Knox the Fox knows people who know people! He found his way on this trip with Chris and Reba Lane, traveling west for some sights and sounds to remember.
Chris and Reba’s end goal for the trip was to see their long-time family friend, Emily Ann Roberts, on tour. Knoxville native Emily Ann is the opening musical act for Blake Shelton’s Honky Tonk Tour which made its way from Hershey, Pennsylvania, to Wichita, Kansas, this spring with 17 performances. The Lanes caught up to the tour in Glendale, Arizona, at the Desert Diamond Arena on March 23, 2024.
Reba described the event as an incredible experience to be able to see Emily Ann perform in the venue, plus to see Blake perform with wife Gwen and then to go behind the scenes of Emily Ann’s show while she was on tour. Goal achieved.
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- Emily Ann Roberts
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- Emily Ann Roberts
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- Gwen Stefani with Blake Shelton
After experiencing the excitement of the concert, the two planned a sightseeing trip through the area, expecting to visit the Grand Canyon. Reba describes the two driving along Interstate 17 (I am sure Knox was hiding somewhere), minding their own business, looking at the beautiful scenery while on their way to the Grand Canyon. They ascended into the mountainous area of Coconino National Forest. Covering more than 1.8 million acres, the forest stretches from the Verde River near Sedona at its southern border to Sunset National Monument, north of Flagstaff.
It was at 6,000 feet, near the Montezuma National Monument when they ran into snow! Lots of snow and snow plows on both sides of the road. Plans changed quickly, and they headed back down the mountain to Glendale, nixing the trip to the Grand Canyon. At least they saw plenty of cactus fields on the way up the mountain and back down before they hit the fields of unexpected snow.
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- Cactus fields
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- Clear mountain scenery
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- Snow covered fields surprise the travelers
Ever the resilient couple (trio), however, they headed out the next day to the Phoenix area to see friend Teresa Craig, who took them to the famous Mel’s Diner. Mel’s Diner is the setting for the television series Alice that ran from 1976-1985. It now serves locals and truckers but, on that day, it served Chris, Reba, Teresa and Knox with its couple of counters, two large booths and a couple of tables.
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- Knox the Fox at Mel’s Diner
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- Teresa Craig with Chris Lane at Mel’s Diner
Keep up with Knox who is traveling this week to Texas for the eclipse! Hope he is using 3D glasses!
Knox the Fox loves to share your trips so share yours with susan@knoxtntoday.com.