Trip to Arizona

sarahwilk24
Apr 9
10 min read

Updated: Jul 27

Time Traveling on American Airlines

711 pieces | HOGO KIDS: HG1003

Assembled by Andrew Deese, Rachel Deese; February 2025

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

April 9 & April 16, 2025

On the couple's first flight together to Arizona for Sarah's brother's wedding, Sarah sat directly behind Hunter, both in dreaded middle seats. On their layover in Charlotte, they learned three important things: 1) That airport has a Wendy's, meaning Sarah could eat food (a baked potato, nothing on it) that day, other than the pancakes Hunter had made for her the night before. 2) That airport has an atrium with living trees planted in a long row near the moving walkways (which Hunter loves because he can make "swooshing" sound effects while walking on them like he's flying or something). 3) That airport has a LEGO store, which they only discovered as their layover was ending and they saw some kids holding the iconic little LEGO bags. The flight to Phoenix was pretty smooth, and the flight back to Charlotte from Phoenix was easy-going as well, except for having to get up at 3:30 am MST (which forced them back on EST brutally). The time changes messed with them the whole week. It felt like a form of time travel! The final flight from Charlotte to Richmond was delayed after passengers had already boarded the plane (in the last row) because an issue was found with the plane. The delay threatened to stretch long enough that they had to get off. Sarah had the brilliant idea to find the LEGO store, which didn't look too far away on an airport map. As it turned out, there wasn't anything seriously wrong with the plane, so boarding recommenced almost as soon as everyone was off the plane. On their way to the LEGO store, the couple realized that it wasn't nearly as close as the map had suggested, so they had to give up their quest to make it back to board the plane in time.

Goldfield Ghost Town

2,026 pieces | Funwhole: F9021

Assembled by Vanessa Reyes, July 2025

Interaction Rating: 3 / 5 (interaction with the set is okay, but only with help from an adult)

April 10, 2025

While Sarah's brother, Seth, and future sister-in-law, Mel, were prepping for their wedding, the couple went to the Goldfield Ghost Town, a reconstructed 1890s town centered around a gold mine in Apache Junction, AZ. There was a general store, an apothecary, a jail, a hat shop, an old church, gold mine tours, a "mystery shack" (like in Gravity Falls!), and a saloon. They visited with Sarah's mom (Bonnie), sister, and uncle. The temperature that day cleared 100 degrees (in April!). They tried to stick to the shade that was available and duck into as many stores as they could. When it was time for lunch, they went to the saloon and took a seat near the stage where Bobby Joe Bell was performing. If you've never heard of him...good for you. It was a little grueling to have him singing country covers in the background, his hair blowing back in the wind from the fan; unlike a recording, they had to remember to clap for him (even after the high notes that made the sound system shudder). Bonnie is usually a person of generous spirit, and even she called his performance at 3 pm on a Thursday "a little soulless." They were visiting a ghost town, after all, so maybe it was exactly what they were going for. It was only after they left that they learned there are usually theatrical shoot-outs throughout the day, but apparently the actors decided 100 degrees in April was a hell-no. Afterward, they caught dinner with Seth and Mel at Firebird's, a restaurant where Sarah can also eat.

Old Town Scottsdale

554 pieces | Brickcraft: 15906

Assembled by Mike Alfare, June 2025

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

April 11, 2025

Hunter, Sarah, Bonnie, Emma (Sarah's sister), and Roger (her uncle) spent the early afternoon braving another 100-degree day to explore Old Town Scottsdale, with no particular destination in mind. They browsed a few shops, and Hunter got some strawberry tea at a local shop (hot, not iced, even in the relentless heat). They found the horse fountain, which is a landmark of the area. It was cool! The city was in the midst of planting in front of it, so it was surrounded by dirt, but still quite cool. The group had lunch at a Polynesian restaurant (although there was nothing on the menu for Sarah) before taking a siesta. They went over to Mel's family's house as the sun was beginning to set for the rehearsal dinner. Sarah saw many people from her high school days in Frankton that she hadn't seen in a decade, but who had all moved out West and were now part of her brother's wedding party. Introducing them to Hunter was fun, and they spent the evening mingling and watching the wedding party practice for the ceremony the following day.

A Desert Wedding

574 pieces | Brickcraft: F15901

Assembled by Bonnie Draga, May 2025

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

April 12, 2025

Seth and Mel's wedding was out in the Sonoran Desert on what turned out to be a scorching day. The afternoon ceremony was moved up to the morning in an attempt to beat the heat. It was a small ceremony with only close friends and family. The Superstitious Mountains rose in the background as Bonnie walked Seth down the aisle in her neon-cactus Jane Fonda dress. All the groomsmen and the groom wore full cowboy attire, complete with bolo ties, boots, and hats. (Hunter also wore a buffalo bolo tie that he'd snagged at the Boot Barn in an attempt to be more on-theme.) Mel walked down the aisle in a gorgeous white lace dress accompanied by her father. The officiant was a childhood friend whom Sarah and Seth had gone to school with. After the heartfelt ceremony, families of the bride and groom posed for photographs before breaking for a siesta. The evening reception was held in Mel's family's backyard. Seth, who is very musical, curated the playlist in place of a DJ. Dinner was tacos from a local restaurant. There were speeches from Mel's dad, Seth, and Sarah's mom, as well as the maid of honor and the best man (who was already quite drunk but managed to hold it together). The mother-son dance was first to Rod Stewart's "Forever Young" and then the father-daughter dance. The couple's first dance together was elevated by the family's tradition of maracas, which were scattered about the audience. Any time the crowd shook the maracas, Seth and Mel had to kiss to ward off bad luck. There was a lot of maraca shaking that night! There were cocktails, cake, and dancing by the pool. They left at 1 am EST, but well before the reception ended and the bride, groom, and groomsmen jumped in the pool (in their wedding outfits!) at 5:30 am EST. Before they left, Sarah spotted a steer skull on one of the big planters decorating the reception, so that was the set the couple chose to represent the wedding day (ignore the Yellowstone reference).

Making Friends at Saguaro Lake

318 pieces | The Mini Block: 92122

Assembled by Mike Alfare, June 2025

Interaction Rating: 2 / 5 (interaction with the set is discouraged unless an experienced builder is helping)

April 13, 2025

After sleeping in a bit, Sarah, Hunter, Bonnie, Emma, and Roger all crammed like sardines into the not-quite-bit-enough rental SUV to drive to Saguaro Lake, which is not actually a lake, but part of the Salt River. One doesn't usually think about large bodies of water in the desert, but they found one that day. While waiting to catch the next boat tour of the lake, they picnicked under the shade of a Palo Verde tree along some big rocks near the lake's shore. Hunter and Sarah watched a grackle with iridescent, almost-purple wings bathe in the water, and Hunter made friends with a rock-colored lizard sunning on a rock. They popped into a gift shop on a houseboat, where they found the collared lizard brick set, until it was time for their boat tour.

The Desert Belle

*Replica of LEGO 21317: "Steamboat Willie"*

841 pieces | Unbranded: 21317

Assembled by Sarah Wilkinson, April 2025

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

April 13, 2025

They boarded the Desert Belle and took seats on the open-air second story of the houseboat. The gentle breeze made the upper-90-degree day quite nice. Lining both sides of Saguaro Lake, tall mountains rise, covered in desert scrub and lichen. In the most unexpected crevices of the cliff-faces, mighty Saguaro cacti grow, their stalks rising to greet the sun. Some parts of the mountains had more Saguaros than others, as the cacti tend to do better on hillsides where they get as much sunlight as possible (keeping them from freezing to death during the coldest desert nights). The Saguaros are unique to the Sonoran Desert, and Saguaro Lake is only about 20 miles south of the northernmost border of the Sonoran Desert. They didn't see any eagles, wild horses, or big-horn sheep on the tour, but they did see people enjoying the lake—jet skiing, tubing, skiing, cliff jumping, beaching, swimming, etc. Hunter enjoyed popcorn, which kept flying out of his fingers in the wind (meaning the grackles enjoyed plenty too), and a margarita on the 80-minute tour. The juxtaposition between the vast amount of water and the desert vegetation clinging to the cliffsides was incredible to see.

Saguaro National Park

753 pieces | The Mini Block: 92430

Assembled by Mike Alfare, March 2025

Interaction Rating: 2 / 5 (interaction with the set is discouraged unless an experienced builder is helping)

April 14, 2025

Seth and Mel, the newlyweds, had to split up for the day to spend time with their respective families. They all piled back into the clown-car-sized rental SUV and drove south to Tucson to visit Saguaro National Park (after stopping for lunch at In & Out, Hunter's first time experiencing the western delicacy). When the landscape of the Sonoran Desert is foreign to you, it's hard to grow tired of seeing rolling hillsides dotted by Saguaros of all sizes in every direction. It was another hot day, so they did a driving loop through the park instead of hiking. Some of the cacti were beginning to bloom, putting up little green shoots at the tips of their arms that looked like Shrek's ears. Those shoots open up to reveal beautiful white flowers that attract a wide range of wildlife to aid in pollination. When they spotted the granddaddy of all Saguaros, they pulled over and got out to explore, taking a picture in front of it. Saguaros live on a different timeline than humans do. They only grow a few inches in their first ten years, and it can take 60-75 years for arms to begin growing. They don't start to produce flowers until they're 35 years old. They can live for over 200 years. While exploring the park, they saw some cacti that appeared to have been scorched in a fire of some kind. They saw some dead and dying cacti and were able to explore the bark-like structure inside the Saguaro that helps make them so sturdy and able to bear the weight of their heavy arms (Saguaro cacti weigh up to 4,800 pounds when fully grown!).

Roadrunners and Wild Turkeys

291 pieces | The Mini Block: 47368

Assembled by Mike Alfare, February 2025

Interaction Rating: 2 / 5 (interaction with the set is discouraged unless an experienced builder is helping)

April 14, 2025

As they were approaching the end of the loop in Saguaro National Park, they spotted a roadrunner. It was, most appropriately, running on the side of the road, staying in view long enough for everyone to see before diving into some scrub. Next, they headed up Mount Lemmon, the tallest mountain in the Santa Catalina range. As they ascended 9,000 feet, the scenic vistas grew increasingly incredible (think the Blue Ridge Parkway, but without tall trees blocking your view) and the vegetation began to shift. The Saguaros gave way to ponderosa pines. The temperatures dropped from 100 to 60. Near the top, they got out and scrambled on some rocks, taking photos of the breathtaking scenery. Sarah had to borrow Hunter's shirt right off his body, as her spaghetti straps weren't nearly enough to help buffer the sudden change in temperature. Further up the mountain, they saw a flock of wild turkeys, the male preening with his feathers on full display. They arrived in a little town after most shops had closed, but the general store was still open. The gang bought several pounds of fresh fudge, which they munched on as they descended the mountain as the sun set behind the mountains.

Sedona and the Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive

291 pieces | Funwhole: 47368

Assembled by Vanessa Reyes, March 2025

Interaction Rating: 4 / 5 (interaction with the set is encouraged, but use extra care)

On their last day in Arizona, the couple traveled with Bonnie, Emma, Seth, and Mel (in two different cars, thankfully) to Sedona, this time heading north through the Tonto National Forest. Sedona is known for its deep red sandstone canyons, a different color from much of the rock in the state. The goal was to hike through early afternoon, but due to a mix-up with Apple Maps and trouble finding parking, most of the hiking they did was along a roadside and not on actual trails. The canyons are beautiful from any vantage point, fortunately. They did take a cut-through that led through part of a canyon, discovering an agave plant with needles sharp and strong enough to do severe damage if you accidentally fell in one. It was interesting to be surrounded by so many things that could harm them if they took one wrong step. They headed to Main Street in Sedona and browsed a variety of shops before it was time to take the Oak Creek Canyon scenic drive to Flagstaff (apparently one of the most scenic drives in the country). In Flagstaff, they explored the shops downtown before splitting off for dinner. Sarah and Hunter tried to sleep in the car on the way back to Phoenix since they had to be up to go to the airport only a short time later.