What I wouldn't give to have a job that would take me to the beautiful areas of Northern Arizona. Recently, I was able to take an overnight trip and escape the heat of Phoenix. I didn't leave the state, just headed a few hours north. My trip started out in the hell we call Phoenix at around 7:45 or 8 am on Friday morning, Sept 28th. Soon I was in Prescott; shortly there after, Flagstaff, Oak Creek Canyon, and Sedona. Stayed the night at a beautiful resort in Sedona, and left Saturday morning heading toward Strawberry; passed through Pine, rested in Payson, and back down through Fountain Hills on my way back to hell, I mean Phoenix. On trips like this, best to be in the company of a great friend, and this time I did follow my own advice and was in the awesome company of my best friend.
I've always found it so amazing that within a short 45 minute to an hour drive, you can hit Prescott; and while it's a steamy 100 + in Phoenix, it's a windy 75 or lower in the pine forest of Prescott. And just outside of Prescott, in Prescott Valley, it's all desert, no pine trees. And about an hour and a half out of Prescott, you find Flagstaff, where the pine trees got thicker and holy hell, I needed a jacket....yes, sad. Just hours earlier, I was sweating in the car on the I-17 trying to rush to get to the weather I love. 28 miles out of Flagstaff, is the beautiful red rocks of Sedona. But to get to those red rocks, I'd suggest going through Oak Creek Canyon. This road is filled with not only pine trees, but creeks and Cottonwood trees.....and scattered in the middle some out of place desert scenery. Heading home from Sedona, you can almost see the line between the red rock and dirt and the average brown dirt and cacti filled desert people normally associate with AZ. But within an hour, heading south, away from the pine forest, or you'd think at least, you hit more pine forests and tons of greenery. The weather goes from cool in Sedona, to warmer on the way into Strawberry and Pine, and cooler again coming into Payson. We won't talk about the awful feeling of being home and knowing you are home because the windows go up and the AC is turned on..... Unreal the geographical make-up of Arizona. In one state, I can hit just about anything within a few hours and change in weather no matter what direction I'm heading.
The weather was great, the company was awesome, and best of all, we were in no rush. We actually enjoyed the scenery. I laughed at those folks flying at a hundred miles an hour because they weren't smart enough to stop and soak it all in. When it says 40mph, go 35. I swear, the drive seems shorter when you are enjoying yourself.
