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Erin and I have felt blessed to live in the great state of Arizona this summer, even though it’s been hot and dry for most of it.

In the last few weeks we’ve done some hiking and exploring, and we’ve found some cool places. One such place is Sonoita Creek Preserve, south of Tucson near Rio Rico. The Sonoita Creek area was our destination for a day long hike with friends AJ, Jenny, Tim, and Sara (Tim’s pooch). For pictures, see our photos page.

It was a beautiful day, and the creek was running, which made it very inviting to hike in the water instead of on the trail. Soon it will be a state park, so if you live in southern Arizona you better get there soon before it gets totally developed!

Another favorite Arizona hangout for us is the Flagstaff area. We took a 4 day vacation up there last week – to rest and relax. Erin was recovering from a small surgery on her wrist, so our other option (backpacking and camping in the White Mountains of Arizona) was out of the question. We packed up the car, and headed north with a quick stop in Phoenix to visit the famous Heard Museum. It was worth the stop – the museum houses very important archaelogical pieces and anthropological exhibits dealing mainly with the indigenous peoples living in this area of the country. We also stopped to visit Montezuma’s Castle and Montezuma’s Well near Camp Verde (between Phoenix and Flagstaff). Both are part of a national monument and were very informational and beautiful sites, naturally and historically. See pictures in our photo album!

Around Flagstaff we visited Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments, explored the San Franciso Peaks on forest roads, drove parts of historic Route 66 out to Kingman, and hiked to a cool spot called “Keyhole Sink” where centuries-old petroglyphs tell stories of hunting parties that drove deer into the keyhole-shaped box canyon.

All in all, it was a fun time (not too mention a good break from the heat!).