The Phoenix Traveler

Come to Phoenix during the holidays and you’ll see a familiar sight: the saguaro cactus lit up with Christmas lights. The above photo of one was taken at sunset at the Four Seasons Resort in north Scottsdale.
You’ll see others like it in front yards of private homes, at shopping centers and malls. I’ve seen them before at the Desert Botanical Garden and also on other resort properties. You’ll see some with more lights, some with less, and some with a Santa hat on top or a cowboy handkerchief tied around the ribs of the cactus.
Since we don’t get enough …read more

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Don’t recognize the sign? It sort of looks like a McDonald’s, you say?
It really IS a McDonald’s franchise restaurant. But this one’s in Sedona, where zoning laws called for the restaurant to agree to construct teal arches, as opposed to its trademark yellow. The sign also sits lower to the ground, so it’s not a public eyesore.
To see this one for yourself, here are the driving directions:
From Phoenix, take I-17 to the SR 179 exit (Exit 298), turn LEFT, take another LEFT onto SR 89A. Before you turn onto 89A, you may see a billboard advertising the unique …read more

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In town visiting relatives, or are they visiting with you? Perhaps you’re wondering what you can do with everyone this holiday vacation. If you’ve already seen the lights and finished your shopping, and you still have two more weeks before you can open presents (Or maybe you’re looking for something to do once the unwrapping’s done.), how about a visit south to see a few of Arizona’s ghost towns?
I’m not talking Bisbee or Tombstone. I’m talking about the real ghost towns, the ones where no one, or practically no one, lives anymore. There was once a brochure called “Arizona Ghost …read more

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How about a break from holiday planning? Would you like to see a little bit of Arizona that requires a trip off-the-beaten path?
This past year, I’ve been working on a travel guide that’s taken me all over Arizona. I’ve shot the typical landscapes you might expect to see in Arizona: saguaros, desert mountain views, red rock cliffs, dry river beds. But I’ve also seen some pretty quirky images, things you won’t see if you don’t hop on a back road or two…most of which aren’t even paved, and are often closed during the winter. Not to worry. You can plan …read more

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In a recent post here at The Phoenix Traveler, one person posted a comment about being “too poor to travel.” Boy, do I understand that, which is why it’s good to know that there’s always budget travel options to consider.
For instance, Now that gas prices have dropped below $2.30/gal., how about a road trip? In less than two hours, you can hop in your car, pick east or west, and wind up in small town Arizona where you’ll be able to see the Western lifestyle up close. No need to reserve a room, take the dog to the kennel, or …read more

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I’m no mycophile (lover of fungi), but next time I hear about the mushroom club scheduling a mushroom hunt, I’m going to invite them into my neighborhood.
I should have taken pictures this past summer, because white mushrooms were growing wild here. I found them grouped together in my yard, sticking out of the cracks and crevices of my neighbor’s brick wall, and growing elsewhere. I don’t know if they were the edible kind; I don’t eat mushrooms and certainly didn’t try them. My dog didn’t even sniff at them. But I couldn’t get them to stop growing. I’d mow …read more

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It’s a pretty common day trip for folks who fly in to Phoenix and want to stay a few extra days. They often decide to go to Sedona to see the red rocks. They want to find a vortex and see what all the fuss is about. Go ahead. Just Google Sedona, and you’ll see what I mean. These photos illustrate a bit of what you’ll see when you get there.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The top two photos were taken while on a yoga hike to the top of Cathedral Rock. The photo on the left is the park at Red Rock Crossing. From …read more

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You may have seen this book, or maybe not. But Sam Lowe, the author of Arizona Curiosities (now in it’s second edition), happens to be a funny guy with a lot of quirky stories to tell, including one about the time he interviewed a couple at a nudist colony in Tonopah. And, yes, they were unclothed. Well…he was, after all, in search of the “bare facts,” as quoted from his book.
Not only is Sam funny, but the guy’s also got guts.
Guess that’s why Marshall Trimble, the state’s official historian, recommended Lowe to the publisher, Globe Pequot, as the guy …read more

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And why is that crown of thorns being lifted onto the roof of the new convention center in downtown Phoenix?
Crazy-sounding questions, I know, to be asking about objects located in a downtown metropolis. But they’re legitimate. That’s what I really was thinking last week when I was walking on Monroe Street to go take a look inside the city’s new Visitors Center. I’m writing a story about that for US Airways magazine and figured I might as well take a detour while I’m there.
It had been a while since I’d seen what I’d dubbed “the alien in Phoenix” when …read more

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You really can cook an egg on the sidewalks of Phoenix in the summer. Elementary schools have been known to test this out, and at least one town in Arizona hosts an egg-frying contest. But we actually do a LOT of sunny-side-up kinds of things here. This video illustrates a few:
~Watching cacti bloom.
~Enjoying outdoor recreation.
~Swimming and other poolside fun.
~Boating and rowing and gondola rides.
~Shopping and dining.
~Watching beautiful sunsets.
 
Wish you were here!

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