Awesome Arizona Adventure: Mountain Time

It was late afternoon by the time we crossed the border into Arizona. We’d been driving for over seven hours and we were all feeling a little bit weary. Especially since this was day two of our cross country adventure, and we’d traversed over 1,500 miles! I was resting comfortably in my window seat when I heard MaMa start making proclamations of “Ooooh wow!” and “That’s so amazing!” and “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” So, of course I had to wake up and take a look around.

What I saw out the window truly took my breath away, and not just because of the increased elevation. We were driving along Hwy. 60 and had just passed the town of Show Low, when the landscape started to change dramatically. We were driving in the Superstition mountains, and they were stunning! This was the first time MaMa or I had ever been in the mountains and we literally couldn’t get enough of them. Every turn on the road offered another breathtaking view.

There wasn’t much room to walk along the highway, so at a lot of the sceninc overlooks, Levi and I stayed in the car, while MaMa got out to take pictures.

It’s hard to describe the awesomeness of driving through a mountain range. I was used to the flat landscapes of Illinois, and up until this point in the trip, I had only seen mountains from the road. Now we were actually driving right through (and up and down) them and there was another interesting vista at every turn! I swear, driving through the mountains makes you feel as if you’ve been transported to a different planet!

Finally we found a scenic overlook with enough room for us to walk around and explore a little bit. Everything was so interesting. I investigated plants and bushes that were nothing like what I was used to seeing and smelling at home. And the views! My little mind was blown, and if I had fingers, I would have pinched myself, because it sure felt like a dream. But it was all so real, and so beautiful! It had only taken a couple of hours, and I was already in love with Arizona.

Levi was so excited to be out of the car too! He’d been to Arizona before, and was thrilled to be back. He dragged Pops all over that scenic overlook, wanting to check out every piece of dirt and mountain rock! Pops eventually got him to stand still long enough to take some pictures, but we’ll never know how they turned out, because our memory card went kaput that day! Good thing MaMa took so many pictures on her phone, because I would have hated not being able to share photos of this amazing place.

It’s a good thing we didn’t have time to explore more than we did, because the Superstition Mountains  had that name for a good reason! In the 1860’s, local farmers heard tales from the Pima Indians of people disappearing, strange sounds, and mysterious deaths, as well as an overall fear of the mountain. They believed that the Indians were being superstitious, and that’s how they came up with the name. But even to this day, there are more disappearances in this mountain range than in any other, and on average, 4 to 5 people die every year. I like being adventurous and all, but I think I’m glad we did most of our exploring from the car.

Eventually we made it through the mountains and ended up in the historic and quirky town of Globe. The sun was just about to set, and it was the perfect time for us to get out of the car and walk around before driving the final stretch to Phoenix. We walked around the downtown historic district which is on the National register of historic places.

The town was founded in 1875 as a mining town, and still has an old Western feel to it. We even found a shop where they sell Western wear, but that’s not why I was interested in it!

Levi wanted to check out the theater and see what movies were playing, but Pops said we didn’t have time.

I was more interested in hanging out on the steps of the Center for the Arts, which is located in the old Gila County Courthouse in a building that is over 100 years old!

For me, the best part of this historic town is the big G they have situated on the side of a mountain. G is for GiGi!!

After having a good look around this cool town, it was time to hit the road and head towards Phoenix. We still had over an hour to drive before getting to our Grandpop’s (Pop’s dad) house, and the sun was quickly setting.

We’d had such an exciting two days on the road, but I’m sure Pops was glad to be just about done with the driving, and I know we were all ready to spend a few days in one state! Arizona, we’ve arrived! I hope you are ready for us!!