Page 8 - AAA Now! – AAA Shelby County – November/December 2020

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By Judie Karhan
The Southwest Experience
America’s Southwest is a stark, beautiful landscape, painted in hues of dusty red and orange. Cacti, adobe houses and rugged rock formations serve as a backdrop to grand and glorious displays of Mother Nature — rushing rivers, vast craters, towering mountains, hot springs, geysers and roaming wildlife.
NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE
Native American culture can be seen in every cornerstone of the Southwest. In Arizona alone there are 22 Native American tribes. In New Mexico, a short drive northeast of Santa Fe, discover a centuries-old Taos pueblo, a village that remains exactly as it was before the Spanish Conquest.
To the north lies Colorado’s magnificent Mesa Verde National Park, with its rugged canyons, amazing cliff dwellings and rich archaeological history. Here, more than 4,000 ancient sites bring you into the heart of the fascinating culture of the Ancestral Puebloan people.
If you find yourself in the Sedona area
of Arizona, be sure to visit Montezuma
Castle National Monument, one of the
oldest, best preserved cliff dwellings found in the Southwest.
To learn more about Native American culture and the Old West, take the opportunity to visit some of region’s many historical museums. And when you’ve had enough of this, there’s always shopping. After all, what trip to the Southwest would be complete without taking home that perfect Indian memento. From dusty road stalls to shopping complexes filled with a wide range of Native American handicrafts, you’ll find good buys in finely crafted silver and turquoise jewelry, hand-woven rugs, baskets, pottery and clothing.
SPECTACULAR NATIONAL PARKS
The Southwest is home to some of America’s most magnificent national parks.
At Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, photographers go wild over amazing limestone and mineral rock formations that give the sediment an estimated 60 varieties of colors ranging form white to vermilion. Take a guided tour of the canyon’s main lookouts along the north rim and view the Colorado River, rushing 4,800 feet below.
Standing before the spectacular orange and red rock formations of Monument Valley in Utah, you will certainly feel the heartbeat of Native American culture. While SUV touring is recommended for
its ease and accessibility, it's not the only way to see the park. You can also explore it by horseback on
a guided tour. Or, take a boat tour
on the Green and Colorado rivers. You’ll soon see
why this has been a favorite setting for many of Hollywood’s classic Westerns.
Of course, a tour of the Southwest must include a visit to Arizona’s Grand Canyon, perhaps the most staggering geological formation in the world. Gaze upon the dizzying collage of green and orange, light and shadow coloring this immense wonder, which was slowly carved out over the eons by the once mighty Colorado River.
The list of national parks in the Southwest is lengthy, so no matter where your wanderings may take you, you’ll never be far from amazing scenery.
CITY SLICKER PURSUITS
The cities of the Four Corner States – Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona – present the traveler with a wealth of interesting things to do and pleasures to pursuit.
One of the most celebrated cities is Sedona, Arizona – a magnet for writers, holistic healers and artists. In Sedona there are over 40 art galleries exhibiting works ranging from Western and Southwestern to contemporary and modern art. The city is also developing a reputation as a center for Southwest cuisine. Several of Sedona’s finest resorts feature innovative menus and award-winning chefs.
If you’re looking for a little indulgence and pampering, you’ll certainly find it in Arizona, home to luxurious spas that have been named some of the world’s best by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Lesiure and Zagat. Top spas offer treatments inspired by Asian and European cultures, as well as unique body wraps, scrubs and therapies inspired by the state’s Native American culture. If a golf and spa vacation appeals to you, treat yourself to a stay at the Four Season Resort in Scottsdale.
If your interests take you more in the direction of art galleries, be sure to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico and stop in at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum to view her artwork and learn about her life and legacy. The museum also holds hundreds of photographs of O’keeffe with family and friends.
With all of this and so much more to experience in the Southwestern states, you can be sure the kids won’t be asking, “When are we going to get there?”
When you’re ready for a fun and adventurous trip to the Southwest, let your knowledgeable travel professional help you with all your travel plans!
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
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