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.