My family doesn't usually go places on fall break because we don't usually get a fall break. So this year when we had a week off my mom decided to show us where she grew up. We flew from Cincinnati to Las Vegas and then started making our way to Arizona. On the first day we stopped at lake Mead and rented a boat, we stayed on the water for two hours enjoying the sun and looking at the Hoover Dam. The weather there was so nice and the water was so beautiful we could have stayed there for hours. The next day we were at the Grand Canyon, we walked around looking at the beautiful rock formations and colors. The canyon was so deep I could barely believe my eyes. As my mom and I were walking along the paths I ran into a friend unexpectedly. Sarah goes to my school and I didn't even know she would be in Arizona, but we saw each other! That evening we drove to meet up with family that we hadn't seen in a long time. We had dinner with them and the next day we all headed out to horseshoe bend. The view there was spectacular, there were no railings so ou just walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked out over the winding river. We climbed and explored for what felt like hours before it was time to say our goodbyes and part ways. We then went to Sunset Crater Volcano National Park, we walked through the lava flow fields with all of the dried lava, all of the rock formations were pretty and unique to all of the red rock we had been seeing. While we were at the national park Matisse, my brother, did some research and became a Junior Ranger. He had to say an oath swearing to protect the national park and then he was given a shiny golden badge. After walking the lava fields we drove a bit to see some old Indian ruins in the same park. I was amazed by how well the walls had stayed together and how small the doorways were. The next day we shopped around a little in the morning and then made our way to Kaibab National Forest to ride the ski lift. It took about 25-30 minutes, but the view from the top was so worth it. I felt like I could see on forever. The ride down was cold but just as beautiful, all we could think about though was the food we would eat at the bottom. After lunch and some hot chili, we started driving to Sedona. About 10 miles out of town there was an amazing hike that we had planned, but since we got there later than expected we could only do about half of it. We drove into town and cruised through it looking at all of the shops, galleries, and homes. One of my favorite parts was that all of the homes and businesses were required to blend in with the beautiful red rocks so everything was red and rustic looking. Some of the homes you could barely even tell they were there. The next day we finished did the whole hike and then went back into Sedona to go shopping. Our next stop was another national park where Matisse received another Junior Ranger badge. There we took a short, but very hot and dry, hike to look at Cathedral Rock. After that we went to visit some more old Indian ruins which amazed me yet again. They were built up together in a perfect little community. Then we left for Las Vegas, we met up with friends we hadn't seen in a while and walked the strip. In the morning we all went to the pool and relaxed in the sun, then we went to the Mandalay Bay Aquarium downstairs. When we were all ready we went to get our cabs to go to Freemont St. but we took a limo instead. With the music up and the colorful lights on it was a spectacular ride. On Freemont St. we saw all kinds of people doing magic, taking pictures, giving concerts. We walked up and down the street and then stayed for the light show and called it a night. On the limo ride back my 5-year-old brother stuck his head out the window and started yodeling. He then moved on to shouting "I love Las Vegas!" to all the stranger he could see and the reactions he got were priceless. When we got back to the hotel my friend and I ordered room service for my brother and ourselves while the parents went out to dinner. The next morning we were on our plane back home. I must say that this fall break we very memorable and fun in so many ways.