Arizona

I love a place that gives me extremes. I can hang over a cliff at the Grand Canyon one day, sit by a crater made by a meteor another day, stare at a tonne of petraglyphs and ancient ruins yet another day, and finally, not least of which can one soak the joys of high end shopping in downtown Scottsdale.

You can feel like an ancient explorer, and then quickly transition into flitting between Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada, stopping for a Prosecco and oyster lunch. That, I believe, was the major enjoyment and attraction for me while living here, and this return trip has confirmed it.

However, the real draw, I now remember, are the animals and plants. The cactus is simply amazing to me, and always will be. It was frustrating to not be able to buy more and bring them back with me. At the various places we stayed across Arizona, we saw wild pygmy rabbits, white-tailed antelope squirrels, collared peccaries, mule deer, desert spiny lizards, and pronghorns. The list of birds unique to the area is pretty long, but especially frequently sited included a ridiculous amount of quail, black-chinned hummingbirds, steller jays, roadrunners, thrashers, and waxwings ... and those are only the ones identified. Holding really still in the desert certainly brings focus on the wildlife in a beautiful way.

Here are some photos and videos of specific areas we experienced on different day excursions....

Fort Apache

Desert and Wildlife Museums

Pima Air and Space

Tombstone / Ghost Towns

Tonight is a very special night though, as it is the official gourmet splurge at Posh's improvisational cuisine. Tell them what you don't like or can't eat, and then they make up a menu specifically for you. Just a LITTLE excited..........!