My 30 Things to Do Before 30: 12: Arizona and the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction

12: Attend the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, AZ: CHECK I've been watching this on the SPEED Channel ever year since I was 16. It's so awesome to see all those rare and classic cars all in one spot going to the highest bidder. The added bonus of completing this one is the fact my Grandparent's are always in Phoenix/Scottsdale every January when this happens.

I ended up being able to check this off my list by shear luck. My Grandma on my mom's side mentioned on Thanksgiving of 2012 that she had a Free Ticket on Southwest that she wasn't going to use. She had said it expired on January 22 and she didn't want it to be wasted. I immediately thought it would be a great chance to get out to Phoenix though I wanted the rest of the family to have a chance at it since I really didn't need to make the impromptu trip out. When I found out that no one else in the family wanted it I jumped at the chance. I had originally thought that it would just be a one-way ticket but when my Grandma and I called to book the flight we found out it was round trip. When all was said and done I was getting to go to Phoenix for just the $5 government fee and my Grandma picked that up for me while putting her closer to earning another free ticket. I then talked to my other Grandparents who would be in Scottsdale, AZ to see if it would be ok if I crashed where they were staying for a few days. When they got the ok from the Billie the condo owner everything was set to cross this off my list...

On January 17th 2012 I flew into Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport. I spent 4 days in the warmth and sunshine of Phoenix/Scottsdale. The first day my Granpa took me to Papago Park where we went to check out Hole in the Rock.

Papago Park

The View from the Hole in the Rock, Papago Park, AZ

The next day My Grandparent's, Billie (Their Friend and my host for the Trip), and I took a day trip to Jerome and Sedona. It was very interesting getting to see the desert landscape. It was also pretty interesting to change elevations so quickly and see when we got above the "tree line" where the cacti quit growing. We did a driving tour of Jerome and then we headed to Sedona. We spent a few hours checking out the touristy stuff in Sedona. I got to drive back through the mountains most of the way back the condo.

On the way to Sedona, AZ

The view from a rest stop between Sedona and Scottsdale

On Thursday, January, 19th My Granpa and I made our way to West World. That's the name of the area they hold the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction. We parked about a mile away from the place and had to ride huge charter buses to get to the Tent City where they hold the Auction. I was amazed at how much space they have and how many cars there were to be seen. We walked for 4 hours straight and saw almost every car there was to see. We caught a little bit of the daytime un-televised part of the Auction. It was crazy to finally get to see this place live. I've been watching this auction on TV since I was 16 and it was cool to finally get to see all that is involved.