Last week I flew out to Flagstaff and toured a bit around the northern half of Arizona.

Went to see the Grand Canyon, from the ground and via helicopter!

If you have never seen the Grand Canyon in person…. save up your money and go see it!

Worth every penny. The helicopter ride was $219 per person.

I got a funky little Air BnB in Flagstaff and discovered the beautiful mountain woods and Snow Bowl mountain near that area, see pics :::::::::::::

Sat at the top of SnowBowl and just felt peaceful. The clouds, the valley below…. pics don’t do it justice.

Explored the area around Sedona and even the weird hilltop town of Jerome.

Took a Ghost Tour. Did not see a ghost, it kinda felt like a scam.

Friday night I was driving in the mountains from Sedona back to Flagstaff and I pulled over and turned off the car lights just to look at the sky… it was so dark I could see the Milky Way and a billion other stars right above me. Worth it just to see the dark sky like that, at higher altitudes.

Travel is mentally healthy, and all that hiking and exploring is helping me get back in shape after my knee surgery last March. I’m not fully recovered yet, my health is not where I’d like it to be. I’m taking daily action to change that.

My next trip is to see Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico… by then I’ll be a bit thinner, a bit healthier, etc.

One thing I realized while hiking at almost 12,000 feet? I’d like to be in better cardio shape, and maybe 20 pounds lighter! After I got back I downloaded the Noom app and bought a new Fitbit.

Doing 10,000 steps each day NOW will get me in better shape for my New Mexico trip!

I was totally solo on this trip, and I’ve never really done that before. During the trip I was uploading some of these pics to a family group text, so I was sharing my experience with my family…

This year has not been easy for me, there were moments when I was in pain, moments when I prayed, and cried, and felt down. I needed this trip. It was a great reset.

I’m glad I went to see the Grand Canyon, and I’m ready to move forward to a new chapter in my life that is healthy, with travel, and new horizons, maybe even new relationships!

Ben Alexander

September 17th 2021