Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for arizona
Where Senita and Organ Pipe Grow
By Linda Tancs
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. national monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona that shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. Organ pipe cactus is named for its tall, cylindrical stems that grow in clusters, resembling the pipes of a church organ. Senita cactus is sometimes confused with organ pipe and is also found in certain places within the national monument. The park is the only place in the United States where senita and organ pipe cactus grow wild. Come for a wilderness hike, a scenic drive or a night of camping.
Share this:
A Man-Made Wonder of the West
By Linda Tancs
A man-made reservoir covering an impressive 186 miles in length and nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline (longer than the west coast of the U.S.), Lake Powell is a popular vacation destination for boating, waterskiing, fishing, camping, hiking and exploring the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Located on the Colorado River and straddling the border between Utah and Arizona, it features the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, once the highest arch bridge in the world. It also boasts 96 major canyons, some of which are up to 20 miles long. Antelope Canyon is reportedly the most photographed. Other popular canyons include Gunsight Canyon and Navajo Canyon, which offers views of Navajo Tapestries, the multi-colored streaks of iron oxide and manganese residue that have “draped” down the sides of the canyon wall.
Share this:
A Volcanic Neck in the Desert
By Linda Tancs
Agathla Peak is a peak south of Monument Valley, Arizona, which rises over 1,500 feet above the surrounding mesa. Visible from U.S. Route 163 in Navajo Nation, it’s a remnant of an ancient volcanic structure emplaced during the Oligocene about 25 million years ago. Also known as El Capitan, it’s considered sacred by the Navajo, who named it Agathlan (meaning “piles of wool”) after an ancient legend. Climbing hasn’t been allowed for decades, but you can take some spectacular photos.
Share this:
A Geologic Wonder in Arizona
By Linda Tancs
A media darling, the geologic wonder known as Horseshoe Bend is a landmark feature of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It’s where the Colorado River created a horseshoe-shaped bend in Glen Canyon roughly 1,000 feet deep. The hike to the overlook is less than 2 miles round-trip over a hardened path; parking for the trailhead is in Page, Arizona.
Share this:
The Wickedest Town in the West
By Linda Tancs
Jerome, Arizona, is a former mountain mining community. Located near the top of Cleopatra Hill between Prescott and Flagstaff, its rich copper ore deposits attracted miners, merchants, madams and more, earning it the nickname “The Wickedest Town in the West.” You can learn more about the town’s colorful history at Jerome State Historic Park. It features the Douglas Mansion (one of the grandest residences in the state), built by mining mogul James Douglas. Today, the house is a museum devoted to the Douglas family history and the history of Jerome.
Share this:
A Desert Laboratory in Arizona
By Linda Tancs
Widely considered to be the greatest American architect of all time, Frank Lloyd Wright designed his winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains. His intention was that the home be “of the hill” rather than on it. That’s the meaning behind the locale’s unusual name, Taliesin. It’s a Welsh name meaning “shining brow.” Known as Taliesin West (to distinguish it from his home in Wisconsin known as Taliesin), the National Historic Landmark is built below the hillcrest, on its brow rather than its crown, prompting Wright to call it “a look over the rim of the world.” The property is open to the public with a variety of walking tours where you’ll experience this unique complex terraced into the landscape.
Share this:
The Hall of Flame
By Linda Tancs
Home to the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes, the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting in Phoenix, Arizona, is dedicated to the historical preservation of firefighting equipment used through the years around the world. The museum’s artifacts were originally the private collection of George F. Getz Jr., who opened the original Hall of Flame in Wisconsin in 1961. Today’s collection includes fire alarm systems, extinguishers, helmets, firemarks (tin decals used in advertising) and a variety of hand, horse-drawn and motorized apparatus. The museum is conveniently located near the borders of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe and within walking distance from the light rail station at Priest Dr. / Washington Street.
Share this:
The World’s Sunniest City
By Linda Tancs
Sun worshippers, take note. The sun is mostly always shining in Yuma, Arizona. In fact, the locale has been designated the World’s Sunniest City by Guinness World Records! To put that in perspective, the annual average of the possible hours of sunshine is 91 percent (a mean of 4,055 hours out of 4,456 possible hours in a year). Thankfully, there’s much to do to take advantage of that. The area boasts nearly a dozen golf courses, for starters. Or maybe you’d like to off-road on the dunes or spot desert critters at one of the three national wildlife refuges. And then there’s the Colorado River and lakes, which offer tubing, canoeing and boating opportunities. About 15 miles south of Yuma is another bit of terrain worth exploring although it requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Known as the Valley of the Names, it’s a remote desert in California (Yuma being the nearest city) comprising 1,200 acres of land filled with signatures, dates, messages and drawings made from rocks. Legend has it that the practice started during World War II, when soldiers stationed in the area for desert warfare training wanted to leave a memento for loved ones. If you go, stay on the trails, and don’t be tempted to add your own messages or take any rocks from the site.
Share this:
A Wonder in Navajo Nation
By Linda Tancs
Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly National Monument was authorized in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover to preserve important archaeological resources that span more than 4,000 years of indigenous occupation, longer than anyone has lived uninterrupted anywhere on the Colorado Plateau. The monument encompasses approximately 84,000 acres of land located entirely on the Navajo Nation with roughly 40 families residing within the park boundaries. It’s prized for its colorful sheer cliffs, sporting scenery like ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings (called the White House ruins due to a white band across the nearby cliffs) and the 800-foot sandstone spire known as Spider Rock. One of the best ways to experience these and other features is to drive along the north and south rims along the canyons, each offering several overlook points. Also, a wide range of free ranger-led programs are available between May and September, including talks and guided hikes into the canyons.
Share this:
Red Rocks and a Railroad
By Linda Tancs
Arizona is defined by canyons presenting unforgettable views. One of those treasures is Verde Canyon, where a distinctive confluence of high desert and wetland provides enviable wildlife viewing opportunities. You can do that on a four-hour return train ride aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad between Clarkdale and the historic ranch town of Perkinsville. Using 20 miles of heritage track built in 1912 to serve the copper mines out of Jerome, the well-appointed vintage train cars journey through a red rock canyon that follows the curves of the Verde River, offering spectacular views of unusual geology, abundant wildlife, lush greenery and Native American ruins. The climate-controlled cars run year round.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 