Thinking of a Vacation? Consider This...

  About this time of year in PA or New England, thoughts of a warm vacation might constantly interrupt your focus on getting through the cold weather.

You might be at home looking out at those 300 lb. icicles or hunting for your pickup in the New England blizzards.


The New England Challenge/  Finding the Pickup. 
It's somewhere in this driveway.  Right?





Looking out the window in NW PA.
That icicle grows longer and longer.

 

Florida is a great option for a getaway, or you might be dreaming of those islands in the Caribbean, but wait!  Here's an idea...consider spending time in Arizona. 

Since the state celebrated its 100 years of statehood, the Centennial Committee has provided lots of reasons to visit.  Personal preferences for a lounge chair near the pool, hiking to the vortexes in Sedona, setting up photo shots at the Grand Canyon, Montezuma's castle, or on mountaintops, and delving into history are just some of the ways to enjoy the state.

And let's make sure to include the fantastic juried art festivals (with wine tasting, of course) -very popular winter/spring events. Fishing, boating, hunting, tubing, riding the rapids, camping- the state is tailormade for ourdoor enjoyment. 

If you're a music fan, Phoenix offers first -class musicals, operas, and well-known musicians every week.  A horse fan?  The WestWorld Arabian Horse show is in Arizona.  And those car shows-wow-international buyers and sellers flock to AZ for these events.   And, think about the golf courses for those who hate looking out on snow-covered links..

Grand Canyon

Here are some of the 100 facts about AZ  as compiled by the Centennial Committee.

•  Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits—more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming).
• All New England, plus the state of Pennsylvania would fit inside Arizona.
• Arizona became the 48th state and last of the contiguous states on February 14, 1912
• Arizona,s disparate climate can yield both the highest temperature across the nation and the lowest temperature across the nation in the same day. (Snowbowl, near Flagstaff can have 70 " of snow and might be open for winter sports through March.)
• There are more wilderness areas in Arizona than in the entire Midwest. Arizona alone has 90 wilderness areas, while the Midwest has 50.
• Arizona has the largest contiguous stand of ponderosa pines in the world stretching from near Flagstaff along the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains region.
• Arizona is the 6th largest state in the nation, covering 113,909 square miles.
• The Five Cs of Arizonas economy are: Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton, and Climate. 
• The worlds largest solar telescope is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Sells, Arizona.



Lake Havasu

• When England's famous London Bridge was replaced in the 1960s, the original was purchased, dismantled, shipped stone by stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it still stands today.
• Mount Lemmon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains, is the southernmost ski resort in the United States.
• You could pile four 1,300-foot skyscrapers on top of each other and they still would not reach the rim of the Grand Canyon.
• The westernmost battle of the Civil War was fought at Picacho Pass on April 15, 1862 near Picacho Peakin Pinal County.
• There are 11.2 million acres of National Forest in Arizona, and one-fourth of the state forested.
• The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in North America.
• Bisbee is the nation's southernmost mile-high city.
• The two largest manmade lakes in the U.S. are Lake Mead and Lake Powell—both located in Arizona.
• The longest remaining intact section of Route 66 can be found in Arizona and runs from Seligman to Topock, a total of 157 unbroken miles.
• The negotiations for Geronimos final surrender took place in Skeleton Canyon, near present day Douglas, Arizona, in 1886.
• Prescott, Arizona is home to the worlds oldest rodeo, and Payson, Arizona is home to the worlds oldest continuous rodeo—both of which date back to the 1880s.
• Kartchner Caverns, near Benson, Arizona, is a massive limestone cave with 13,000 feet of passages, two rooms as long as football fields, and one of the worlds longest soda straw stalactites: measuring 21 feet 3 inches.

And don't forget the great sunsets!

February Sunset in New River, AZ

(Our thanks to Karen for directing us to the http://www.az100years.org website for 100 Facts About AZ ; to Mary Jane and Eric for the
chilly snow photos; and to Dick and Peggy for the AZ shots)