipped away. When the tour skipped Sacramento, she assumed another chance had been lost.

A Day in Grand Canyon National Park

 Arizona

July 2022

The Grand Canyon was our last stop on our epic two week father-daughter vacation during the summer of 2022. Besides being a long couple of weeks, the drive from the Four Corners to the Grand Canyon was slow due to rain and washed out roads. On top of everything else, it was again very hot when we entered the park in the middle of the afternoon. Our first stop was confusing because the area was under construction and we ended up walking quite a bit more than necessary as we found our way. Add all that up together and it was difficult for Egypt to truly enjoy the majesty laid before her eyes. 

Egypt was a good sport as she walked around a few of the viewpoints scattered along the south rim before she requested a nice dinner together on our last night out before a marathon drive home the following day. I found a steakhouse and Egypt was disappointed that they were all out of their rattlesnake appetizers, but she did enjoy a cowboy sized steak with abundant sides. 

I imagine Egypt will return to the Grand Canyon to explore the parks depths in more detail.

NATIONAL PARKS

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A Day at Four Corners Monument Navajo Tribal Park

 Utah - Arizona - New Mexico - Colorado

July 2022

Egypt enjoyed standing in four states at the same time. The monument has completely changed since we took Kellisa to "sit on wheels" in four states simultaneously way back in June 2007.

KELLISA'S VISIT - JUNE 2007

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A Day at Aztec Ruins National Monument

 New Mexico

July 2022

It was blazing hot when we visited and it was hard to imagine living in the Southwest long before air conditioning. Although, we were surprised how much cooler it was in the rock houses. We both enjoyed learning about the Aztec people and their culture, but were also sad that it is mostly gone. 

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A Day on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

 Colorado

July 2022

After spending a week in Idaho and Wyoming, we decided to drive down to the 4 corner region and spend a week in Farmington, NM. One of the main reasons was to spend a day on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. We purchased tickets for the all day round trip excursion with a stop in Silverton with enough time to enjoy a nice lunch and do a little souvenir shopping. I know breathtaking is probably an overused word when describing views while on vacation, but I can think of no better word to describe the views looking down and out from a train hugging a canyon wall high above a raging river. While we didn't see any bears, we did enjoy a few waterfalls. You could open the windows for fresh air and Egypt wasn't the only passenger who took a little nap (or two) to the soothing knocks and cracks from the train wheels rumbling over tracks laid in the 1800s. It was a day we will both remember and cherish. 

Flashback - Egypt's first train ride at the Avenues Mall in Jacksonville, FL

October 2010

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