Enjoy Living Abroad
  • Start Here
  • My Blog
  • My Travel Books
    • LOOK INSIDE NEW BOOK
    • ENJOY MOVING ABROAD
    • MOVING TO SEVILLE
    • EASTERN EUROPE
    • PACKING GUIDE
    • 101 EXPAT TIPS
  • Comfort Recipes
  • Quarantine Cuisine
    • Aunt Bev's Pie Recipe
  • Med Comfort Food Tour
  • Dive Bars
  • Travel Tips
    • Packing
    • The Expat Lifestyle
    • Enjoy the Best of Seville
  • About
  • Contact

NAVIGATING the PANDEMIC journey TOGETHER

Arizona: the Weird, Weird West

3/25/2016

6 Comments

 
“Welcome to Arizona,” say the locals, “where summer spends the winter — and hell spends the summer.” It’s true! I had a business trip to Phoenix one August and felt like I’d died and gone to Hades in the 110-degree heat. I developed a keen appreciation of Mark Twain’s story about an Arizona sinner who upon his death “went straight to the hottest corner of perdition — and the next day he telegraphed back for his blankets.” Other times of the year are heavenly, and visiting friends in Tucson earlier this month, I rediscovered the pleasure of sitting around in light summer clothes sipping frosty beer while watching television reports of the northeastern states digging themselves out of yet another killer snowstorm.
 
For two hundred years, Arizona’s warm winters and wide open spaces have attracted visitors and new residents from all over the world — some say, from throughout the galaxy; since 1998, Arizona residents have reported 3,212 extraterrestrial encounters. I can’t promise you’ll see a flying saucer there (I never have, darn it!), but there’s plenty of other offbeat entertainment. A magnet for quirky characters, the state is teeming with tall tales, legends, ghost stories, ghost towns, and loony roadside attractions. Here are a few highlights from the state’s long list of hot spots designed to make you blink, do a double-take, and activate your phone’s camera setting.
​

​Arcosanti
Forty years ago, Paolo Soleri set out to create a 4000-acre city of tomorrow that would harmonize with Mother Earth and serve as a model for sustainable urban architecture. Unfortunately, it is still unfinished and barely able to sustain itself, subsisting on income from selling wind chimes in the gift shop. It’s both futuristic and a ghost town in the making.
 
Biosphere 2
Designed as a self-contained ecosystem for scientific study and a model for future interplanetary outposts, Biosphere 2 is basically 72-million-cubic-foot glass terrarium. When four men and four women sealed themselves inside for a two-year experiment, you can imagine how quickly things ran amok. Even before miscalculations led to near starvation and asphyxiation, human nature reared its head and lurid soap opera scenarios ensued.   
Picture
Biosphere 2

The Flintstones’ Bedrock City
Remember the animated sixties sitcom about the “modern Stone-Age family?” Today, the Flintstones are largely forgotten, but for kitschy fun you might want to stroll the dusty streets of Bedrock and shout Fred’s trademark “yabba-dabba-doo” one more time.
 
Jack Rabbit Trading Post
Ever wanted to ride a giant fiberglass jack rabbit? Me either, but this roadside attraction, a relic of the glory days of Route 66, is proving irresistible to a new generation armed with smart phones and selfie sticks. 
 
London Bridge
In 1968, theme park designer C.V. Wood paid the City of London $2.5 million for the bridge, spent another $7 million on shipping and reassembly, and then had to shell out for a fake lake for it to span. As a bonus extra, the bridge came fully equipped with several ghosts, who continue to haunt it to this day. (Not that I believe in that sort of thing…)

Navajo Code Talkers Exhibit
A Burger King may seem an unlikely spot for an exhibition about the famous Navajo Code Talkers, whose tribal language was used in messages that baffled the Nazis during WWII. But when owner Richard Mike discovered that his dad had served in the unit, he decided to create a tribute. “We have more Code Talker memorabilia than the Pentagon does,” Mike says proudly.
​
Picture
Code talkers Frank Thompson, Harold Foster Jr., William Dean Wilson and Teddy Draper in Window Rock, Arizona. Credit: Kenji Kawano, 1975

Tent City Jail
Also known as “America’s concentration camp,” this jail houses inmates in old Korean War tents in the desert, where temperatures rise above 120 degrees. They’re fed expired junk food like bologna that’s turning green, and infractions can put anyone — men, women, juveniles — on a chain gang in the desert. Cruel and unusual punishment? I’d say so, but Arizona residents have re-elected the sheriff in charge six times. He’s so proud of his work he offers free tours of the facility.

Tombstone
Home of the famous gunfight at the OK Corral, Tombstone is now a theme park paying homage to the good old days, when justice was dispensed with a six-shooter, and female companionship was readily available at the nearest brothel. During a recent visit I was startled to realize how many guys with Stetsons on their heads and guns on their hips were not, in fact, actors but my fellow citizens toting genuine firearms. 
​
Picture
Not part of the show: three cowboys having a cold one at Big Nose Kate's Saloon in Tombstone.

​Sedona’s Energy Vortexes
Those who know lots more about this stuff than I do swear that Sedona is blessed with multiple energy spirals called vortexes, which channel energy to enhance spiritual growth and healing in multiple dimensions. Sedona came to national attention with the prediction that on August 16 and 17, 1987, the Earth would start slipping out of its “time beam” and possibly spin out into space. This could only be stopped by the concerted, psychic energies of the human race coming together in synchronized meditation, known as the Harmonic Convergence, in Sedona and other spiritual power centers. Did it work? Of course! Has the Earth slipped out of its time beam? I rest my case…

Arizona is a world of its own, as gunslingers, extraterrestrials, and New Agers will attest. If you go, be sure to bring your sunscreen, your camera, and most of all your sense of humor. Good luck out there.

 
Have you been to Arizona? Thought about going? Do you have any stories to share or suggestions for places I should visit next time I’m there?
 
As you probably know by now, I don't accept sponsorships of any kind, so everything mentioned in my posts is included because I thought you might find the information interesting or helpful. I have been to many of these attractions, but not all. If you’ve got updated information or a different perspective, I would love to hear from you!


CHOOSING A TRAVEL DESTINATION? ASK YOURSELF THIS
WHY I ENJOY LIVING ABROAD
HOW TO TAKE QUIRKY, CHARMING TRAVEL PHOTOS
6 Comments
    PictureKaren McCann
    Welcome! 
    I'm an American travel writer based in Spain and currently living in California.

    As we journey through the pandemic together, my blog provides a regular supply of survival tips, comfort food recipes, and the wry humor we all need to lighten our hearts on dark days.  ​

    I think of my blog as an ongoing conversation, so please join in and leave comments at the end of my posts. 

    Sign up below to get updates when I publish anything new.

    GET UPDATES
    See all my books
    See my videos
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    BLOG ARCHIVES 

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    CATEGORIES

    All
    100 Days On The Road
    1950s Sci-Fi
    2020
    2021 Puzzle Craze
    32 Years Together
    3 Food Tribes
    7 Best Travel Tips
    Acupuncture
    Address To A Haggis
    Adriatic Sea
    AirBnB
    Air Travel
    Air Travel Myths
    Albania
    Albanian Farm Food
    Alicia Bay Laurel
    Ali Kali
    Amazon
    American Resistance France
    American Taboos
    A Month Of Italy
    Amsterdam
    Anthony Hopkins
    Anxious Traveler
    Apocalypse Chow
    Apps
    Arizona
    Armadillos
    Artichokes
    Artwalk
    Atomic Bunker Museum
    Attention Test
    Austria
    Authentic Travel
    Automation = Apocalypse?
    A Year Of Travel
    Bagpipe Music
    Balsamic Vinegar
    Baltasar
    Banana Bread
    Bari
    Barletta
    Barrio Abierto
    Bathroom
    Batman
    Beastly Spasm
    Becherovka
    Bed Bugs
    Beer
    Belgrade
    Best Apps 2016
    Best Foodie City
    Best & Worst
    Bet
    Better Homes And Gardens Cook Book
    Betty Soskin
    Betty White
    Bev's Peach Pie
    Bey's Soup
    Bhutan
    Bigfoot Museum
    Big Rail Trip 2016
    Biohazard Bag
    Biosphere 2
    Bird
    Black Angels
    Blogs & Websites
    Book Club
    Book Cover
    Books
    Bookstores
    Bosnia
    Botiza
    Brain-enhanced Chimps
    Brains Of The Pig
    Breakfast In Seville
    Bucharest
    Budapest
    Budget
    Bulgaria
    Bulgarian Festivals
    Bulgarian Folklore
    Bull's Head
    Burns Supper
    Buzzworthy Words
    CA
    Cabalgata
    CA Cheese Trail
    Ca ‘de Anime
    Caganer
    Cagliari
    Calvin Trillin
    Camels
    Carbon-Conscious Rail Travel
    Cars Vs. Trains
    Castle Houska
    České Budějovice
    České Budějovice
    Chained Wallet
    Chakra Stone
    Chef Lenny The Lizard
    Chickens
    Chocolate Nativity Scene
    Chocolatour
    Chris Brady
    Christmas
    Christmas In Seville
    Christmas Traditions
    Chulalongkorn University
    Clara Bensen
    Climate Change
    Coca-Cola
    Coffee
    Comfort Food
    Communism Museum
    Coping With Pandemic
    Coronavirus
    Coronavirus & Travel
    Costa Women
    Covid Weddings
    Cows Come Home
    Crete
    Croatia
    Cruz De Mayo In Seville
    Cuba: 10 Tips
    Cuba: Legendary Snafu
    Czech Please
    Czech Republic
    Dan Brown's Inspiration
    Dance
    Dancing In The Fountain
    Dancing In The Foutnain
    Dancing On Bars
    Dark Tourism
    Debunking Travel Myths
    Detours & Delays
    Devil's Museum
    Digital Nomad Visas
    Diners
    Disappointing Destinations
    Disaster Survival Tips
    Dive Bars
    Dive Bars Of Italy
    Dive Bars Of Seville
    Doga (Dog Yoga)
    Dogs
    Doing Good
    Doing It
    Donna Red Wing
    Dragon
    Dragonpit
    Drink-Ease
    Driverless Cars
    Duck Plaza
    Duquesa De Alba
    Earthquakes
    EatWith
    Emergency Measures
    Emergency Preparedness
    Endangered
    Enjoy Moving Abroad
    Entrails Soup
    Epiphany
    E-readers
    Erratic Boulder
    Estonia
    Eurail
    European Dinner Plate
    European Food
    Evernote
    Exercise On The Road
    Expat In Dark Times
    Expats In America2.0
    Expect Delays
    Eye-popping Landmarks
    Fake Wallet
    Family
    Farruquito
    Fellini
    Finland
    First Aid Kit
    Five Meals A Day
    Flat-Earthers
    Flea Market
    Flophouses
    Folklore
    Fondu
    Food Photo Secrets
    Food Tours
    Foreign
    Foreigners
    Fork In The Road
    Fountain
    Free Wi-Fi Finder
    French Bistro
    French Women Don't Get Fat
    Fried Flies
    Full Catastrophe Living
    Galileo Offline
    Game Of Thrones
    Gates Of Hell
    Gazpacho Recipe
    Genoa
    Genova
    George Floyd Protests
    George Takei
    Georgia
    Georgian Grey Bear
    Germany
    Ghost
    Gin Joints
    Glass Wall Of Tourism
    Gluten-free Italian Recipes
    Going Spiral
    Good News
    Google-glass
    Google Translate
    ​Gourounopoula
    Gps
    Grandma Cooper
    Granola Recipe
    Grapes
    Greece
    Greek Coffee
    Greek Coffee Culture
    Greek Wines
    Group Tours
    Guest Blog
    Guest Etiquette
    Guests
    Haggis
    Halloween
    Handyman's Guide
    Hannibal Lecter
    Helsinki
    Heraklion
    Herzeg Novi
    Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy291cb11256
    Holiday Lights
    Holiday Shopping
    Holidays In Seville
    Holiday Survival Guide
    Hollidays
    Holy Grail
    Home For The Holidays
    Horse
    Hospitals
    Houseguest
    House Hunting
    House Of The Spirits
    Houska Castle
    How To Meet People
    Hrad Houska
    Hungary
    Hydration
    Iberian Lynx
    Ibrik
    Icloud
    Ikaria
    Immigrants
    India
    Indiana Jones
    In Search Of America Tour
    Ipad
    IPhone Photos
    Irail
    Italy
    Jacket
    Jan The Beachcomber
    Japan
    Jet Lag
    Jet Lag Apps
    John The Baptist
    Jo Maeder
    Joseph Campbell
    Joya Shoes
    July 4th In USA
    Kalamata
    Katka Lapelosa
    Kavarma
    Keep Going!
    Kgb
    Kgb Muzeum
    Kindle
    King Wenceslas
    Kitchen For The Mind
    Korçë
    Kotor
    Koyono Jacket
    Krakow
    Krakow's Dragon
    Ladies Room
    Lady And The Tramp
    La Font De La Figuera
    Laptop Ban
    Larissa Olenicoff
    Latvia
    Laughter Project
    Lederhosen
    Legal
    Legend
    Lesbos Refugees
    LGBT Rights
    Library
    Lindsay Lake
    Lithuania
    Little White Lie
    Little Women
    Live To 100
    Lockdown Survival Tips
    Longevity
    Lord Peter Wimsey
    Low-Tech Travel Tips
    Lübeck
    Lucky Grapes
    Lucky Red Underwear
    Luggage
    Luggage-free Travel
    Luggage-Free Travel? Try It
    Lviv
    Lynne And Tim Martin
    Magellan
    Maps
    Marijuana
    Mars One
    Mask War
    Matrimony
    Mbt Shoes
    Meal Schedules
    Meal Sharing
    Meaning Of Home
    Mediterranean Dive Bars
    Menlo Park Library
    Mentally Unpack Your Bags
    Mermaids
    Metropol Parasol Building
    Me Worry?
    Miracle Tile Of Vilnius
    Mobilize America
    Money
    Money Handling
    Monster Of Milpitas
    Montenegro
    Mood Food
    Most Dangerous Woman In America
    Moussaka
    Museum Of Communism
    My Octopus Teacher
    Mystery Spot
    Naples
    Napoli
    National Lampoon's European Vacation
    Nativity Scene
    Nepal
    New
    Newark Of Italy
    New Orleans
    New Year's Eve
    New Year's Eve Abroad
    New Year's In Seville
    New York Times
    No Cancelling The Holidays
    No-Jet-Lag
    Nomad Eating
    Obatzda
    Offbeat Roadside Attractions
    Olive Oil
    Optimism & Survival
    Orichiette Pasta
    Outhouse
    Pack For 4 Months
    Packing
    Packing Demonstration
    Packing For 161 Days
    Packing Tips
    Paella
    Painting
    Palacio De Las Dueñas
    Palermo
    Pandemic Humor
    Pandemic Infodemic
    Pandemic Makes Us Better
    Pandemic Solutions
    Pandemic Travel Story
    Parlor Games On The Road
    Parma
    Parma Ham
    Parmigiano-Reggiano
    Passport Issue
    Pasta
    Pasta Recipe
    Patriotism. US
    Peaceful Resistance
    Pécs
    Peruvian Pavilion
    Pesto Sauce
    Photography
    Picking Tapas Bars
    PIzza
    Platter Of Salome
    Plaza De España
    Plaza De Pato
    Plumbing Nightmare
    Podgorica
    Poltergeist
    Pop-culture Museum
    Pope Benedict
    Pop-up Restaurants
    Prague
    Predictions
    Print On Demand
    Propaganda Museum
    Pub Culture
    Public Library
    Purgatory
    Purpose-driven Travel
    Pussyhats
    Quarantine
    Quarantine Bar Hopping
    Quarantine Mini-Vacation
    Quarantine Nostalgia?
    Quarantine Thanksgiving
    Queen's Gambit
    Quirky Travel Pix
    Ramona Langley
    Reading Group
    Ready To Move Abroad?
    Recipe
    Recombobulation
    Recycling
    Red Underwear
    Rennes-le-Chateau
    Reptilians
    Republic Of Užupis
    Rescue Dogs
    Residency Visas
    Resistance School
    Resistance Summer 2017
    Retire Abroad
    Revisited
    Reyes Magos In Seville
    Rfidblocking Rogue Money Clipb4d0c62eac
    Rich Interview 2020
    Rich-on-packing
    Riga
    Risotto
    Roadrunner
    Roadside Attractions
    Robert Mugabe
    Rocket Scientists
    Rolling Stones
    Romania
    Romería Del Rocío In Seville
    Romesco Sauce Recipe
    Rooster Recipe
    Rosie The Riveter
    Ross Williams
    Rural Romania
    Ruse
    Russian Mafia
    Sacramento
    San Anselmo Flooding
    San Ildefonso Church
    Sarajevo
    Sardinia
    Sassari
    Science Museum
    Scottevest
    Scottevest 8-pocket Pants
    Secret Supper Clubs
    Security On The Road
    Seinfeld Episode
    Semana Santa
    Senior Gypsies
    Senior Nomads
    Serbia
    Setas
    Seville
    Seville Holidays
    Seville In Pandemic
    Seville In Winter
    Seville's Tapas Bars
    Sex Shops
    Shackleton Ad A Myth
    Shared Dining
    Shoe Bomb
    Shoes
    Shoestring Travel
    Shopska Salad
    Šiauliai
    Sicilian Grandmothers
    Silicon Valley
    Six-word Stories
    Skype Wifi7994daf88f
    Sleep/Insomnia
    Slovakia
    Snack Foods
    Snail
    Snail Museum
    Snail On The Rails
    Snail Slime Skin Cream
    Snakes
    Snowed In
    Social Distancing
    Sofia
    Sophia Loren
    SOS File
    Spaghetti
    Spain
    Spain Savvy
    Spain's Cold Soups
    Spam
    Spicy Shrimp In Mango Salsa Recipe
    Spiritual Path To Resistance
    Spiritual Weightlifter
    Springtime For Hitler
    Stanford Prison Experiment
    Staycation
    Stephen King
    Still Expecting Delays
    Stockholm Disaster
    Stone Lifter
    Strange
    Strawberries
    Suitcase
    Survival Food
    Survive October 2020
    Surviving Catastrophes
    Surviving Pandemic Holidays
    Switzerland
    Symbolic Thinking
    Tapas
    Tapenade Recipe
    Tapeo
    Taxi
    Tblisi
    Temple
    Thanksgiving Games
    The Balkans
    The Blonde Gypsy
    The Exorcist
    The Joy Of Eating
    The Mothership
    The Next Big Thing
    The Other Turkey
    The Power Of Myth
    The Producers
    Thessaloniki
    The Wave
    Three Kings
    Time Travel
    Track My Tour
    Train Lag
    Train Travel
    Transylvania
    Travel
    Travel As Political Act
    Travel Boosts Your Brain
    Travel Clothes
    Travel Companions
    Travel Destinations
    Travel Experiments
    Travel Fashion
    Travel Photography Tricks
    Travel Photos
    Travel Vest
    Travel With
    Triposo
    True Cross
    Tsa
    Twelve Days Of Christmas
    Tyrolian Alps
    Uber
    Uc Berkeley
    UFOs & Ghosts 2020
    Ukraine
    Ultra-Light Luggage
    Underrated Extras
    Upotonek
    Valencia
    Vampires
    Veliko Tarnovo
    Verona
    Vest
    Victoria Twead
    Vilnius
    Virgin Of The Napkin
    Virtual Tax March
    Visitors
    Vodka
    Vodka & Pickles
    Wall Street Journal
    Wandering Earl
    Warsaw
    Washington
    Water
    Watermelon Gazpacho
    Weasel Coffee
    Weird At The Holidays
    Weird Gifts
    Wenceslas Square
    What
    Whiskey Every Day
    Wild Goat Recipe
    Winchester Mystery House
    Winner
    Winter In Seville
    Wireless Generation
    Wolf's Lair
    Working Abroad
    World Chocolate
    Worst
    Worst Travel Moment
    Wow Finish To Long Trip
    Writing
    Xe Currency
    Yodeling
    Yoga
    Zagreb
    Zigzag Fountain953a67c066
    Zimbabwe
    Zurich

  • Start Here
  • My Blog
  • My Travel Books
    • LOOK INSIDE NEW BOOK
    • ENJOY MOVING ABROAD
    • MOVING TO SEVILLE
    • EASTERN EUROPE
    • PACKING GUIDE
    • 101 EXPAT TIPS
  • Comfort Recipes
  • Quarantine Cuisine
    • Aunt Bev's Pie Recipe
  • Med Comfort Food Tour
  • Dive Bars
  • Travel Tips
    • Packing
    • The Expat Lifestyle
    • Enjoy the Best of Seville
  • About
  • Contact