Welcome to Arizona

I recently went on a trip to Arizona. It was my first time in "The Grand Canyon State" as well as visiting the Grand Canyon. 

This lovely trip was a birthday present from my aunts. We flew into Phoenix from the different places along the East Coast and Midwest where we actually live and made it our base city. It helped that two of my cousins live in the downtown center of the city and one of my aunts went to school in the state (sorry - no dates will be revealed) and still has friends in the area. 

We then traveled all over the state, seeing the sites, and seeing as much as we could - along with a few more family members. 

My first impression of Phoenix was that it's huge - much bigger than I expected. My aunt and I drove half an hour from the downtown center and we were still in the city. I also enjoyed the fact that the airport is called Sky Harbor. Don't know why I find the name amusing - probably because I half expected to see the ocean (despite being in a landlocked state) around every mountain. 

My second impression of Arizona was...man is this state green!

Do y’all see the deer?

Now, I don't mean that in a clean energy or sustainability way (though I did see a windmill farm and lots of houses with solar panels on top). I mean this in the actual color. 

My (admittedly) stereotypical impression of Arizona prior to actually setting foot in the state was that it was going to be varying shades of brown, reddish-brown, and tan. There would be cacti randomly spaced about, but not much. Oh, and tumbleweeds. 

Granted Arizona has all of those things (though I didn't see any tumbleweeds), however, it is also very green with tons of flowering plants and even an area that gets enough snow for winter sports. Now, all this green might have been because I had been in the state at the height of spring, but it was not at all what I was expecting. 

I have long maintained that each State within the United States has a unique culture that can't be interchanged for one another. Oregon and Washington might both be in the Northwest and have tons of coffee shakes. But one has a culture of letting you camp anywhere and shooting a gun into the sand dunes (Oregon), while the other is a rainforest that closes their campgrounds at the end of October (Washington). This observation can also be true within states (never mistake the cultures of eastern/central Pennsylvania with the heavily influenced by Pittsburg western part of the state). 

Arizona has it's own unique culture and flavor that can't be found anywhere else in the United States. Prior to coming to the state, my only exposure to the desert was Las Vegas. I didn't like Las Vegas. I found it hot, bright (even at night), and gaudy. I recognize that Las Vegas is also only one small corner of Nevada, but it's still a representative of that State's culture. No where in Arizona felt like Las Vegas. 

The only city that I could compare to another in Arizona was New Orleans and Tucson - and that's a surface level comparison as I didn't spend enough time in Tucson proper (I was out hiking). However, the colorful houses, street art, and attitude of the residences (not the tourists) reminded me of the Crescent City, except instead of French influence it was Spanish/Mexican and the location was a desert instead of a swamp. As I wrote, its a surface level comparison, but that doesn't detract from the similarities in beauty that both cities have.

I also need to address the canyon in the state. 

The Grand Canyon is fantastic. I have never seen anything like it before. Pictures, documentaries, and descriptions have nothing on actually standing on the edge of the rim and seeing how unbelievably big and colorful it is.

There's a reason The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it does not disappoint. 

If you end up going to The Grand Canyon, I recommend going to the National Park. The paths are mostly paved, there's plenty of places to grab a bite to eat (though wait times will vary), there's a free bus service, and there's still a small danger that you could fall off the rim (sorry no guard rails). It is well worth a visit and you can either stay in the park at one of the hotels or campsites, stay right outside the park and take the shuttle in, or (do what my family did and) stay in Flagstaff and drive up same day. 

Finally, I want to mention one of my favorite spots in Arizona. I didn't even know I was going to it until my aunts decided it would be a fun side trip. Jerome Arizona was an old copper mining town built into a mountain. The roads reminded me a little of mountain towns in West Virginia. A lot of the town claims to be haunted, but (for once) I wasn't interested in the ghost stories. I was more interested in the local art, mining history, and food. The town is incredibly quirky with tones of ruins (including the remains of an old saloon with toilets placed in the open basement - don't know what that was about), silly signs, and lots of skeletons (the kind you find at Party City). I loved it and probably could have spent an entire weekend exploring everything. Unfortunately, I only had an afternoon. 

Is this an art project??? I need answers!

Arizona isn't just a desert state dripping in sandy browns. It's alive with flowering cacti, cooing doves, wild horses, mischievous pigs called javelinas, and tiny deer. There's a lot more greenery than I imagined as well as color buildings. Native American culture is more prevalent/naturally integrated than in other parts of the country (*cough* east coast *cough*).  

If you plan on going to Arizona, I recommend some of the following: 

• Wear lots of sunscreen, no matter your skin type
• Have a sweatshirt or jacket handy for the cooler nights and higher altitude parts of the state (like Flagstaff)
• Have a hat, but mind the wind - especially at The Grand Canyon
• Have plenty of water
• Do not approach the wildlife
• Do not appropriate Native American spiritual beliefs and practices (unless you are originally from that culture)
• Go hiking
• Do not put your hands anywhere you can't see because a lot of the plant life has spikes/needles, there are a ton of venomous creatures (snakes, spiders, and scorpions)
• Wildfires can and do happen
• Check out a historic mining town
• Enjoy the local art

Have you guys been to Arizona? If so, what was your favorite part of the State? 

I love having the opportunity to travel, though the past few years have made that difficult. I hope to see more of my home country over the years as well as explore the world outside of the United States. Though there's no place like home, going to far off places is a wonderful adventure. 

Until next week.

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Welcome To Vacations

Happy year of the horse! Yep it’s the year of the horse! I spent New Year’s with my Japanese family in North Carolina. It was pretty awesome. They have a lot of different traditions that I don’t get to experience every year. My favorite part is the food. On New Year’s Eve we all eat soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) for longevity. There are also tons of other foods you eat on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately I had to leave on the 1^st of January to be back at work on the 2^nd. I ate a traditional New Year’s breakfast and then hit the road with a bento box of food you were supposed to eat during the day. It was a wonderful vacation and celebration. 

In fact, this was my first vacation since I had started work and it was the first vacation that I drove by myself further than two hours. The trip is roughly six and a half hours for me to do. This is including any pit stops I might make (except if I stop at my parent’s house for an hour that time is omitted). To be honest I was a little worried about pulling it off. There are lots of horror stories about young women disappearing while driving by themselves (alright I exaggerate, but you always hear about them). So I armed myself with my Kenyan war club (got it from my dad when I was sixteen, it is solid hard wood) and a GPS incase I take a wrong turn. For the most part I felt safe. 

My mom also made sure that I knew the facts of highway driving by myself. She said that if anyone (particularly an older male) starts madly signaling you and pointing at your car, it can mean that there is something wrong that you can’t see. If this happens you put on your hazards and either call Triple A (if you have it) or the local cops. If the person signaling you also tries to pull over and help, don’t get out of your car. Instead tell them you are calling the local dispatch for assistance and that they should leave. Never ever leave your car or unlock it if you think the person is a threat. I would also add to check to make sure that it is a cop approaching you and if you have any bad feelings to ask to call and verify who they are. It is sometimes worth it to be paranoid. 

My trip went smoothly. I made good time and was only startled once by a cop zooming past me to catch someone seriously speeding (or drunk driving I couldn’t really tell). My time in North Carolina was fun. I learned to do a lot more Japanese cooking and where to buy the ingredients I need. I was able to work on my (barely passable) Japanese. My family is trying to teach my baby cousin to be bilingual, so far it is working. I got to see family that I hadn’t in a very long time and I watched so much NHK (the Tokyo public TV station) that I already miss it. 

It feels weird to be home. I went to work on the 2^nd and then got snowed in on the 3^rd which only means that I work from my house instead of driving to my office. I finally figured out how to program my thermostat. That was important since my energy bill nearly doubled this past month (that was sticker shock if there ever was). 

I hope everyone else had lovely vacations if they were able to. It was nice to not have to worry about anything for a few days. I can’t wait to get back into the swing of work. I honestly do not do well with nothing to do (hence the cooking). Good luck to all my readers in the Year of the Horse!

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