All About Arizona - Flagstaff

There are few places in Arizona where you can get all the seasons.  Flagstaff is probably the best one of those places.  Home to Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff is a great little college town and the best all season destination in Arizona.  Phoenicians know it's the best kept secret in Arizona.

We recently visited Flagstaff for its winter amenities.  It has been a bit warm for early January, but that didn't stop us from downhill skiing at 9,000 feet.  Well, at least some of the family did some skiing.  I'm a wimp and couldn't even complete a lesson.  Look at my son striking a cool skier pose after only one lesson:

For most of you who are cursing the snow right now, I'm almost embarrassed to say most of the snow at Snowbowl this week was artificially made.  However, based on the number of foreign tourists, I'm pretty sure Snowbowl is one of the best skiing locations in Arizona.  How many states can boast the warmest winter temperatures and awesome snow activities about 2 hours north of the swimming pools?

We also managed to find a little snow for sledding.  Although they weren't open this trip, there are dedicated cross-country and sledding facilities that we enjoyed a couple of years ago when the weather was more characteristic and the snow was deep.

The best part of Flagstaff is that it is a great year-round destination, especially for Phoenicians.  In the summer this is one of the best places to escape the oppressive heat.  The temperatures in the mountains are usually 80-85 degrees in the dog days of summer.  The smell of pine is in the air and the hiking is amazing.  It's still a "dry heat" in Flagstaff so the humidity is low too.  Most people think Arizona is a great place to live because of the warm desert temperatures in Phoenix, but we know it's because we can experience winter and summer temperatures in the same day, at least in the winter months.

In addition to the weather, Flagstaff is a cool place to visit if you want some authentic Route 66 motels and history.  It's a huge railroad town, so be careful where you stay.  Years ago I made the mistake of staying in a nice hotel in the wrong part of town.  I listened to freight trains going by with whistles blowing every 15 minutes.  Don't worry, there are plenty of other places to stay without the trains outside of your window.

Flagstaff is the place where "we're-not-sure-what-it-is-but-it's-not-a-planet" Pluto was discovered.  You can still visit Lowell Observatory and see the stars and some cool astronomy history.  It was a little cold for us thin blooded desert dwellers, but it was worth the drive up the mountain at night.

The best part of Flagstaff?  It's the location.  Yesterday we came back home to 70 degrees just in time to watch non-stop coverage of the impending blizzard that is looming over most of the country.  (Sorry, I just couldn't help it.)

Stay warm and dry my friends.

cindy

Verde Canyon Railroad

We were in the Verde Valley area of Arizona during Labor Day Weekend.  The Verde Valley is in Central Arizona, south of Sedona and about 90 miles north of Phoenix.  It's a bit overlooked in the shadow of Sedona, so I wasn't sure what we would do over the weekend.  But we found one of the best gems in Arizona - the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale.

The Jewel of the Desert

Last week I attended a legal conference on water law.  The conference was fairly mundane, my third consecutive year of attending this conference.  The one thing I look forward to every year is that the conference is at the Arizona Biltmore, the Jewel of the Desert.

If you have never visited or seen pictures of this world famous five star resort, it is an architectural dream.  It opened in 1929, seven months before the Stock Market crash that began the Great Depression.  It's unmatched character is the heavy influence of Frank Lloyd Wright both then and now.  It is timeless.

The entire structure is made from pre-cast concrete block, made on site and known as "Biltmore Block."  The strong geometric lines were designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.  (Not many people know that Wright had a school of architecture - Taliesin West - in what is now Scottsdale.  He was not a stranger to the desert.)  Everything in the hotel follows these lines, from the mission furniture to the light fixtures down to the carpet.  It's like a step back in time.

Movie stars and politicians could be seen at the Biltmore pool; Marilyn Monroe called it her favorite pool.  My claim to fame is that my niece and nephew have each worked poolside at the Biltmore, my niece fetching towels and my nephew regulating kids going down the slide :-)

Every President since Herbert Hoover (in office when the Biltmore opened) has stayed at the Arizona Biltmore (with the exception of the current President).  There is a cool hallway off the lobby that has a picture of each President at the Biltmore, usually on the golf course.

So many people think Phoenix is a recent oasis that popped out the desert, but it truly does have a history.  A living testament to that history is the Arizona Biltmore.  If you visit Phoenix, or just live in the area and have never seen it, its a jewel in the desert you cannot miss.

A disclaimer - I did NOT receive any compensation, consideration or even recognition from the Arizona Biltmore for writing this post.  (I did use historical pictures from its website, but the current pictures are mine.)  I love history, this is Arizona history, and the opinions expressed here are my own.

cindy

The Critters I See

When we moved to Arizona, the only critter I was concerned about was a rattle snake.  That was 16 years ago.  We live in a suburban area a bit removed from the immediate Phoenix metropolitan area, so we do tend to see more wildlife.  To date, the only rattlesnake I have seen was about 1/2 mile from my home at my church.  I watched a fireman pick it up by the neck and hold it up.  It was 6 feet long.  Since then, the only Diamondbacks I have seen are at the baseball game or in a tank.

I didn’t imagine then what other critters I would frequently see.  Here is the one I see most frequently:

This is a bark scorpion which we find in our home on a semi-regular basis.  They are venomous, and when they sting it hurts – a lot.  It can also make your extremity swell or feel warm and tingly.  I have never been stung, but my daughter was about a year ago and it was a very long night for my husband and I.  We also find these on occasion.  It’s a black widow spider:

Another critter we see every so often are javalinas.  These are pretty unique to Arizona, and they look like wild pigs.  Funny thing is, they aren’t related to pigs at all.  I don’t have my own picture because they tend to herd around at night.  This picture was taken about 3 miles from my home, but he’s pretty typical.  I think they have a schedule of when our trash is picked up because they routinely turn it over the night before pickup.

We do see coyotes sometimes, but mostly we hear them – every night.  Sometimes they make the sound of a woman or child screaming and packs of them love to call out to each other.  It is really something eerie to hear them barking and wailing.

Finally, the most interesting animal we see at least a couple times of year is this one:

NO, NOT THAT ONE, THIS ONE:

This is a bobcat.  The one we see likes to come up from the wash on the side of our house and wander around in our front yard.  A couple weeks ago I parked my car in the driveway in front of our house.  As I walked to my car and came around the corner to get in, I encountered my furry friend about 3 feet away.  They are beautiful animals, and when you see them you immediately think of a big housecat – think 40 pound kitty.  Luckily, they don’t usually want to see us any more than we want to see them (except the time one stood next to our house and looked in the window).    

While many people would think it’s scary to live out here in the desert, I’ve learned to enjoy the unique critters we see just like I love the unique plants and scenery.  How many people can say they see this sight 2 blocks from their home?

cindy

Winter Solstice

That pink glow is a snowstorm about 70 miles away.

I'm so blest.  I get to see this view every day on my way home.  Today I just had to stop near the Pima reservation to snap these.

I know this isn't a traditional winter scene, but I wouldn't trade this for all the snow in the world.  (Plus, we can drive up to that pink area for snow if we want some).

cindy