The Phoenix Traveler

I turned in my photos today to my publisher for my upcoming travel guide book. With your help, I chose for my tenth photo suggestion the Prescott trail shot. It was taken at Lynx Lake. I wrote about it earlier in the year.
If you went up there today, you’d have to dress warmly. It’s cold enough, in fact, that one news report I read mentioned the city may get snow in time for Christmas.
Can you imagine this trail lined with snow? Wouldn’t that make an even better cover shot?
(Photo used with permission by Jackie Dishner.)
 
Technorati Tags: Prescott,travel,Arizona weekend,Lynx Lake,guide book …read more

Comments Off

I’ve been sorting through hundreds of photos that I took while traveling throughout Arizona to research my book. I now have to pick 10 to send to my publisher for cover photo ideas. I’m mentally fatigued and could use your help in deciding which photo to recommend as the final pick. I have nine already in a file.
Of the three photos I’ve copied below, which would you think represents an Arizona backroads guidebook? Keep in mind that I’m writing about places you won’t see in Arizona, unless you get on some back roads to get there.
If you’ll help me pick …read more

14 Comments

Day trips, weekend getaways, best places to visit. That’s what Arizona-based author and freelance writer wrote about in her first book published this year by Countryman Press. Called Great Escapes Arizona, Bitler’s book is available at local bookstores and online.
I wanted to talk to Bitler about her travels during the research of her book, because if there was ever a time to think about escape, it’s now. I met up with Bitler at a recent art fair, where I purchased her book, and she agreed to e-mail me with a few suggestions on where you might want to take …read more

1 Comment

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

Comments Off

If you’ve never read any of Michael Engelhard’s essays, vignettes in his books, or even his anthologies, you’ve been missing a lesson in how to observe the natural environment like a poet, particularly as it relates to the American West.
This river runner, rock climber and wilderness guide, who came to America from Germany to study cultural anthropology in Fairbanks, Alaska, has been writing about his adventures long enough to attract the attention of editors at internationally-known magazines, including Outside, Utne Reader, Backpacker, and of course Arizona Highways.
I was happy to discover that, like me, this author of several non-fiction books …read more

Comments Off

Who knew tequila, bourbon and rum could ring in the holiday cheer. They will if you mix them with ingredients such as Eggnog, chocolate and hot apple cider, as does the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale at Troon North, 10600 E. Crescent Moon Dr. (Map it.)
Between now and January 1, 2009, get your “Seasons” Greetings by the glassful with these three holiday cocktail specials. At $16 each, they’re sure to warm you up as the weather cools down.
For those of you who won’t be in town or get to the resort in time, here are the recipes to try …read more

Comments Off

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

3 Comments

A fellow blogger here at b5media recently posted at Traveling the Green Way a how-to on greening your Christmas travels. She shared tips she learned at Responsible Travel. I thought I’d localize her post and let you know how you can follow those tips in Phoenix:
1)  Buy local. The blog post referred to produce, but you can extend that further to buy local produce as well as purchase gifts, services and other products sold right here in the Valley of the Sun by small business owners who live here. Look for the red symbol you see pictured above, or find …read more

Comments Off

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

Comments Off

It’s all lit up in Prescott for the holidays. The Yavapai County Courthouse (pictured above), Whiskey Row behind it, the gift shops, boutiques and restaurants downtown–they all take part in the holiday festivities that have helped turn this former territorial town into Arizona’s official “Christmas City.”
With a heritage dating back to Victorian times and earlier, they know how to do Christmas here. Phoenicians drive the 90 miles north to see what’s been billed as the world’s largest Gingerbread Village. This year, more than 100 gingerbread structures decorate the lobby of the Prescott Resort now through December 28. The resort is …read more

Comments Off