No Painted Desert, No Sedona...but Flagstaff and Bearizona

When I was in college, the song "No Arizona" frequented the radio waves, and I belted along as the music blared through the radio. The lyrics trace a path through some of AZ's most famous and picturesque destinations, and when my friends invited me to travel with them to some of those destinations for a weekend of football and roadtripping, I was anxious to attend and cross some of those spots off the list of must-see Western destinations, of which I have seen an unfortunately low number of considering how long I've lived in the West.  I also had full intentions to sing Jamie O'Neal's song.

My friend Camaree works at SUU, and though she is not an alumnus, she is one of the biggest die-hard Thunderbird fans out there (and one of the only ones I know), much to the shame of Kyle and I who are alumni.  SUU was playing their final football game of the season against Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on November 11th.  The plan, as I understood it, was to watch the game on Saturday and then drive back to Utah through Sedona.  I've never been to Arizona - the little strip I need to pass through on I-15 on the way to Las Vegas doesn't count - and Sedona played such a prominent part in the song lyrics that it must be worthy of a view.  OK, that was mostly a joke as I had heard of it before outside of some song lyrics, but it certainly would make singing the song a lot more interesting.

The four-hour, rainy drive went quickly.  We drove through Colorado City (the two photos above were taken just outside of it) and Page, AZ.  The morning after we arrived in Flagstaff started with a walk around its historic downtown shopping district.  It was absolutely charming!  They have great little boutiques and gift shops and outdoor sports stores, and I would love to go back and explore even more of what this city, a gateway to the Grand Canyon, has to offer.

You can't fake a sky like that -  what clean air and sky look like.

Following the shopping was SUU's tailgate lunch, actually held indoors at the NAU commons and cafeteria.  It was quite chilly outside as it had rained and snowed the night before, so I appreciated the warmth.  The game was great, and SUU won in triple overtime!  I am such a sports pessimist that when games get close I am so prepared for disappointment that I have come to expect it.  I was glad to be wrong.

Our trip home did not include Sedona as I had expected.  I was a little disappointed.  I wanted to see quintessential Arizona.  AND I never got to sing my song!  Instead we drove back through Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam.  Before we got that far though, we detoured at Bearizona (because if you can't go to Sedona, Bearizona is the next best thing, right?), a wildlife park where the animals are wandering free and you are driving past in your vehicle, and bears are the featured residents.  It was actually pretty interesting to get so close and personal to the bears and wolves.  There is a traditional zoo-like part with a lot of baby and adolescent bears and other animals native to the West.  And if you know me and my love of wildlife photography...er, captive animal photography, you know that I was clicking away.

This is dedicated to my niece Claire-bear, who from an early age learned from her
nick-namesake the best way to scratch your own back. 

Baby bears are extremely active an exceptionally entertaining.

I LOVE foxes!

The Hoover Dam is a great architectural and technological feat, especially considering it was constructed during the Great Depression.  I kept waiting for my friends to start the "dam" jokes like my family did almost 10 years ago, but they didn't, and I'm kind of glad so I can keep that as one of the funniest afternoons I had with my family.  A few years ago, a new bridge was built across the canyon so people didn't have to drive over the dam to cross, and it was my first time seeing it from the dam itself (saw it from a plane).  The dam was packed with dam tourists (sorry, I couldn't help myself), but we had a relaxing afternoon considering the drive, and a fun weekend exploring some interesting places.