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.