Exploring Arizona

It’s always exciting to explore new places and learn more about the amazing things awaiting discovery. Seldom does one think of the vast desert terrain cascading through the southwestern portion of the United States without considering the Grand Canyon and its gateway state Arizona. And although it is understandable for some of the state’s other glorious sites to lose the limelight to such an awe-inspiring national landmark, one should take the time to venture out into other areas of Arizona and visit some of its many hidden gems awaiting exploration.

Arizona is a very uniquely situated state, with California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico arching from the west to the north to the east, while Mexico itself rounds out the equation due south. The state is surrounded by different cultures rich with history. And the many natural backdrops you will find in Arizona are absolutely incredible. They serve as a direct influence on the mixed and diverse personalities you can come across when navigating the pristine landscape scattered throughout the area. Doing some research and learning about hidden gems that locals can direct you to is an excellent way of gaining traction on what lies beneath the flashier and better known attractions.

Historical significance is literally set in stone throughout Arizona, and checking out the Canyon de Chelly National Monument most certainly reiterates the timelessness of this region. For nearly 5,000 years people have lived uninterrupted in this canyon. Navajo Indian Reservations outline the park, and tribal lineage raise families, livestock, and farm the lands of the canyon to this day.

Located just south of Payson, Arizona is Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, home to what is believed to be the biggest natural travertine bridge in the world. Measured at 183 feet high with a tunnel underneath running approximately 400 feet long, this is a natural phenomenon anyone should witness and experience first-hand.

If you want to make your vacation a truly slumberous vacation, then don’t worry. Arizona has all of the amenities you need to sit back, relax, and let time do the talking. Less adventurous travelers looking for more leisure should check out Buckskin Mountain State Park. This 1,644-acre park has all of the amenities one needs for a holiday of respite, including campgrounds, cabana sites, beaches, hiking trails, restrooms, showers, boat ramps, picnic areas, a basketball and volleyball court, playground, restaurant, camp store, arcade, gas dock, and ranger station. If you like picturesque scenery, a true desert escape, and water activities under the sun, Buckskin might be a destination to visit one day.

Pockets all over the United States have their own little hidden gems awaiting discovery, and Arizona is no exception. There are countless destinations to consider when visiting the amazingly beautiful and unique landscape that makes it something beyond special.

Making the Most out of a Staycation

Travelling to foreign or unfamiliar destinations is certainly wonderful, but there's a whole lot to be said about the staycation. Of course, lounging around your back yard in a swimsuit can be great, but why not get creative? Here are a few staycation tips that will make your home city seem like the ultimate vacation destination!

Learn your city's history

Naturally, you can head to your local museums and theaters, but I'm willing to bet that you can find some really interesting things around your home town. Does your town have a brewery or distillery? Take a tour! Check out some local sporting events and cheer on the athletes! Go on a themed bus tour – there are tons of eating tours, history tours and even crime and haunted house tours!

Do what the tourists do

Pretend you're an out-of-towner, and visit all of the sites that you'd see with unfamiliar eyes, and take lots of pictures. If you want to get out of the house for a day or two, check into a hotel and take advantage of their amenities. Lounge by the pool, have room service – live it up, if only for an overnight stay!

Finally learn how to Salsa

Or line dance, or foxtrot! Just because you aren't a thousand miles away, it doesn't mean you can't do things that are still totally new to you. Go to a dance club, or take a class! Learn how to play tennis. Eat cuisine you've never tried. Take an art class and learn how to paint or draw!
Staycations can be much more than just not travelling on your time off. No city is so small that it doesn't offer up some little cultural goodies that you haven't tried yet. Take the time to enjoy your home town – it will make the times when you do travel that much richer!

3 Tips For Road-Trippers

Students, adventurers, and people on a tight budget might forgo the trappings of luxury vacations and go on a rugged road trip. Since the bulk, if not the entirety, of the vacation is the journey itself, it is critical that the time in the car, truck, or RV is enjoyable. Here are a few tips on how to make the voyage as fun as the destination!

Research, research, research!

Granted, it's best to be flexible, but don't hit the open road without knowing which towns and rest stops have certain features you might want. Finding hidden and unexpected gems is one of the many fun things about road trips, but being caught unawares when you stop in a small town can be a major bummer. Don't make the mistake of pulling into a town after an 8 hour drive needing a cold beer and then discovering (surprise!) you're in a dry county!

Pack light, but pack smart.

Try not to take more than one bag per person, so you'll have plenty of room for souvenirs and other road trip goodies. Pack practical and easy-to-launder clothes, so if you need fresh underwear, all you'll have to do is stop at a laundry mat.
Make sure you have an extra set of car keys – better safe than sorry.
Unfortunately, if you're going through parts of the Midwest, there will be huge stretches where you'll be looking at absolutely nothing except dirt.It's a good idea to have a wide variety of music, and even comedy recordings, if that's the kind of thing you all enjoy. Monty Python has a bunch of albums that will make even the dreariest road trip a blast!

Eat local.

Have you tried the pasties in Michigan? How about the Illinois Horseshoe sandwich? One of the best and most delicious ways of learning about a region's history is by eating the local fare. There's almost no point in going on an extended road trip if you only eat at nationally franchised fast food restaurants. Make the effort to find out from locals where the best little food nooks are, because those are what make vacations truly memorable.
If you're hitting the road this summer, make room for plenty of fun! Road trips aren't necessarily glamorous, but they can be fantastic!

New Mexico as a Travel Destination-Part III

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Part I of this series focused on the benefits of visiting the city of Santa Fe and part II discussed how you can enjoy Albuquerque. This final article describes other parts of the state that are enticing to travelers.

If you visit in the winter, you will want to take advantage of the world class skiing that is available in the state. In particular, the Taos area offers great winter sports and excellent ski runs for beginners and experts. Snowboarding and cross-country are available, too. The town of Taos is very attractive because of its artist and alternative culture. The food in the area ranges from basic to five star.

Heading south past Albuquerque, are a number of interesting attractions. The city of Socorro is home to New Mexico Tech, an excellent technology and mining college, but is also only 50 miles from the Very Large Array. This “farm” of 27 radio telescopes has appeared in a number of films, most prominently “Contact.”  The array provides an eerie feeling of connection to the cosmos. Also in that general region is the Bosque del Apache reserve, a wildlife area devoted to migrating birds. In the late fall, the Bosque hosts thousands of birds, including ducks, geese and Sandhill Cranes.

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If you visit the area during the first week in April, keep alert for the first Saturday, when you can tour the Trinity site. It is only open one day a year because it is part of the White Sands Missile Base. Trinity is the location of the detonation of the first test atom bomb. Just as a visit to the Very Large Array connects you to the cosmos, a visit to Trinity connects you to the power of humanity and its fragility.
 

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There is so much more to New Mexico than what you find in this three-article series, but it gives you a good start.

Louis Habash writes about travel as a freelancer. He lives in Los Angeles. A lover of photography, hiking, water sports and nature, Louis Habash is able to combine these interests while travelling.

Dive into a New Culture

If you are an experienced traveler and have decided to return to a spot that held good and special memories for you, do not hesitate to expand your horizons on your next trip. Of course, returning to special areas and rekindling the awe and inspiration of your first impressions is always good, but also call the adventurer within yourself to forge a different and new path that will also create new moments that will forever remain within your memories.

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Sometimes, that unknown place will be right around a famous corner. Other times, a long rambling walk through a new neighborhood or nearby city will reveal an establishment that beckons with soft lights and quiet laughter. Perhaps best of all is when you hear a voice singing or guitar playing, and you are lured around corners and down alleys only to discover true local genius that will offer you a night of entertainment and a memory that will last forever.

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Now take this very same idea and apply it locally. Yes, you have your favorite haunts and love to congregate with like-minded appreciators of music and cuisine, but every once in a while, you might want to scratch that adventurous itch and try something that is not your normal locale. Hit a neighboring city or simply go into a section of your town that you usually skip. Taste the magic and uniqueness of your own city and state and commune with your fellow citizens.

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Keep in mind that nor every adventure will end up becoming eternal in your mind. But at the same time, without leaving your own home town, you can travel to a new and as yet undiscovered world, where people thrive on getting together and having a fantastic time. Yes, even at home, you can dive into as yet undiscovered and special cultures!

New Mexico as a Travel Destination-Part II

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New Mexico is unique among the states of this country in that it is a majority minority state. In other words, Hispanics are in the majority and Caucasians the minority. There is also a healthy number of Native Americans in the state. The benefits for the traveler are that you can enjoy the cultural mélange deriving from this situation. You will not feel racism or schisms between races like you do in other states. You will enjoy seeing art everywhere (all public works require a set aside for accompanying art). And the food… well, it is incomparable.

Part I of this series focused on the city of Santa Fe, also known as “the city different” to its inhabitants. This article will take you through Albuquerque, the other major city in New Mexico.

Celebrating its tri-centennial in 2006, Albuquerque was founded by the Spanish and remained a sleepy, little town until the railroad came through. Over the past 125 years, the city gained a major university, an air force base, a national research facility, and a population of more than half a million.
Everywhere you go in the city, you see representations of the mix of cultures and the sense of history.

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The National Hispanic Cultural Center officially represents the city’s Spanish heritage, but the bilingualism, the focus on red and green chile, and the adobe structures bring that feeling into everyday life. The Zia symbol that is everywhere brings the Native American culture into the mix.

Walk along Nob Hill, which is the neighborhood surrounding the university and you will sense the creative spirit of the area. Funky, one-of-a-kind shops displaying art, food, and paraphernalia will capture your attention. Walk on the campus and you will see a wide range of architecture, some of which is clearly from the early 1900s and Hispanic in origin. At sunset, look at Sandia mountains, which are crystal clear and a palette of changing colors.

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Visit New Mexico and make sure that Albuquerque is part of your vacation. Part III of this series will take you through a few of the other notable sights of New Mexico.

Louis Habash writes as a freelancer about travel. A resident of Los Angeles, Louis Habash is a lover of photography, hiking, water sports and nature, and is able to combine these interests with travel.

Off the Beaten Path

Sometimes, by taking a path less traveled while on vacation, treasures can be discovered. Whether traveling locally or internationally, finding an out of the way spot that highlights a magical yet local venue is normally one of the most memorable experiences a traveler can have while traveling.
 

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Even in your own backyard there are special and astonishing venues that can offer a local flavor that is overseen by most residents. A neighborhood pub or jazz club will often highlight or promote a local group that really makes its mark as truly homegrown and vibrant. Sometimes, finding a small little eatery with almost family styled meals can open one’s eyes to the hidden treasures that our own cities tuck away in unexpected corners.

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The same holds true while traveling. Sometimes by stepping off the path of popularity and obvious tourist attractions you can end up in a special spot that glitters with its own magic and inspiration. And you become part of that moment, etched forever in your memory as well as the memories of every other attending person.

Of course, when traveling, there is great value in touring well-known and popular establishments. Walking across famous bridges or entering an ancient and well-known building can also etch permanent memories. But whenever a traveler stumbles across an unknown but honestly authentic diner or club, those are typically the experiences that hold a place front and center in our memories of our trip.

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In essence, whether at home or abroad, trust the adventurer in yourself. Discover places you cannot pronounce or remember how you came across it. Travel is always magical, but when you find a true paradise that even the locals often overlook, you can and will hold such an experience forever.

Never forget that a place that is off the beaten path is not less special than the spots where everyone who wants to be seen gathers. Sometimes, it is even more special!