Oak Creek Canyon

Oak Creek Canyon is beautiful. I think I may head up there when the leaves start changing color.

Pondering the Canyon

I like this photo of my husband looking out over the Grand Canyon because it puts the size of the Grand Canyon into perspective (somewhat) and because it shows him sitting on the side of it. There are places you can actually come right up to the edge, which is actually kind of scary, and I like that this photo shows that (but I don't like the idea of him sitting on the edge and possibly slipping--don't misunderstand that!). Every year, several people are either hurt or die as a result of falling into the canyon.

Bears and More

Caitlin Court in Glendale has beautiful historic homes, many of which have been turned into boutiques and restaurants. Who can resist the big teddy bear on the porch of Bears and More?

Beads anyone?

The Bead Museum in Glendale has more than 100,000 beads and beaded artifacts, like this beaded jaguar's head from South America.

Yes, they bite!

About an hour south of Queen Creek, near Piccacho Peak, there's an ostrich farm/petting zoo. If you've never been up close and personal with an ostrich before (or if you have kids), it's worth the stop. You'll be able to feed the ostrich, deer, and birds. I think there's also a "big truck" ride that takes you out into the desert. You can also purchase ostrich souvenirs like dusters made from ostrich feathers and ostrich egg shells.

Big Nose Kate's

Anyone who has seen the movies Tombstone or Wyatt Earp knows about Big Nose Kate, Doc Holliday's girlfriend. Her name graces this restaurant in Tombstone.

Biosphere 2

In 1991, four men and four women sealed themselves into a $150 million science project called Biosphere 2. (Biosphere 1 is the Earth.) Their goal was to spend two years in an airtight, self-contained environment, growing their own food and recycling their air and water. The experiment didn't go exactly as planned--an unusually cloudy year resulted in reduced photosynthesis, and oxygen from outside needed to be pumped in. Still, the Biosphere 2 is considered a modern engineering wonder.

Montezuma Castle

I'm going through some of my favorite travel photos. This is one from Montezuma Castle, ruins left by the ancient Sinqua people. Apparently, soldiers from nearby Fort Verde thought (wrongly so) that these cliff dwellings were part of Montezuma's empire, and hence the name "Montezuma Castle" stuck.

Arizona Sugar Company

During my visit to Glendale on Friday, I learned that the giant brick building at 51st and Glendale avenues is an old sugar beet factory. W.J. Murphy organized the Arizona Sugar Company to raise sugar beets and built this factory in 1906 to process them. The factory closed in 1913. Since, the building has served as a production facility for Squirt soda concentrate and soy sauce, but has remained vacant since 1986. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Oatman

I love Oatman, so much so that friends tease me about it. But, what's not to love? The adorable burros pictured here were abandoned when the mine closed. Today, they have the right of way in this town along Route 66 in Arizona. You can have your picture taken with them and even feed them, but beware: they are wild and do kick and bite!

Sunset

I took this last night at the base of the San Tan Mountains in Queen Creek.

Kitt Peak

I wrote a blog post (http://www.arizonatravelandadventure.com/) about Kitt Peak National Observatory today. It's one of my favorite things to do in Arizona although I can't really put my finger on why.

Hot Air

I love the balloons from Hot Air Expeditions with their cactus design! I took this photo a few years ago when I got to ride in one of the two that went up that morning.

White Dove of the Desert

I took this photo a few years ago of Mission San Xavier del Bac, but I doubt it's changed much. The mission, also referred to as "The White Dove of the Desert," has been undergoing renovations for years now. Unfortunately, though, I believe there's funding problems, and this portion of it still needs repairs.

San Xavier is located just south of Tucson. It is one of the missions founded by Father Kino.

Thanks for the Rain

I was going through some old photos, and this one struck a chord. Thanks for the Rain by Joe Beeler is located in downtown Wickenburg. Ironically, we haven't had much rain this monsoon season, but maybe if a little thanks in advance might do the trick. There's a slight chance of storms tonight.

Hotel Vendome

Here's another Prescott photo. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, Hotel Vendome was built in 1917. At the time, it was advertised as an "attractive small hotel with 30 rooms and 16 baths, wide verandas upstairs and down, attractive lobby, hot and cold water in all rooms, night and day phone services with buzzers in all rooms..."

The Vendome has an interesting past. Sometime around 1920, a woman sick with consumption either owned or managed the hotel. One day, she sent her husband out to get medication and he never returned. Distraught, she locked herself and her cat in Room 16 and refused to eat, drink or come out. Today, Abby reportedly haunts Hotel Vendome. She and her cat are reportedly friendly, and Room 16 is the most popular room with visitors.

Masons in Prescott

Just to mix things up a bit, I thought I'd post this photo of the Masonic Temple in Prescott. After we visited Arcosanti a few weeks ago, we spent some time in Prescott. Masonic buildings have such interesting architecture, I think.

Fenders

This is part of the Fender guitar display at the Musical Instrument Museum.

Zydeco

This is a frottoir or scrapper from the zydeco display at the Musical Instrument Museum. I really enjoyed watching and listening to these performers. In fact, I lingered here longer than many of the other displays. I think it was the lively, upbeat music that did it.

See and Hear

The technology they use at the Musical Instrument Museum makes visiting worthwhile. You get headphones and a receiver as you enter, so when you approach a display, like this one, you can see and hear an instrument being played. Same goes for distinct styles of music or geographical regions. So, if you approach a jazz display, you'll see video of jazz performances and, of course, hear the accompanying music. If you approach a display on the music of Tibet, you'll see and hear Tibetan musicians.

For more information on the museum, check out the Arizona Travel and Adventure blog I maintain with two other writers. We'll be blogging about the Musical Instrument Museum throughout the week: http://arizonatravelandadventure.com/?p=623.