Arizona Tour Diary 2008

Saturday, June 21 - Cleveland to Phoenix, AZ
We arrived safely in Phoenix, and eventually we all were reunited at the hotel around midnight - or 3AM Akron time. Due to the storms around Cleveland, the first group's flight was cancelled and the whole group ended up taking the later (slightly delayed flight) to Chicago. Then the first group moved very quickly through the airport to barely catch their connecting flight to Phoenix - the airline held it for us. (The second group's flight to Phoenix didn't involve as much athletic ability). We were astounded by the 100 degree heat even late at night.

Sunday, June 22 - Phoenix, AZ
We arose to a continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn and headed to the First United Methodist Church where we assisted with two worship services - the first a more contemporary one, and the second service more traditional in format. Between services, we enjoyed a brunch of fresh fruit, breads and muffins, ham, and quiche - with plenty of cold drinks. Then back to the Inn for some relaxation before our evening dinner and concert at the American Lutheran Church in Sun City.

Very good singing and nice acoustics combined to make this a very good first full concert that was appreciated by all present. Air conditioning malfunctions forced the the need for several fans and some dimmed lights, but extra concentration overcame this obstacle. A dinner of sandwiches and chips followed and was provided by our Lutheran hosts.

Afterward, it was back to the Comfort Inn for swimming (and a Wal-Mart excursion for some). A great day that leaves us looking forward to the Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Monday, June 23 - Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, AZ
This was a spectacular day!

In the morning, we headed northward to the Grand Canyon and more tolerable temperatures.

Words and pictures just can't fully convey the beauty of this place, as we walked along the South Rim for about a mile, taking in many breathtaking overlooks - and doing some impromptu songs along the way.

After stopping for some dinner, we drove to the Desert View overlook as the sun began to set and cast impressive shadows and colors onto the cliffs.

Afterward, we moved along to Flagstaff, where we're spending the night. Sedona is on the agenda for tomorrow with home stays tomorrow night.

Tuesday, June 24 - Sedona, AZ
After a quick breakfast at the motel, we hit the trail to Sedona. Partway there, we stopped at a scenic overlook above Oak Creek Canyon, taking in views of rock formations, stone cliffs, blooming prickly pear cactus, ravens and Native American jewelry at several stands lining the walkway.

We arrived in Sedona in the late morning and broke into our chaperone groups for lunch and shopping (and shopping, and shopping). Surrounded by picturesque hills and huge interesting sandstone formations we walked around, sang in a few shops and in case it wasn't already mentioned, went shopping.

Afterward, we headed to the Church of the Red Rocks, where we hiked up a switchback path with our luggage, rehearsed, and enjoyed a dinner of croissant sandwiches, chips and veggies provided the church. At 7PM, we gave a concert in a sanctuary where the wall behind the altar is glass with a beautiful view of the formations in the distance highlighted by the setting sun.

Following the concert, the singers were matched with thier host families for the evening. Tomorrow, we'll be reunited and begin the day with a tour of Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Wednesday, June 25 - Montezuma Castle, Tempe, and Phoenix, AZ
Following the return of the singers from their gracious hosts, we began our journey southward. Our first stop was a beautiful formation named Bell Rock, which we enjoyed for a few minutes before continuing on to Montezuma Castle National Monument.

There, we were met by our guide, a member of the Church of the Red Rocks. He passed along lots of interesting information about the Sinagua culture and the 5-story 20 room cliff dwelling called Montezuma Castle. We also toured the ruins of another dwelling that housed around 100 people. (He was treated to a Touring Ensemble performance of Ave Maria as well, since he was unable to attend last night's concert).

Afterward, we made a lunch stop and then continued on to the Comfort Inn - Phoenix, stopping along the way for some pictures among the Saguaro cacti. Back at the hotel, we rested up for our evening concert in Tempe.

On the way to the concert, we enjoyed the Old West decor of the Big Apple Restaurant, and then continued on to the Tempe Performaing Arts Center. This was the real deal - stage, lights, and dressing room. Although the audience was not large in number, those in attendance were appreciative of the excellent performance.

Afterward, it was back to the Comfort Inn for a swim before turning in for the evening.

Thursday, June 26 - Heard Museum and Phoenix, AZ
After a relaxing morning we traveled to the Heard Museum, an impressive exhibition of Native American art. Our tour guides took us through several galleries that highlighted art from the most recent two centuries, ranging geographically from above the Arctic Circle to the Southwestern US. A lot of history was learned during the tour as well.

After lunch, Janet, our very capable bus driver and tour guide conducted a bus tour of Phoenix that included a stop at Arizona's Capitol building, just across the street from a beautiful and moving veterans' memorial. Most of the chaperone groups opted for the cooler Capitol building to view a museum about the USS Arizona, sunk at Pearl Harbor. One group walked through the veterans' memorial park and viewed the actual anchor and signal tower from the USS Arizona, as well as a number of other memorials from various wars. The outside group was shielded from the sun by a huge plume of smoke in the distance from a remote wildfire - the result of a lightning strike in the dry vegetation of a dry riverbed.

A nice dinner was provided by First Methodist Church of Phoenix, followed by our concert there. Then it was off to our second home stay with lots of friendly people from the church.

Friday, June 27 - Tucson, Kartchner Caverns, and Phoenix, AZ
This was definitely a strong finish to a great tour. After returning from our home stays, we hopped on the bus to travel further south to Tucson, where we performed to an appreciative group of senior citizens at the retirement residence of Kate's grandparents (featuring guest conductor Kate). The group circled the dining room to sing, and generated lots of smiles and applause. After a short 'meet and greet,' we had lunch at a local food court before being taken to Kartchner Caverns.

Kartchner Caverns were discovered relatively recently- in 1974. The discoverers kept the location secret until they were sure that the Arizona park system would put the proper safeguards into place to protect the delicate cave formations. Its location was not made public until 1988. We observed several of the protections, including a series of air locks, humidity replacement, and ample warnings not to touch (or even brush up against) anything. The high humidity and 68-70 degree temperatures inside are perfect for bacteria and algae to form, so great efforts are made to keep this from happening.

We learned about soda straws, shields, and cave bacon in addition to stalactites, columns and stalagmites. A few people were even 'kissed' by the cave (via falling drops of water). The tour finished with music and lights in the giant room in front of a 58 foot column named Kubla Khan, inspired by Coleridge's poem. But the story doesn't end there...

After one group sang Ave Maria in the cave, the tour guide was so impressed that he invited to the entire group to sing for the other employees in the Visitor Center. This was basically an audition to see if the Touring Choir might be able to provide the music that would play in the cave for all of the tour groups, as they enjoy Kubla Khan. We sang Ave Maria and Danny Boy, and they were suitably impressed, so we'll see what happens. Jane suggested that it might be pretty cool to have 'someone' compose a piece to the words of Kubla Khan. Anybody know of any composers familiar with the vocal range and capability of the Summit Touring Ensemble?

After our cavern experience, we drove back north to Phoenix, watching the sunset over the desert (and the column of smoke from near Phoenix), said goodbye to Janet and greatly enjoyed some time for a picnic and swimming at the Comfort Inn. The seniors had a choice of staying to swim or taking an outing to the local iHop for dessert, laughter and conversation with the Choir Managers.

Saturday, June 28 - Phoenix, AZ to Cleveland, OH
After breakfast, the singers and adults were shuttled to the airport in three groups, using vans. The airport experience went smoothly (other than some souvenir hot sauce and cactus jelly being confiscated due to their 'greater than 3 ounce' characteristics). We arrived in Chicago early, were delayed for our connection to Cleveland, but were able to reunite with our welcoming (and supportive) families at around 11PM.

This was truly a wonderful tour, made possible by the efforts of many wonderful people. We will have memories that we can carry with us throughout our lives - from our 2008 Wild West Tour!