Arizona

Year of First Visit – 1995
Point of Entry – I-10 near Wilcox

When I got back from my first road trip out west, I found myself listing things that I saw for the first time like an elementary school student. “I saw a canyon and a mesa and a desert and a dry river bed and a cattle ranch and a cactus and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . ..”



And I saw almost all of them for the first time somewhere in the state of Arizona.

Not too far into the state I saw boulders the size of houses right along I-10. From that point the amazement with the state only grew. My white knuckled ride on US-93 from Phoenix to Kingman brought baptism by fire to my mountain driving experience. The pink desolation as we continued along 93 past Kingman was an isolation I’d never experienced before. And who can forget the oddness that is Colorado City?



My favorite road in this country is Arizona’s short portion of I-15. Passing through the Virgin River Gorge strikes awe in me each and every time I go that way.

Not all my Arizona memories are at 75 miles per hour, though. Experiencing stillness on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the magic of Antelope Canyon, the refreshment that only comes from swimming under the desert sky, and the deafening silence that comes from being alone amid sand dunes counterbalance the high-speed sites and provides balance in experiencing Arizona.



There’s much of Arizona I haven’t experienced that I very much want to. Of course, just like my unintentionally ordering the same dish at Marble Canyon Lodge at meals 11 years apart (Navajo Taco Salad), I’m eager to re-experience the Arizona I remember, too.