Whenever I post something about our cooler weather or snow I get the same reaction from folks far and wide along the lines of "I didn't know it ever snowed in Arizona" or "I thought Arizona was hot and dry".
Today I'm offering a short educational post.
Most people who've never been here or have only been to places like Phoenix or Tucson in the summertime have only one impression of the climate here.
It's true.
Much of the southern part of the state is in the Great Sonoran Desert where the mighty Saguaro Cactus thrives.
But as the tv commercials yell "But wait! There's more!"
In northeastern Arizona, one finds Monument Valley as the Hollywood director John Huston did a few years ago.
He used that scenic wonderland to make Western movies that turned John Wayne into a movie star.
Also near that part of the state is a big hole in the ground which gave my state it's nickname: the Grand Canyon State.
But I know you've all seen pictures of it so I won't bother to show it to you again.
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Oh, oops, I guess I couldn't sneak that omission by the Canyon's press agent.
But now let me show you some other aspects of Arizona which are NOT copper-colored.
For example the Mogollon Rim, which covers many miles across the mid-section of the state.
See all those green trees?
Over to the east from there, near the border with New Mexico, are the White Mountains, a cool vacationland for Phoenix residents seeking to escape the summer heat and maybe do a little fly fishing.
There's a town over there called Snowflake.
And speaking of snow let me take you to the Flagstaff area and the San Francisco Peaks and Mount Humphreys, which tops out at nearly 13,000 feet.
So you see?
There's a wide diversity in Arizona.
Of terrain, of flora and fauna, and of climate.
I'm not getting paid for this but I'd recommend a subscription to Arizona Highways magazine if you'd like to see and learn more about my adopted state.
Actually I've lived here more than half of my life and that's a lot of years.
And hot or cold, I still love it here.
