Spoiler alert...it's hot in Arizona. Even with humidity levels around 10%, the heat is always here and baby...it's hot! Yesterday hit 109. The locals say it takes about a year to get used to it. I think it's a local myth...just like everyone in Florida tells you that you get used to the humidity. Nope, it's a lie. You don't. You just learn to live with it. Just as we did in Florida, you don't go out a lot between 11:00 and 5:00...and here you really don't go out for a walk until after sunset. For those of you reading this who've never been to Arizona, the sun is much hotter here than in other areas. Not only are you up higher (elevations in Sedona, for instance, are around 5000' and Flagstaff is around 7,000'), but the atmosphere is crystal clear with no haze, smog, etc. which filters the sun in most areas of the country. The UV factor is 30% to 50% higher here. I think the old cowboys must have died from skin cancer long before whiskey and gun fights took them.
So...we decided to take a break from the heat and headed up to Flagstaff, or "Flag" as everyone here calls it. The temps dropped about 20 degrees there and it felt great. The evening was even better, with temperatures dropping into the 60's. In the valley where we live, we won't see temps that low until October or November. We loved it.
Flagstaff is a very cool college town. Lots of micro breweries and coffee shops. When I say lots of breweries, I mean like one brewery on every block in the historic downtown area. Ditto for the coffee shops. They all roast their hops and their beans...no store bought stuff served here. As a student...this place would be heaven. Study a while, walk into town, great some great local beer...then head to a coffee shop for a quick expresso...and back to the dorm to study some more. Or...forget the study part and just head into town and drink beer. Life is so good when you're 18.
Flag is also a famous town because Route 66 runs right through the center of town and all the old historic hotels and the old train station (still being used by the way) are still there. The best part is...they kept their old fluorescent signs from the 20's, 30's and 40's.....as in "Rooms for $5" and "steam heated indoor garages" (it gets really cold in Flag in the winter). The next time we go, I'll take some pictures of these great old signs. Kudos to the town and the merchants for not replacing them.
Flagstaff is also one of the gateways to the Grand Canyon and there are visitors there from all over the world. Over 5 million people a year visit the canyon and the numbers go up every year. We've been there and we plan on going back...but it will be in the winter after schools start back up and some of the tourists go home (I'm not sure that happens any longer, as international visitors don't plan their trips around our seasons or holidays). But that's our plan anyway.
Heading home, we stopped off in Sedona. What a beautiful area...but what a frustrating place to visit. The phrase "loved to death" fits Sedona perfectly. There are people everywhere and this is a very small town. Roads are packed, restaurants are packed, trails are packed, etc. The only way to get free of the madness is to hike away from town. Since my back won't tolerate hiking and the temperature was around 100 that day, we decided to pass. Maybe in December? Stay tuned.
Cheers!
Wayne, Claudia and Tuck