We are worst at getting up in the morning. We end up hitting the snooze button probably five times before finally bracing ourselves for the chilly air and starting the day. On the day we took this road trip we almost decided to stay home and go to Ikea... let's just say that we almost made the crazy mistake of staying home. We left around 11 in the morning and drove up north. We decided to go to the Painted Desert famous for it's rich colors and for the drive. About 3 1/2 hours away from Phoenix, it is one of the most beautiful drives up north as it cuts through the Tonto and Coconino National Forests, going through the little quaint towns of Payson, Strawberry, and Winslow, Arizona. 

The landscape and scenery of Arizona amaze us. About an hour north of Phoenix you ascend to the Mogollon Rim which is known as the cool high country of Arizona where you're surrounded by towering Ponderosa Pines and experience a 20º drop in temperature. Quite a paradise when you escape the 110º summers in Phoenix. As you go further north and descend the Rim, the landscape goes from a forest to vast, open grassland where you can spot wild horses. 

We were pretty darn lucky that day with the weather. Uncharacteristic of Arizona, it was raining all day on our drive. It was gloomy and a bit chilly. When we arrived at the Painted desert, the cloud coverage did not lend to taking great pictures. We took in the sights but the photos were not looking too great. Dan snapped this picture a few minutes before we got in the car and decided that we should leave and come back another day.

Just as we got in the car, we realized it was only 15 minutes before the glorious golden hour. Dan exclaimed "WAIT!" The moment he said that the cloud coverage cleared away and this happened...

Thank goodness we had our late start after all!  We would've left earlier and missed out on this beauteousness!