After a fateful year from the COVID-19 pandemic, my parents were able to hop on a plane and visit me. We decided to go on a tour around the Southwestern United States, to uncover the treasures of the Sonoran Desert and the Colorado Plateau. Our first stop was Arizona, home to many ancient Native American civilizations, whose remains have endured through ruins, rock paintings and countless artifacts. Today, these lands are still home to many indigenous tribes, including the Navajo people, federally recognized as the largest indigenous nation and one of the few whose reservation lands still overlap their traditional homelands. Arizona attracts many people for its inherent splendor, from colorful desolate landscapes, breathtaking canyons and rocky formations to the north, to fertile valleys and desertic sceneries containing a variety of unique endemic flora and fauna species to the south, notably, the saguaro and organ pipe cactus. If you ever visit Arizona, you can't miss Sedona, famous for its spiritual vortexes; the Grand Canyon, a breathtaking landscape showcasing millions of years of geological history; Monument Valley, a protected land characterized by a cluster of steep isolated land formations known as buttes; the Horseshoe Bend, a unique incised meander of the Colorado River; and the Antelope Canyon, a narrow canyon that allows light beams to penetrate and illuminate the smooth sandstone walls, creating a magical and surreal display of vibrant colors and patterns.