Thank you Arizona for a great ride! Thank you to everyone who was a part of this desert adventure. It wouldn’t have been the same without you. Everybody else, don’t let the heat, the dry desert or the politics keep you away from the Grand Canyon State. The Sonoran Desert is absolutely beautiful, and there are stories here that can’t be told in other places without the experience.
Over the past three and a half years, I’ve experienced many amazing things throughout the majestic Southwest. Here are my 10 best Arizona adventures:
Grand Canyon
Last fall I took a few days to explore the Grand Canyon. I could have spent many more. Someday, I’ll return to that glorious abyss and have some more adventures. Until then the pictures I took in October will be my reminder of unparalleled beauty and grandeur.
San Xavier
The Spanish settled in southern Arizona a few hundred years before America expanded west. As with many of their colonizing escapades, it began with missionaries who built missions. San Xavier del Bac built south of modern-day Tucson is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen of the old U.S. Spanish missions. It is a spectacular example of baroque architecture that is still used for a faith community by the descendants of those who built it.
Taking Time to Enjoy Arizona Sunsets
More than any other place I’ve ever lived, the Phoenix area has the most spectacular sunsets. It could be any time of year when you can go out at dusk and see the sky fill with myriad of rich colors.
Working at a National Historic Landmark
Nearly every day for the last year and a half, I’ve had the privilege of spending time at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. I highly recommend visiting this National Historic Landmark, which was nominated in Jan. with nine other Wright-designed properties for the UNESCO World Heritage list. Schedule your tour today. Sharing that special place and its story was always exciting. And, as an insider, I was able to visit other Wright-designed structures with special access, which leads me to the next thing.
Visiting the David and Gladys Wright House
I first visited this modern architectural masterpiece when it was threatened with demolition more than three years ago. They had an open house, and I made a visit. Since then I’ve been multiple times. I’ve watched the amazing work that’s being done to preserve the unique structure and have gotten to know the people doing that important work. Schedule your private tour and keep up with the work at www.davidwrighthouse.org. Here are a few pictures from my most recent visit to the David and Gladys Wright House.
Exploring the Sonoran Desert!
The Sonoran Desert may seem dry and droll when looked at in pictures most of the year, but for a handful of months during winter and spring the desert is one of the most spectacular places to explore with cacti and trees all blooming in sequence in a variety of colors. In addition to house tours, I had the awesome job of taking people into the desert to show off this beauty and why Wright was drawn to it.
Hypothesizing about the Ancient Civilizations
Scattered throughout Arizona are various archaeological treasures from long-forgotten cultures including vast civilizations that peopled the rugged desert. Over the last three years, I’ve been to ten of these special places to get a glimpse into the ancients. Unfortunately, we only have theories of what happened to them and what their cultures are like based on current tribal cultures and oral history from those current indigenous groups.
- Montezuma’s Castle National Monument
- Montezuma’s Well
- Tuzigoot National Monument
- Tonto National Monument
- Casa Grande National Monument
- Pueblo Grande
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Wupatki National Monument
- Grand Canyon National Park (Tusuyan Ruins)
- Walnut Canyon National Monument
The Three Temples in the Valley
My time in Arizona happened to coincide with two special experiences for me as a Mormon—the dedication of two new temples. The Mesa Temple has been in the Valley for nearly 90 years. It is a beautiful and simple classical architecture. The Gilbert and Phoenix temples were dedicated in 2014. I was able to participate in both dedications and have been to both since to serve.
Tonto Natural Bridge
This hidden natural wonder was inspirational to me. As I sat beneath the massive natural limestone bridge, the muses took hold of me. Someday I’ll share what I wrote there, but for now it will remain with me. The formation is an oasis, and definitely worthy of a visit.
Apache Trail
A stretch of dirt road that offers a wide array of spectacular scenery Teddy Roosevelt once compared to some of the greatest preserved natural sites we have in the country like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite. I took this scenic drive on my first New Year’s Day in Arizona. What a great way to start the year!
If you have been to the Grand Canyon State, what are your favorite Arizona adventures?
It has been a grand Arizona adventure! I’m sharing these 10 adventures I as prepare to leave the state. There were a few more had over this last weekend, and some that will happen on the way to Utah that I will write about soon.
