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| Grand Canyon |
Vacation in Arizona tips:
1.
Visit in the summer. I know it can be extremely hot, but since the peak season is
March- May hotels and resorts are cheapest, sights, stores, restaurants are
much less crowded during the off peak times of June-August.
2.
Arizona is a very cool place. I am not talking the weather, however,
because temps in the summer can be 108 almost every day. I know you’ve heard the cliché that it
is “dry heat”, but heat is heat so be sure to bring a cooler of water wherever
you go.
3.
Sun block is a must because honestly it hardly
ever rains and is sunny every day!
4.
The Phoenix Zoo is small but awesome. You can feed giraffes, get up close and
personal with spider monkeys and see all sorts of animals. Go early in the mornings since in off-season
the zoo is only open from 7:30- 2:00.
The day we went it was Tuesday and it was $10 Tuesdays, which is half
off the regular $20 admission price.
5.
If the heat is becoming a drain, no worries,
simply drive 2 hours towards the mountains and temperatures will drop by 20
degrees! (Believe it or not in the
winter there are parts of Arizona where it snows!) There are lots to see and do
in wonderful little western towns like Williams, Flagstaff, and Prescott
valley.
6.
No visit to Arizona will be complete without
visiting the Grand Canyon. It is a
trek from Phoenix (about 3 ½ hours by car) so stay the night in Flagstaff or
Williams. By the way if you are in
Williams take the Grand Canyon railroad train.
7.
Don’t forget your camera. Even though a photos
do not do justice to the majesty of the Canyon, you will be kicking yourself
all the way home if your forget it in your hotel room (Ha I swear I didn’t make
my hubby turn around)
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| Beautiful Sedona |
8.
Be on the lookout for the California condor
while at the Canyon. This is
rarest bird in the world and the largest in North America. In 1982 there were fewer than 25 left
and facing sure extinction. Now
through captive breeding programs there are over 160. There are 73 wild condors in Arizona. While I was there I spotted and
photographed 3. They all have
numbers on their wings so you can even look up their sex, when they were
hatched and released in the wild.
Many people will never, ever see a California condor even in zoos. At
the Grand Canyon you might just see them in their natural habitat!
9.
If anyone in your party is 62 or older for a
cost of $10 you can purchase a National park pass that will cover you and up to
three people in your party at any National park, in any state in the country
for life!! Yes I said for life. If
you want to go visit the Skyline drive in Va., the whole carload is free! The only snag is it doesn’t work for
non-citizens; they will have to pay $80 for a year.
10. Hopi ruins are an interesting side
trip. Visit Montezuma’s Castle and
Montezuma’s well, to see the ruins where prehistoric peoples lived and
thrived.
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| Montezuma's castle |
I will post some photos of the condors on a later post so
stay tuned, and enjoy the beauty of Arizona! (After all since they are so rare they deserve the spotlight)
