Easter Weekend in Flagstaff

Jeanette and I went out to visit Joey and Kaylan for Easter this year.  Jeanette and I flew into Phoenix on Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon we met up in Sedona.  We had a great lunch and then went out on a hike to Chicken Point.  It was a windy afternoon but a really beautiful hike.

The four of us

The view down the valley from chicken point

The next morning we woke up early to breakfast sandwichs made by Joey and headed up to the Grand Canyon.  We arrived around 9ish and hit the trail.  We took the Kaibab trail on the South Rim.  This was a trail Jeanette and I had never been on before.  The views were amazing and the weather perfect.  We took the trail all the way to the Tip Off, the last stop before heading down the the river.  We ate lunch here with great views of the Colorado.  That evening we were tired so we had Chinese takeout for dinner and Joe and Kaylan introduced us to one of their favorite shows - Top Gear - a hillarious British Car show. 

Pictures don't do it justice

Heading in to the canyon

Our first view of the Colorado

The 4 of us

The next morning for our "rest" day (8 miles)we hit the Kachina Trail which hikes the base of Humphery and Agasi peaks right outside of town.  This hike was completely different then the day before in the Grand Canyon.  Snow was still on the ground in many places and the area is full of ponderosa pines and aspens.  The hike was beautiful and we had some interesting freezing rain / sleet weather while we hiked.

Joey and Kaylan on the log

Jeanette finding "Lip Log"

Flagstaff Sasquatch

Beautiful Aspens

The 4 of us

Our last day we went back down to Sedona and did a short dayhike up Doe Mountain with really expansive views of the valley.  It was a great way to end the trip.  Afterwards Joey and I hit the mountainbike trails in Sedona for a quick ride while the ladies shopped.  We finished up with dinner and beers at the Oak Creek Canyon Brewery.  We had a great trip visiting with Joey and Kaylan and only wish they lived closer so we could spend more time with them.

Jeanette at the Overlook

The Valley

Me Joey and Kaylan

Philly Union Soccer

On Saturday night we went up to Chester PA, the home of Philly's MLS team the Union.  Mike and Amber organized and we were joined by Amber's sister and brother and Will and Ed.  We tailgated a bit before the game in the parking lot with neat views of the Delaware River and an old electric power plant.   The PPL stadium is quite a beautiful facility, not a bad seat in the house.  The Union played their rivals the NY Red Bulls and ended up winning the game 1 - 0.  It was a really fun time.

Pregame Tailgating

Headed to the stadium with the Commodore Barry Bridge in the background

Game time

The crew 

World Cafe Live - Wilmington

Several years ago now the doors to local live music were opened to Jeanette and I via the World Cafe Live up in Philly.  We came to know of this venue through the University of Pennsylvania's music station WXPN and have come to know and love the artists we get to see here.  Recently a new location has been added to the World Cafe brand in Wilmington DE in the old Queen Theatre.  The project has been a multi-million dollar rennovation and it brings a place to see really great bands closer to home.  On Saturday we attended the first public event at the Queen seeing Ingrid Michaelson with Timm, Rachel, Mike and Amber.  The theatre was really beautiful and while they're still working out some of the bugs in the sound system, it was a fun night and its exciting to have such a great concert venue so close to home now.