Before I even begin, I owe Arizona an apology. Last time, after talking about Alaska, I was under the impression that our next stop would be Arkansas. Either I’m forgetting my alphabet, or I have Arkansas college football too much on the mind! (They’ve been strong, then waned, but seem to be on the way back now.)
At any rate, after seeing the Aerial America show about Arizona, it would be difficult to forget this state! I have to say, Arizona probably has some of the prettiest sunsets imaginable. Does it have something to do with the air being so dry? I remember once, a long time ago, when I took a road trip out to California, we stopped in Arizona around sunset, and I was blown away by the beauty of the sky and the landscape. In this episode, it was mentioned that exceptionally clean air makes for beautiful sunrises. I wouldn’t doubt that goes into the beautiful sunsets as well.
Arizona has one main feature that you can’t help but be blown away by: the Grand Canyon! And it IS grand! I don’t suppose you can really get an idea of its scope, unless you go there, but traveling over by airplane gave me a better perspective than I had before. It seems there are about 4,000 archeological sites in the Grand Canyon…but only 5% of them have been explored! What a treasure trove for archeologists! They ought to get down there and do some more exploring.
Of course that’s easier said than done. With great beauty, also comes great danger. The Grand Canyon is not the easiest place to get around in. The show talked about some explorer many years ago, I think his name was Ives, who took a steam boat into the canyon, and it was broken up, and a good portion of his crew died. One place in the Grand Canyon is known as “The Gate of Hell.”
In addition to the Grand Canyon, I was intrigued by Saguaro National Park, home of the largest cacti in the world, growing up to 50 feet tall! I love cacti. Some of them are so bizarre and fascinating, much more so than “ordinary” plants. Some cacti look like something Dr. Seuss might have dreamed up!
My interest in cacti probably stems from the fact that they’re so low-maintenance, and nearly indestructible. For many years I kept a variety of cacti, but in this house, there simply isn’t an appropriate spot for them. Not enough light comes in from any window, and there’s too much cold weather during the year to think about keeping them outside. So, my dream of a cactus garden will have to wait until we get settled in our retirement home. Good sunlight is on my “must have” list for our next home!
But I don’t see us moving to Arizona, and here’s why: the very thing that makes Arizona perfect for cacti creates an aesthetic I don’t really find appealing. Every now and then I amuse myself by researching different areas of the country, looking for the Camelot of retirement locations. I’ve looked at Arizona, and one thing that really jumped out at me is that while the houses are very nice, and reasonably priced, there’s just not a whole lot of…greenery. It’s so dry and hot there, it looks like growing any kind of grass or green plants is next to impossible.
Also, we learned in this Aerial America episode that some of Arizona’s biggest cities, like Phoenix, are home to monumental traffic jams! I guess because there’s so much uninhabitable desert, people pretty much clump together in several large cities. When I think about retirement, my thoughts run more to small town living.
I think Arizona probably has plenty to recommend it for people who like the hot weather, and don’t mind sand and deserts and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. As for me, I was happy to visit via Aerial America, but now, once again, I’m looking forward to our next stop, and this time it will be…Arkansas!
MUST SEE OR DO: THE GRAND CANYON
ARIZONA THE BEAUTIFUL:
