Arizona was the first state we visited (apart from New York) and we went there in February 2001. People told us we were mad to go to the Grand Canyon at that time of year as it was often closed due to snow. In fact we were on the South Rim and the weather there is much more clement. There was some snow on the ground but the temperature climbed to 70F and we took off our coats. Nothing had prepared us for the scale or the beauty of the Canyon. We parked the car and walked less than 200 yards to a cafe in search of coffee. We wanted to stoke up before we hiked along the trail to the Canyon, which we imagined was way off in the distance. We were really surprised to find that the gorge was just behind the restaurant, breathtaking and unlike anything we had seen beforeWe stayed in Flagstaff for a couple of days using it as our base to visit the Painted Desert and Meteor Crater . I really loved Flagstaff, not least for the quality of its restaurants. Try Mountain Oasis on Aspen Ave for an eclectic Southwestern/ international mix in a laid back, romantic setting. reasonable prices, too. Flagstaff also had a young feel, partly due to the Northern Arizona University campus. Its height, 7000 feet above sea level means that it's a four season town and its size, approximately 63.000 make it easy to live in. We couldn't have liked it more.
One of the most appealing things about Arizona is the contrast in scenery within a few hundred (vertical) feet. North of Flagstaff is the Grand Canyon, to the east lies desert and spectacular rock formations and the south has ponderosa pine forests, cool and green. Along the Verde River the vegetation is lush, watered by many creeksand streams. We stopped along one of these, Beaver Creek , to see Montezuma's Castle , a cliff dwelling built by Sinagua Indians 600 years ago. The five-story, twenty room structure has nothing to do with Montezuma or the Aztecs, being abandoned before Montezuma was born.
Four hours' driving took us to Tucson and the desert grasslands. We fell immediately and heavily in love with this part of Arizona. In particular the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Not only was this a great introduction to the wildlife of the region, which extends across the border into Mexico, but it has the best restaurant of any zoo, museum or art gallery we have visted. Ever. I wanted to move here immediately. I was fascinated by the hummingbirds, cactii and the Life Underground exhibit.
