Honeymoon - Day 1

Our honeymoon began with a direct USAirways flight from PHL to PHX. As expected, we did not take off on time. I can't remember the last time I actually departed as scheduled. This delay wasn't so bad, and we were off the ground about 40 minutes late.

Once in the air, the flight to Phoenix was relatively uneventful. Kate was fascinated by the gentleman next to her on the aisle who consumed six (yes, six!) mini-bottles of Chardonnay and then proceeded to work a bit on his laptop and then nap. He snored, as was to be expected with that much alcohol in his system.

We had originally booked a mid-size car with Alamo. At the desk agent's suggestion, we upgraded from the scrawny four-cylinder power of something like a Nissan Sentra to a powerful Dodge Charger with a gutsy V6 under the hood. It was about $9 per day additional, but it made all the difference in the world climbing the hills of I-40 and I-25. In the end, it still got 24 mpg, which isn't bad for such a powerful engine.

Once we had our wheels in Phoenix, we proceeded to Kate's favorite gourmet restaurant, In-N-Out Burger. Kate and I had become acquainted with In-N-Out on our trip to Los Angeles in January. While most couples on their honeymoon dine in five star restaurants, all Kate wanted was a "double double animal style" for our first official vacation meal.







Our night in Phoenix was spent at The Buttes, a Marriott resort. Built into the side of a butte, the resort features beautiful scenery, two pools, three whirlpools, and an on-site spa. While it was a bit cool outside (high 70s) to take advantage of the pools at night, we did partake in one of the whirlpools. Overlooking the lights of the city of Phoenix from a warm, bubbly whirlpool was a great ending to our first day on the road.