Here's what we were waiting for the past year - time in the canyons!  We spent about a week here and really enjoyed getting a chance to hike on the red rocks - a completely different experience than the Adirondacks (which we still love!).  We met wonderful people along the way and had the opportunity to stay at some great places relatively inexpensively thanks to our Lonely Planet guide and some Internet deals.  Links to some of the lodging are provided in case you feel like making a note for your own journey some day.