Trip between Pheonix and Denver - suggestions.

So, I've got two weeks vacation to use up this year, and my wife and I would like to leave the east coast for a while. We have family in the suburbs of Pheonix and we'll be starting there. We'd also like to visit Colorado a bit too as we'd eventually like to move out there and most of the adventure part of the trip will there, thus posting in this part of the forum. My wife doesn't climb much, but loves the outdoors and will follow me up easier grades - maybe up to the 5.7/5.8 range without getting too upset. She always enjoys the hiking (approaches), camping, and being at the top more than the climbing.

I'm thinking we'll be flying in to Pheonix, around there for a few days, then rent a car and work our way towards denver with stops in Flagstaff, Durango, Shelf Road, and Boulder and anywhere along the way worth seeing.

If you had a week or so to spend exploring between Pheonix and Denver, where would you go and what would be on your adgenda. Remember it's not so much a climbing trip but a trip with some easy climbing. We'll probably car-camp and occasionally stay at a hotel. Hoping to do this sometime in september.

Hit up 11 Mile Canyon after Shelf Road, sounds exactly like what you are wanting.

Thanks for the input - another question... If I had to hold off and couldn't do this trip till November... what would the conditions be like... anywhere that would usually be particularly good or should be avoided that time of year?

Isolation canyon between Phoenix and flag is amazing and weather should be pretty nice then if no snow...