tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64764244945212790962024-03-13T02:49:03.979-07:00Trevor HuxhamA travel and lifestyle blog about Arizona, Spain, and everywhere in between.Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comBlogger327125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-15235845349217139642022-06-09T12:13:00.000-07:002022-06-09T12:13:49.542-07:00Monahans Sandhills State Park in Monahans, Texas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
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<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795472776_0acf56b097_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Five people stroll among sand dunes dotted with clumps of grass on a partly cloudy day" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795472776_0acf56b097_b.jpg" title="Five people stroll among sand dunes dotted with clumps of grass on a partly cloudy day" width="640"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/51795472776/" target="_blank">Monahans Sandhills State Park</a>
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<p>
On my cross-country road trip last December from Phoenix to visit family in Dallas, I
inevitably had to pass through the Permian Basin of west-central Texas.
Sandwiched between the mountains of Far West Texas and the lower reaches of
the Great Plains, this region rich in fossil fuels has gone through cycles of
boom and bust over the decades—and even produced an oil businessman turned
politician who would go on to become president: George H. W. Bush.
</p>
<p>
It’s currently enjoying a boom thanks to fracking, so the setting along Interstate 20 is
pretty bleak, with highway access roads lined with the same warehouse copied literally hundreds of times over
and plenty of “man camps” or temporary housing for oil workers.
</p>
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<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796209040_d08be7599c_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chain-link fencing surrounds an oil pump jack on a partly cloudy day" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51796209040_d08be7599c_b.jpg" title="Chain-link fencing surrounds an oil pump jack on a partly cloudy day" width="427"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/51796209040/" target="_blank">An oil pump jack within the park</a>
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<p>
A
bright spot in this leg of my journey was <b>Monahans Sandhills State Park. </b>This little swath of public land
protects sand dunes in a region dedicated to natural resource
extraction, and it was just the pitstop I needed to break up the monotony of
the drive across the vastness of Texas.<span></span>
</p>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2022/05/monahans-sandhills-state-park.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comMonahans Sandhills State Park, Exit 86, 2500 I-20, Monahans, TX 79756, USA31.618856 -102.81198733.3086221638211555 -137.9682373 59.929089836178846 -67.6557373tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-26718565282275338412022-05-31T12:21:00.000-07:002022-05-31T12:21:16.875-07:00I’m Dreaming of a White (Sands) Christmas<p>Growing up in Texas, spending my early 20s in Arkansas and <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/p/auxiliares.html" target="_blank">Spain</a>, and then moving to the Sonoran Desert, I’ve rarely gotten to enjoy a cozy Christmas with snow on the ground. I have many memories as a kid of running around the house on Christmas Day in shorts and a T-shirt! But last December, on a cross-country road trip from Phoenix to Dallas, I got that full <b>White Christmas experience</b> at White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795578050_ee69c4042f_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A few people walk in the distance on white sand dunes on a late afternoon" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51795578050_ee69c4042f_b.jpg" title="A few people walk in the distance on white sand dunes on a late afternoon" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/51795578050/" target="_blank">White Sands National Park</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br>It was my first time seeing my parents and family in two years due to the pandemic and having adopted a reactive shelter dog. My partner stayed home with the dog while I drove the 16 hours from Arizona to Texas to avoid flying during the surge of the omicron variant. But because the scenery in the low deserts and Great Plains is rather uninspiring, I broke up this long, long drive by stopping at two parks featuring sand dunes, including White Sands, <b>the world’s largest gypsum dunefield.<span></span></b><p></p><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2022/01/white-sands-national-park.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comWhite Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA32.7872403 -106.32568164.4770064638211551 -141.4819316 61.097474136178846 -71.1694316tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-57976712557011903522022-04-28T12:06:00.000-07:002022-04-28T12:06:14.140-07:00Why You Should Care About Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
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<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/529/31922545491_bd68366733_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A gently curving concrete dam spans the width of a canyon of orange sandstone. The blue waters of a lake lie behind it along with a white ring on the shoreline." border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/529/31922545491_bd68366733_b.jpg" title="A gently curving concrete dam spans the width of a canyon of orange sandstone. The blue waters of a lake lie behind it along with a white ring on the shoreline." width="640"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/31922545491/" target="_blank">Glen Canyon Dam</a>
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<p>
On paper, modern U.S. Sun Belt metropolises like L.A., Las Vegas, Phoenix,
Denver, and Albuquerque shouldn’t exist. They simply don’t have enough water nearby to
support their populations of millions of people—or their agricultural industries beyond city limits. It’s the Colorado River, hundreds of miles away, that allows them to survive in the desert Southwest today.</p><p>A plumbing system spanning half the continent stores this river’s water between tall canyon walls, delivers its under entire mountain ranges, and even pumps it uphill all to supplement the water supplies of major cities and farmlands in California, Colorado, Arizona, and more.</p>
<p>
<b>
Stand at the foot of Glen Canyon Dam on the border of Arizona and Utah, and
you’ll come face to face with the linchpin of modern civilization in the
desert.<span></span></b></p><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2022/01/glen-canyon-dam-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comGlen Canyon Dam, Arizona 86040, USA36.9371981 -111.48366958.6269642638211579 -146.63991950000002 65.247431936178856 -76.3274195tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-22619363578958609292022-04-20T13:01:00.001-07:002022-08-04T19:20:20.102-07:00Hiking to The Wave in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
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<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/372/31959895916_059270749d_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A tiny valley surrounded by orange and white layers of wavy rock" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/372/31959895916_059270749d_b.jpg" title="A tiny valley surrounded by orange and white layers of wavy rock" width="640"></a>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/31959895916/" target="_blank">The Wave</a>
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<p>
As I sized up a formidable switchback,
<b>my gut told me, “don’t even think about it!”</b>
</p>
<p>
That morning, my hiking buddies and I had trekked across a field of sagebrush,
junipers, and yuccas into a small valley, gradually making our way up a gentle
canyon wall in search of natural arches as a warm-up before continuing onto
<b>The Wave, </b>a dazzling orange-and-white-striped rock formation on the
Arizona–Utah border
<a href="https://windowswallpaper.miraheze.org/wiki/Img7_(Windows_7)" target="_blank">made famous by a Windows 7 wallpaper</a>. After successfully finding the stiletto-shaped High Heel Arch and cetacean
Moby Dick Arch, we were inspired to continue hiking further up in search of
Dicks Arch, discovered just one month before.
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5608/31997283225_46cb7682ca_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="An outcropping of orange sandstone shaped like a sperm whale amidst sagebrush and juniper trees" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5608/31997283225_46cb7682ca_b.jpg" title="An outcropping of orange sandstone shaped like a sperm whale amidst sagebrush and juniper trees" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/31997283225/" target="_blank">Moby Dick Arch</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Brian and Steve had already made it up, and I was next in
line. I felt stuck—how was I supposed to make it up this sandy rock face with
hardly anything to grab a hold of? I alternated between freezing in place and
attempting to find a foothold as that inner voice suggested I go no further.
Silencing that voice, I plowed ahead and reached for a slab of sandstone above
my body to stabilize myself.
<b>Yet as I tried to move on up the switchback, the rock came loose and
started to slide towards me!</b>
I managed to avoid a worst-case scenario (like a direct hit to my lower back),
but the sandstone nevertheless slammed onto my right hand as it lurched down
the trail. Three of my fingers hurt intensely, while a deep cut ran down my
middle finger from the nail to the topmost knuckle.</p>
<p>
I instantly regretted not listening to my instincts and felt way in over my
head for a wilderness injury like this. My anxiety kicked into high gear and I
immediately started panicking about having to end this hike to a world-famous
destination early as well as the implications for my keyboard-, mouse-, and
camera-based line of work.<span></span></p><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2022/04/the-wave-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comWire Pass Trailhead, House Rock Valley Rd, Kanab, UT 84741, USA37.0190949 -112.02484039.4960199171123882 -147.1810903 64.5421698828876 -76.8685903tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-88228390511049379052022-01-19T12:27:00.003-07:002022-02-12T17:34:01.445-07:005 Reasons Why You Don’t Need a Car to Survive in Spain<p><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2015/03/confession-why-i-cant-stay-in-spain.html" target="_blank">When I moved back home to Texas</a> in 2015 after having spent three years living
and working in Spain, the <b>reverse culture shock</b> I experienced was
sharp—<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2016/06/carless-in-dallas.html" target="_blank">and it was mainly because I didn’t own a car</a>.
</p>
<p>
To get to work, I had to walk half an hour to the closest bus stop and hope
that I didn’t miss a bus that only came by once every 30 minutes. Walking
through sprawling neighborhoods of single-story homes to ride a bus to get to
an office park on the other side of town felt so inefficient to me having just
left Spain, where most people live in mid-rise apartments or condos above
ground-level shops, restaurants, and offices.
</p>
<p>
Getting groceries, going to the doctor, and grabbing something to eat or some
coffee all meant I had to either hop in my parents’ car or face up to an hourlong walk—one
way—from my parents’ house in the suburbs just to run a simple errand.
</p>
<p>
It was frustrating to return to the U.S. and feel such a lack of agency after
spending my first three years out of college in
<b>Spain, where I didn’t need a car to survive.</b>
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49375480261_0ea4ab7ac2_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Terra cotta tiles and balconies of apartment complexes at dawn during winter" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49375480261_0ea4ab7ac2_b.jpg" title="Terra cotta tiles and balconies of apartment complexes at dawn during winter" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/49375480261/" target="_blank">Skyline of central Madrid, Spain</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>That first summer I spent back home, I of course missed the friends I made in
Spain, <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2018/09/spanish-conversation-words.html" target="_blank">speaking Spanish</a> (and/or <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2015/09/galician-101.html" target="_blank">Galician</a>) on a daily basis, enjoying cheap,
from-scratch Spanish food and wine, encountering history and architecture at
every turn, and being able to travel around Europe and the Mediterranean with
ease.</p>
<p>
But I soon realized that
<b>what I missed more than anything else were the walkable neighborhoods</b> I
had grown accustomed to that didn’t force me to own a car to get to work, run
errands, or socialize.<span></span>
</p>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2022/01/carless-in-spain.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-70457702518874049302021-07-28T12:52:00.000-07:002021-07-28T12:52:45.114-07:007 Ways to Travel after the Pandemic<p>
<i>Note: If you previously signed up to get email notifications
whenever I publish a new blog post, this is the first one you’re
receiving from <a href="https://follow.it/trevor-huxham">Follow.it</a>,
which I’m now using since Feedburner retired their email subscriptions
feature.</i>
</p>
<p>
In the U.S., half of the population has been fully vaccinated
against COVID-19 in just half a year—a monumental feat after a year of
unemployment, isolation, and death. Many people are resuming trips to see family and friends or just to get out of the house for a change. Other countries are loosening public
safety measures and allowing limited international tourism once again.
</p>
<p>
<b>Yet the pandemic is by no means over. </b>So far, only a quarter of people
on the planet have received a dose of the vaccine (disproportionately in Western
countries), and outbreaks driven by the delta variant could quickly overwhelm
health systems again, but the end is certainly in sight. If you haven’t
already taken advantage of the protection the vaccine provides to travel
again, you’re probably at least planning your next trip.
</p>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/49412291807/" target="_blank">Praza Maior, Ourense, Spain</a>
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<p>
An almost complete shutdown of travel in March 2020, followed by varying
degrees of restrictions throughout 2020 and early 2021, gave us an
opportunity to step back and rethink how we go on trips. After all,
<b>our personal traveling habits and the tourism industry at large were simply
unsustainable before the pandemic.<span></span></b>
</p>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2021/03/travel-after-covid.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-51724589405482267732021-06-08T12:20:00.000-07:002021-06-08T12:20:42.651-07:00Fort Verde State Historic Park: A Reminder of Arizona’s Indian Wars<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
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<p>Stand in the breezeway of a charming, 150-year-old home, complete with period furniture and decorations, and you’ll finally get a chance to cool off from the Arizona heat.</p><p>But you’ll be chilled when you realize why there’s a fort standing in the middle of Arizona, hundreds of miles from the nearest border. <b>Fort Verde State Historic Park</b> is the remnant of a military outpost built during the final campaigns of the Indian Wars.</p>
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<p>As Anglo settlers began to pour into the fertile Verde Valley region, the U.S. Army was tasked with protecting them from raids by Yavapai and Western Apache people defending their ancestral land. So Camp Verde was set up in 1865, later becoming the permanent Fort Verde in 1871. Years of battles between U.S. troops and Yavapai and Apache fighters culminated in the establishment of the <a href="https://azstateparks.com/fort-verde/about-the-fort/period-history" target="_blank">Rio Verde Reservation</a>, a substantial swath of rich farmland on either side of the Verde River.</p><p>In the winter of 1875, however, the Yavapai and Apache were forced to march 180 miles across mountainous territory to join multiple other tribes at the San Carlos reservation, another Trail of Tears dubbed the “Exodus Trail.” (<a href="https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/digital/collection/aho/id/1020/rec/5" target="_blank">Read more in this excellent article</a> from <i>Arizona Highways Magazine.</i>) Hundreds died along the way, and it was years before they were allowed to return to the Verde Valley. But by the time they came back, their old reservation land had been given away by the federal government to settlers and miners.</p>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2021/05/fort-verde-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comFort Verde State Historic Park, 125 E Hollamon St, Camp Verde, AZ 86322, USA34.56413 -111.85210816.2538961638211532 -147.0083581 62.874363836178844 -76.6958581tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-38253666948873314752021-06-01T20:44:00.000-07:002021-06-01T20:44:41.706-07:00Finding Petroglyphs in the Woods at Arizona’s V Bar V Heritage Site<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5544/30371937155_6dd3623016_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Light orange human animal and geometric petroglyphs on a dark brown rock face" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5544/30371937155_6dd3623016_b.jpg" title="Light orange human animal and geometric petroglyphs on a dark brown rock face" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/30371937155/" target="_blank">Petroglyphs</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p>When I checked in at the Montezuma Well unit of <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2021/05/montezuma-castle-national-monument.html">Montezuma Castle National Monument</a>, a volunteer ranger handed me a sparse, black-and-white paper map of the surrounding region and pointed out some places he recommended. One destination was an old ranch in central Arizona where he assured me I could find some petroglyphs out in the woods.</p><p><i>Seems legit</i>, I thought.</p><p>I had already dragged my poor, formerly bright-white Toyota Corolla across one dirt road to get here, so what was one more?<span></span></p><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2021/05/v-bar-v-heritage-site.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.com6750 N Forest Ranger Rd, Rimrock, AZ 86335, USA34.666064899999988 -111.71638319.594566445076179 -129.29450799999998 49.737563354923793 -94.138258000000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-43669469440680299542021-05-26T13:26:00.002-07:002022-05-31T14:27:57.150-07:00Why Montezuma Castle National Monument’s Name Gets It All Wrong<p>
Right off an interstate highway in central Arizona, a national monument
protects prehistoric multi-story apartments nestled inside a limestone cliff,
old canals that once fed water to crops in the desert, and even a pond where
five unique species have evolved.
</p>
<p>
But everything about the name of this park is just…totally, totally wrong.
</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Montezuma Castle? More like Sinagua Cliff Dwellings
</h2>
<p>
When clueless Anglo settlers moved into the Verde Valley in the late 1800s and
encountered these dwellings, they used the name of an Aztec ruler whose empire
stretched across southern Mexico 1,300 miles away. Montezuma’s name,
unfortunately, has stuck.
</p>
<p>
<b>“Sinagua”</b> would be more accurate. It’s the term archaeologists apply to
the Indigenous people who lived in central and northern Arizona between around
500 and 1500 CE. The Spanish words for “without water” or “waterless” have
been used to refer to these people because they made do with little rainfall,
diverting precious few sources of water in the desert to irrigate fields of
corn, beans, and squash.
</p>
<p>
Ironically, the Sinagua people who lived at Montezuma Castle built their abode
right above a creek that flooded every year, so I guess you could say they
were very much <i>Conagua</i> folks, but I digress.
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5707/29739814283_6c0c80587a_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Stone cliff dwellings built into the side of a curving limestone cliff" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5707/29739814283_6c0c80587a_b.jpg" title="Stone cliff dwellings built into the side of a curving limestone cliff" width="640"></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/29739814283/" target="_blank">Montezuma Castle</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>
<a href="https://www.nps.gov/moca/learn/historyculture/land-acknowledgement.htm" target="_blank">No fewer than nine Native American tribes</a>
have ties to Montezuma Castle, including the Yavapai people, who historically
lived across much of western and central Arizona, as well as the Hopi and Zuni,
two Puebloan tribes that many groups from the area joined as they migrated north
and east hundreds of years ago.<br><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2021/05/montezuma-castle-national-monument.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comMontezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde, AZ, USA34.6115755 -111.83498546.3013416638211552 -146.9912354 62.921809336178846 -76.6787354tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-13751007817123734072021-05-19T19:37:00.000-07:002021-05-19T19:37:56.586-07:00How to Time Travel at Petrified Forest National Park<p>
<b>What’s the national park you’ve visited the most in the U.S.?</b> Maybe
Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, or Yosemite?
</p>
<p>
I have family in Indiana, went to college in Arkansas, and now live in
Phoenix, so you might think the park I’ve been to the most is Indiana Dunes,
Hot Springs, or Saguaro—and yet I’ve only been to one of those parks (Hot
Springs) a single time!
</p>
<p>
Instead, I’ve passed through <b>Petrified Forest National Park</b> in northern
Arizona no fewer than four times in my life, and I’m itching to get back there
soon.
</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5451/29681477553_407f666c91_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="An asphalt trail winds around purple brown and lavender badlands" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5451/29681477553_407f666c91_b.jpg" title="An asphalt trail winds around purple brown and lavender badlands" width="640"></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/29681477553/" target="_blank">Blue Mesa Trail</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>
Although it could be dismissed as just another drive-through experience along
historic Route 66 from Chicago to L.A., Petrified Forest is so much more. Yes,
this national park guards an amazing collection of petrified wood from
millions of years ago, but it also contains stunning badlands, hiking
opportunities, and ways to encounter recent (and not-so-recent) Arizona
history.
</p>
<p>
Hop on the park road and you won’t just take a scenic drive around badlands
and through grasslands—you’ll also travel back in time.
</p>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2021/03/petrified-forest-national-park.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comPetrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA35.0036935 -109.78892296.6934596638211517 -144.9451729 63.313927336178843 -74.6326729tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-44348976538572813562021-01-04T12:31:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:50:42.380-07:00Photo Post: Homolovi State Park in Winslow, Arizona<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5562/29642485923_1b0d1466f6_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Low walls made of stone at Homolovi State Park in Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5562/29642485923_1b0d1466f6_h.jpg" title="Low walls made of stone at Homolovi State Park in Arizona" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/29642485923/" target="_blank">What remains of a multi-room complex</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<br>“Is this it?” I thought while walking back to my car.<div><br></div><div>Compared to the Ancestral Puebloan dwellings I had visited the day before at nearby <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/wupatki-national-monument.html">Wupatki National Monument</a>, the low stone walls at <b>Homolovi State Park</b> didn’t do much to convince me that a complex of more than a thousand rooms once stood on this patch of northern Arizona.<div><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8135/30187166381_134e90657b_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Crumbling stone walls on the high desert in Homolovi State Park in Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8135/30187166381_134e90657b_h.jpg" title="Crumbling stone walls on the high desert in Homolovi State Park in Arizona" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/30187166381/" target="_blank">High Desert Housing</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br><br>But unlike Wupatki, it was clear that this lonely grassland once teemed with the residents of those thousand-plus rooms. Potsherds were everywhere!<span></span></div></div><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/04/homolovi-state-park.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comHomolovi State Park, AZ-87, Winslow, AZ 86047, USA35.0298467 -110.664225400000029.5078122 -151.97281940000002 60.5518812 -69.355631400000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-5189293646808239192020-12-02T12:14:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:50:47.470-07:00Meteor Crater: Another Hole in the Ground Worth Seeing in ArizonaIf the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the things we thought only used to happen years or centuries ago can definitely happen again.<div><br></div><div>I grew up in a world where polio could no longer stop you from going to school and where the worst that could get you sent home sick was mainly colds, flus, and chicken pox, not the deadly measles now covered by routine shots. And plague? Like polio, it was just a history class lesson. </div><div><br></div><div>But here we are at the end of a year that has seen one of the worst pandemics since the 1918 flu, reminded that outbreaks of infectious diseases can still occur—and will continue to occur—even in our advanced scientific age.</div><div><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5457/30272738645_7ac87e8d88_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Impact crater seen from the rim in Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5457/30272738645_7ac87e8d88_h.jpg" title="Impact crater seen from the rim in Arizona" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/30272738645/" target="_blank">View from the rim</a><br></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>It’s this kind of reminder from Mother Nature about the reality of the world we live in that makes me think of <b>Meteor Crater, </b>out in the lonely expanses of northern Arizona.<span></span></div><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/04/meteor-crater-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comInterstate 40, Winslow, AZ 86047, USA35.0277544 -111.022193399999999.505719899999999 -152.3307874 60.549788899999996 -69.713599399999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-16051574111836058282020-08-17T12:53:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:50:52.609-07:00Photo Post: Walnut Canyon National Monument in Flagstaff, Arizona<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Stone ruins beneath an eroded rock wall" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="427" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8716/29623497373_8a52caa0b9_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Stone ruins beneath an eroded rock wall" width="640">
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/29623497373/" target="_blank">Cliff dwellings</a><br>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>It’s 4:00 p.m. and I’m in a race against time: after having driven through <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/wupatki-national-monument.html">Wupatki</a> and <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/sunset-crater-volcano.html">Sunset Crater</a> Volcano national monuments earlier in the day, I’ve got just one hour to visit the last of the Flagstaff-area monuments before closing time.<br>
<br>The park ranger at the front desk lets me continue through the visitor center after I display my annual parks pass, and once I’m back outside, I quickly descend a steep set of stairs while managing to <i>not</i> fall off the cliffside of <b>Walnut Canyon National Monument.</b> Just 185 vertical feet later, and I’ve made it down to the trail that loops
around an “island” floating above a meander of Walnut Canyon.<span></span><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/04/walnut-canyon-national-monument.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comWalnut Canyon National Monument, 3 Walnut Canyon Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, USA35.1717266 -111.509275399999989.6496921 -152.81786939999998 60.6937611 -70.200681399999979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-37772931751962106572020-08-03T12:11:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:50:57.610-07:00Photo Post: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Flagstaff, Arizona<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8661/30136809862_f0cd7f84de_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cinder cone volcano seen through ponderosa pine branches" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8661/30136809862_f0cd7f84de_h.jpg" title="Cinder cone volcano seen through ponderosa pine branches" width="640"></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/30136809862/" target="_blank">Sunset Crater Volcano</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>As I drive south from
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/wupatki-national-monument.html">Wupatki National Monument</a>, junipers begin to replace the sparse scrubland of the high desert north of
Flagstaff, Arizona. But it’s not long before the juniper woodland gives way to
hardened lava, rolling hills, and ponderosa pines.<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8127/30136807172_c08ed3bbfd_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ponderosa pines grow on top of a wall of dried lava" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8127/30136807172_c08ed3bbfd_h.jpg" title="Ponderosa pines grow on top of a wall of dried lava" width="640"></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/30136807172/" target="_blank">Lava flow</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br>I search for the namesake peak of Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
between the pine branches as I drive around one hillside to another, and
then—there it is: a clean, Platonic-ideal-form cinder volcano with a ruddy,
“sunset” gradient from red to gray on its side.
<br>
<br>I’m momentarily distracted as a striking Steller’s Jay flies by, its own
blue-and-ashy-gray feathers painted the complete opposite of Sunset Crater’s
gradient.<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/sunset-crater-volcano.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comSunset Crater, Arizona 86004, USA35.3641752 -111.5040457999999735.2605522 -111.66540729999997 35.4677982 -111.34268429999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-6919078037264273982020-07-29T12:52:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:51:03.426-07:00Encountering Pueblo Dwellings in Arizona’s Wupatki National MonumentWhen you think of ruins, what comes to your mind? Maybe <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2014/05/my-nerdalert-pilgrimage-to-roman-ruins.html" target="_blank">the flattened apartment blocks of Roman Pompeii</a>, <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2012/12/cordoba-spain-christians-jews.html" target="_blank">a once-glistening palace for a Moorish caliph</a>, or <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2014/09/photo-post-impressions-of-lisbon.html" target="_blank">the spindly skeleton of a Lisbon church</a>.<br>
<br>
For many Americans, our imaginations often turn to history-rich Europe, where the remains of empires, wars, and natural disasters are easy to see. But that’s a shame, <b>because we can find reminders of the past in our own backyards.</b><br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/5065/29929022130_61c31e0bff_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Stone ruins with a trapezoidal doorway" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/5065/29929022130_61c31e0bff_h.jpg" title="Stone ruins with a trapezoidal doorway" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/29929022130/" target="_blank">Nalakihu Pueblo</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
Sure, they may not be on the same scale as Mexico’s monumental pyramids in Teotihuacán or Chichén Itzá, but the cliff dwellings and villages built by Ancestral Puebloans make the Southwestern U.S. the best place in the country to encounter places that were inhabited almost a thousand years ago.<br>
<br>
Colorado’s Mesa Verde and New Mexico’s Chaco Culture are some of the biggest marks the ancestors of today’s Puebloan peoples left on the Southwest, but they’re either in the isolated Four Corners region, off long dirt roads, or both. <b>Wupatki National Monument,</b> by contrast, makes it easy to experience Pueblo dwellings barely half an hour outside the Grand Canyon basecamp of Flagstaff, Arizona.<span></span><a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/wupatki-national-monument.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comWupatki National Monument, 25137 N Wupatki Ln, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, USA35.5584745 -111.3750949999999910.036440000000002 -152.683689 61.080509000000006 -70.066500999999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-47738658709242636412020-05-04T12:04:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:51:11.333-07:00Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument: A Precious Slice of the Sonoran Desert<b>I was hunting for arches.</b> No, not Utah’s Arches National Park, crawling with tourists, but a tiny two-paned window high up in the hills of one of Arizona’s remotest national monuments. It was a double arch—one stacked on top of the other—found in the aptly named Arch Canyon, that drew me one warm May afternoon.<br>
<br>
Sure, I could see the striking splotches of blue sky shining through the rusty earth from the comfort of my air-conditioned car, but I wanted more; I wanted to see the arch from the <i>other</i> side, and to see it much closer up. So, I parked my car at an empty trailhead that began on an unpaved road nine miles deep from the highway and set off with my camera, some water, and perhaps a little naïveté.<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8703/27949790700_6d674855d0_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Large cactus with a dozen branches sprouting out from the ground" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8703/27949790700_6d674855d0_h.jpg" title="Large cactus with a dozen branches sprouting out from the ground" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/27949790700/" target="_blank">Large organ pipe cactus</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
Whimsical green columns sprouted up all around me, some from a central trunk and others from the desert floor all bushy like. Globular chollas vied for space in the neighborhood with creosote trees, but what was most striking was the lack of any noise at all. Hardly a breeze was blowing, and this corner of Arizona desert was so far from most flight paths that I could tell whenever a little lizard would scurry beneath the brittlebush or a bird would flutter from one spiky cholla arm to another.<br>
<br>
As I got closer to the arch, it grew harder and harder to make out until it finally disappeared as I reached the end of the developed hiking trail. I disregarded the “CAUTION” sign with all the confidence of a green hiker with barely one month of life in the Southwest under his belt.<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2020/05/organ-pipe-cactus-national-monument.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comOrgan Pipe Cactus National Monument, 10 Organ Pipe Dr, Ajo, AZ 85321, USA32.0877596 -112.905880200000016.5657250999999981 -154.2144742 57.6097941 -71.597286200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-60386102869993158182019-12-16T12:52:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:51:47.118-07:00What the Casa Grande Ruins Can Tell Us About Arizona’s Future<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8872/28488816576_2382d84255_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A large metal roof held up by four beams covers a partially eroded earthen structure" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8872/28488816576_2382d84255_h.jpg" title="A large metal roof held up by four beams covers a partially eroded earthen structure" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/28488816576/" target="_blank">The ruins</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
It’s 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday in June and it’s already 100º F as I drive down a highway that’s 14 lanes at its widest point. Heading south out of Phoenix, I pass through exurbs of stucco houses, strip malls, and one chain restaurant after another. It’s not long before I exit the sprawl and enter into the vast irrigated fields of Pinal County, Arizona.<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8534/28520750195_6c9580f04e_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The sun illuminates a tall doorway in an earthen wall" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8534/28520750195_6c9580f04e_h.jpg" title="The sun illuminates a tall doorway in an earthen wall" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/28520750195/" target="_blank">Layers of construction</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
The miles pass by as I switch from one state highway to the next. Water from aquifers, from the Gila River, or carried uphill across the state from Lake Mead fills concrete-lined irrigation canals, forming a moat between the blacktop and bright green fields. Lonely farmhouses are surrounded by Italian cypress, Australian eucalyptus, or shaggy California fan palms, themselves forming another kind of moat around homes. All this continues until the fields give way to the natural creosote flats of the Sonoran Desert. A huge structure dominates this clearing: a crumbling earthen tower capped with a modern metal roof.<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/12/casa-grande-ruins-national-monument.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comCasa Grande Ruins National Monument, 1100 W Ruins Dr, Coolidge, AZ 85128, USA32.9954589 -111.535528199999997.4734244000000025 -152.8441222 58.517493400000006 -70.226934199999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-65987695968841709052019-12-09T12:33:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:51:53.211-07:00Photo Post: Walkable Downtown Flagstaff, Arizona<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8669/28367586883_80eacc138f_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Historic stone storefront on a treelined downtown street in Flagstaff, Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8669/28367586883_80eacc138f_h.jpg" title="Historic stone storefront on a treelined downtown street in Flagstaff, Arizona" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/28367586883/" target="_blank">Babbitt Brothers Building</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
You can think of <b>Flagstaff, Arizona, </b>as the gateway to all that northern Arizona has to offer. From Flagstaff, it’s easy to daytrip to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, encounter the enduring cultures of the Hopi and Navajo people, retrace historic Route 66 in all its kitschy glory, or go hiking and skiing in the San Francisco Mountains. But all these activities, as attractive as they are, require you to be stuck in your car for hours at a time.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/8892/28698804080_79ea893417_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Historic hotel with second-story patio at sunset in Flagstaff, Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/8892/28698804080_79ea893417_h.jpg" title="Historic hotel with second-story patio at sunset in Flagstaff, Arizona" width="426"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/28698804080/" target="_blank">The Weatherford Hotel</a></td></tr>
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Flagstaff’s historic downtown gives you the freedom to get out of your car, stretch your legs, and begin to acclimate yourself to more than 7,000 feet of elevation. This district’s regular grid of streets makes it easy to navigate the neighborhood, while dense, human-scaled development makes cars unnecessary to get from one hotspot to the next. Here in downtown, a new storefront opens up every few steps, from bookstores and hiking outfitters to healing crystal stores and candy shops.<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/12/downtown-flagstaff-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comFlagstaff, AZ, USA35.1982836 -111.6513019999999935.094458100000004 -111.81266349999999 35.3021091 -111.48994049999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-58052126477926414122019-12-02T12:54:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:52:00.432-07:007 Reasons Why I Love Arizona’s Boyce Thompson ArboretumI killed a jade plant within weeks of moving to Arizona three years ago.<br>
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That poor succulent never stood a chance: its pot had zero drainage, the soil wasn’t sandy enough, and, in retrospect, I was probably over-watering it. I even tried to dry it out by sticking it in the hot Phoenix sun, but that ended up burning the poor thing’s leaves.<br>
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To atone for my houseplant sins but still soak up all the whimsy and greenery that turned succulents into an interior design craze, I decided to take a daytrip a one-hour’s drive east of town to the oldest botanical garden in the state: Boyce Thompson Arboretum.<br>
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Here, I got to see tiny potted jade plants surviving—thriving, even!—as well as enormous agaves taller than I am, a menagerie of birds and butterflies, and a grove of fragrant, towering eucalyptus trees that seemed out of place in the dry, dry desert. I was hooked, and ever since that first serene visit, I’ve come back half a dozen times, bringing friends and family members to share with them why I love this arboretum.<br>
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1) It’s cool</h2>
In the desert, elevation is the name of the game if you want to avoid the heat of the summer. The arboretum sits almost 2,000 feet higher than Phoenix, so, naturally, it enjoys average temperatures that are 10 degrees lower than the state’s capital.<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/4231/35890561775_013100e82b_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunlight peeking through pinnate leaves of a mesquite tree" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/4231/35890561775_013100e82b_h.jpg" title="Sunlight peeking through pinnate leaves of a mesquite tree" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/35890561775/" target="_blank">Mesquite leaves</a></td></tr>
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When that Phoenix summer heat kicks me off of my feet in late May and June, or when I just can’t take it any longer in September, I love heading out early in the morning to the arboretum to spend some time at a higher altitude, walk beneath the shade of some trees, and finally cool off.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/1847/42895295290_0389278b57_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Golden light from sunrise illuminating a bare mountainside" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/1847/42895295290_0389278b57_h.jpg" title="Golden light from sunrise illuminating a bare mountainside" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/42895295290/" target="_blank">Picketpost Mountain at dawn</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/12/boyce-thompson-arboretum.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comBoyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 E US Highway #60, Superior, AZ 85173, United States33.2800981 -111.15904737.7580635999999963 -152.4676413 58.802132599999993 -69.8504533tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-57644248456478542262019-11-25T12:30:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:52:05.892-07:00Where to Eat in Tempe, Arizona<b>What makes Tempe, Arizona, a great destination for good eatin’?</b><br>
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This college town is home to the main campus of Arizona State University. And as you’d expect, thousands of students live here in constant need of snacks and caffeine. Tempe is situated in the core of the Phoenix metro area, which means there are plenty of older constructions with inexpensive rents that independent bars, coffee shops, or restaurants can afford. A handful of regional chain restaurants like Cornish Pasty or Pita Jungle had their start here before branching out to other cities. And Tempe sits at the gateway of the East Valley’s pan-Asian immigrant community.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48932532116_6fb1d5685e_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Trees provide shade as the sun sets over a restaurant patio in Tempe, Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48932532116_6fb1d5685e_h.jpg" title="Trees provide shade as the sun sets over a restaurant patio in Tempe, Arizona" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/48932532116/" target="_blank">The front patio of Casey Moore’s Oyster House</a></td></tr>
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I had the privilege of living in this city for three years—plenty of time to try a variety of coffee shops and restaurants in central Tempe. <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/11/what-to-do-tempe-arizona.html" target="_blank">Moving to Tempe</a> was a great introduction to Arizona for me, and while I’ve since moved across town, I’m glad I still work in Tempe and can keep going back to my old haunts on my lunch break.<br>
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Wherever I travel, I try to <a href="https://www.localfirstaz.com/why-local" target="_blank">support local, independent businesses</a> and avoid corporate chains, so this list of recommendations reflects that principle and tries to show what a unique place central Tempe is.<br>
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I’ve also focused on locations within walking distance of downtown Tempe or that you can access via public transit options like light rail, free Orbit circulator buses, or the upcoming Tempe Streetcar. Tempe is one of the few places in the Phoenix Valley where you’re not automatically forced to drive everywhere, so put on some walking shoes, work up an appetite, and enjoy your meal!<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/11/where-to-eat-tempe-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comTempe, AZ, USA33.4255104 -111.9400054000000233.2133904 -112.26272890000001 33.6376304 -111.61728190000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-13669298167694831852019-11-11T12:27:00.004-07:002021-04-29T10:52:13.716-07:00Top 10 Things to Do in Tempe, ArizonaWhat draws people to Tempe, Arizona? You might not have ever heard of this city east of Phoenix, but it’s no mere Phoenix suburb.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49008481293_fb307d8a82_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Office buildings and a mountain reflecting on a lake at sunset in Tempe, Arizona" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49008481293_fb307d8a82_h.jpg" title="Office buildings and a mountain reflecting on a lake at sunset in Tempe, Arizona" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/49008481293/" target="_blank">Downtown Tempe skyline reflected on Tempe Town Lake</a></td></tr>
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Tempe (pronounced “tem-PEE”) is home to the main campus of Arizona State University—one of the country’s largest public research universities—so you’ll often see people coming to this college town to drop off their kids at college or to attend academic conferences. Businesses like operating in a community with an educated workforce, so regional headquarters and office towers dot the city from north to south. Plus, Tempe’s location in the middle of the Phoenix metro area makes it an ideal home base for tourists exploring the region.<br>
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Folks visiting Tempe and looking for things to do will often be told to check out places technically in Phoenix or Scottsdale, like the Desert Botanical Garden, Old Town Scottsdale, or even county parks and national forests. These are all great places to go to, but…<br>
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<b>What if you wanted to do fun and interesting things while never leaving Tempe city limits?</b><br>
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There’s plenty to keep you busy within Tempe’s 40 square miles (tiny by the standards of Phoenix’s sprawling suburbs). I moved to Arizona for work in 2016 and landed in Tempe, where I made a home for myself for the first time <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2015/03/confession-why-i-cant-stay-in-spain.html" target="_blank">since moving back to the States from Spain</a>. Although I’m downtown Phoenix resident now, I was—and still am—impressed by how much there is to do in Tempe!<br>
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I hope my recommendations in this blog post inspire you to visit Tempe the next time you’re in Arizona. By sticking to activities exclusively within Tempe, you’ll have the freedom to ditch your car and explore town on foot or by bus or train. You can do everything on this list within a short walk of downtown Tempe or via a quick ride on the city’s many public transit options.<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/11/what-to-do-tempe-arizona.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comTempe, AZ, USA33.4255104 -111.9400054000000233.2133904 -112.26272890000001 33.6376304 -111.61728190000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-42952345379297046602019-11-04T11:59:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:52:20.336-07:00Making New Memories in Galveston, TexasDo you have any un-memories? Something you know that happened to you when you were really young but you don’t remember? Like meeting your great-aunt Genevieve when you were a toddler, moving across the country as a baby, or—and I’m stating the obvious here—being born.<br>
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Something I know that I’ve done before—but which I have zero memory at all of—is visiting the coastal city of <b>Galveston, Texas,</b> as a little tyke. My parents have a photo on their fireplace mantel of my dad and me at Galveston Beach, with him showing me some seashells…apparently it was my first time at the beach, ever.<br>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47998206197_07e80c2465_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Gray building with red windows in Galveston, Texas" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47998206197_07e80c2465_h.jpg" title="Gray building with red windows in Galveston, Texas" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47998206197/" target="_blank">Historic building in the Strand</a></td></tr>
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But I have zero memory of this seashell encounter ever happening, so when I went “back” to this gorgeous city southeast of <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/08/what-to-eat-in-houston.html" target="_blank">Houston</a> over Memorial Day weekend, it really was like seeing it for the first time.<br>
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I loved taking a daytrip to this historic Gulf Coast city, where I made “new” memories by exploring some historic districts, appreciating excellent architecture, and enjoying fresh seafood. Galveston’s collection of decades-old commercial buildings and stately homes really surprised me, as I grew up in a state that is mainly known for its unsustainable suburban sprawl. Read on to learn what makes Galveston so memorable!<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/11/galveston-texas.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comGalveston, TX, USA29.3013479 -94.79769579999998528.8579479 -95.44314279999999 29.7447479 -94.152248799999981tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-35734451269758308432019-09-13T12:22:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:52:25.665-07:00Photo Post: The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989825073_9b60c86ee8_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Residential street with large oak trees creating a canopy overhead" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989825073_9b60c86ee8_h.jpg" title="Residential street with large oak trees creating a canopy overhead" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47989825073/" target="_blank">Sul Ross Street</a></td></tr>
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I spent three years living and working in Spain as an <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/p/auxiliares.html" target="_blank">English language assistant</a>, which meant I had to travel from <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2016/05/things-to-do-in-dallas.html" target="_blank">Dallas</a> down to Houston three summers in a row to <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2012/08/how-to-apply-for-student-visa-for-spain.html" target="_blank">apply for a student visa to live in Spain</a>. After my third and final trip to the Spanish consulate, I played tourist for a bit and visited the Menil Collection, an art museum not too far from the Hostelling International hostel in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989810543_3f518b794e_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Museum hallway with plain white walls and curved ceiling tiles letting sunlight in" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989810543_3f518b794e_h.jpg" title="Museum hallway with plain white walls and curved ceiling tiles letting sunlight in" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47989810543/" target="_blank">Main hallway</a></td></tr>
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This free museum hiding amongst the shade trees of Montrose redeemed my nerve-wracking visit to the consulate and filled some time before I had to take the Megabus back to Dallas. When <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/08/what-to-eat-in-houston.html" target="_blank">I returned to Houston for a proper visit</a> this Memorial Day, the Menil was at the top of my list.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989809438_697edbb1dc_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Modern art-style mobile featuring multiple black triangles, hanging from the ceiling" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989809438_697edbb1dc_h.jpg" title="Modern art-style mobile featuring multiple black triangles, hanging from the ceiling" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47989809438/" target="_blank">Alexander Calder mobile</a></td></tr>
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This minimalist museum is only one floor tall, which helps it blend into the neighborhood of single-family houses. Inside, concrete louvers in the ceiling let natural sunlight filter in—while keeping out the worst of that hot Texas sun. The museum’s small, but broad, collection of art spans the centuries, from ancient Greek civilization to modern art, and from North America clear across to Africa. There’s a special focus on surrealism here, especially works by Henri Matisse.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989881011_892e626904_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="White magnolia flower with dark green leaves with light circles of bokeh behind" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989881011_892e626904_h.jpg" title="White magnolia flower with dark green leaves with light circles of bokeh behind" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47989881011/" target="_blank">Magnolia in bloom</a></td></tr>
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The whole experience continues outside, where venerable oak trees extend their boughs across the streets and magnolias offer nooks to lean up against and read a book beneath their flowers. Plus, most of the houses and bungalows that surround the museum were bought up and painted a warm gray, creating a uniform look for the entire museum campus.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989838202_eea668aa11_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Two-story brick house with gray walls and white trim" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47989838202_eea668aa11_h.jpg" title="Two-story brick house with gray walls and white trim" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47989838202/" target="_blank">Gray house</a></td></tr>
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<h2>
How to get there</h2>
The Menil Collection is located on 1533 Sul Ross Street in Houston’s hip Montrose neighborhood, just west of St. Thomas University. Because it’s only six (shaded) blocks south of all the action on Westheimer Road, I recommend taking the 82 bus from downtown along Westheimer and walking here; alternatively, you could ride the Red Line light rail south to Wheeler Station and transfer to the 25 bus that runs along Richmond Avenue to the south.<br />
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For more information, <a href="https://www.menil.org/" target="_blank">visit the museum’s website</a>.<br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comHouston, TX, USA29.7604267 -95.369802828.8787477 -96.6606963 30.6421057 -94.0789093tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-23562902235000697242019-09-04T12:07:00.002-07:002021-04-29T10:52:32.318-07:00Photo Post: The San Jacinto Monument near Houston, Texas<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47997814832_36ec2f787b_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Art Deco-style stone column with a star on top seen through tree branches" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47997814832_36ec2f787b_h.jpg" title="Art Deco-style stone column with a star on top seen through tree branches" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47997814832/" target="_blank">Monument through the trees</a></td></tr>
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“Remember the Alamo!”<br>
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Nearly every Texan is familiar with this battle cry from the Texas Revolution that refers back to the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 at modern-day San Antonio. Today, the Spanish mission of the Alamo is a major tourist destination not only for its historic Spanish Colonial architecture but also as a pilgrimage destination for Texans of all ages.<br>
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But as all fourth- and seventh-graders learn in Texas history class, the Texan rebels actually <i>lost</i> the Battle of the Alamo (and most of the defenders perished in combat). It wasn’t until one month later—at the Battle of San Jacinto near modern-day Houston—that they defeated the Mexican Army and gained independence from Mexico.<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/09/san-jacinto-monument.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.com1 Monument Cir, La Porte, TX 77571, USA29.750002944406038 -95.08067102719724129.743109944406037 -95.090756027197244 29.75689594440604 -95.070586027197237tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6476424494521279096.post-63921733233261533902019-08-27T12:56:00.003-07:002021-04-29T10:52:37.773-07:005 Cuisines to Taste in Houston, TexasThe city of Houston on the Gulf Coast of Texas is tightly intertwined with the three years I was able to spend living and working in Spain. As a resident of Texas, I was required to make the journey to <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2012/08/how-to-apply-for-student-visa-for-spain.html" target="_blank">the Spanish consulate in Houston</a> to formally submit my application for a visa that would let me live in the country during the upcoming school year. But because I wasn’t able to renew my legal status during the summers I spent back home in Dallas, I had to return to Houston not once, but twice, to do the same thing, all over again. Safe to say, I got to know the Megabus route and the Hostelling International hostel fairly well.<br>
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These brief, bureaucratic business trips left much to be desired, apart from a visit to <a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2014/09/photo-space-race-houston.html" target="_blank">see a Saturn V rocket</a> out on the bay. Yet this vast city (the fourth biggest in the U.S.) has one of the best restaurant scenes in the country, with multiple culinary influences all contributing flavors, ingredients, methods, and more. In fact, the greater Houston metropolitan area is <a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-houston-diversity-2017-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">the most diverse place in the country</a>.<br>
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So when my friend Michael and I decided to fly from Arizona to visit his hometown for Memorial Day this year, I was excited to have a chance to appreciate what makes H-town a special place: its rich variety of regional and international cuisines.<br>
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<h2>
1) Cajun</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47988641963_72d02a5b62_h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Po’boy sandwich with fried crawfish and pickles with a side of hushpuppies" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47988641963_72d02a5b62_h.jpg" title="Po’boy sandwich with fried crawfish and pickles with a side of hushpuppies" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrariguy90/47988641963/" target="_blank">Crawfish po’boy at Cajun Stop</a></td></tr>
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You’ll cross the Texas–Louisiana border after driving only a little more than 100 miles from Houston. Next-door Louisiana is where you can find the unique and lively Cajun culture, known for (among other things) a delicious regional cuisine. It shouldn’t be surprising then, that the Cajun influence extends down the Gulf into Houston; after all, many folks from southern Louisiana migrated here for work in the 20th century or resettled here in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.<br>
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The owners of Cajun Stop are a few such Katrina refugees who moved to Houston, setting up shop in the shadow of two busy downtown freeways. In addition to your typical po’boy sandwiches like fried shrimp or crawfish (pictured above), they also serve up earthy gumbo stew, fried chicken, hushpuppies—the works.<br>
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<b><a href="https://thecajunstop.ordersnapp.com/home" target="_blank">Cajun Stop</a></b> (2130 Jefferson Street)<br>
<a href="https://www.trevorhuxham.com/2019/08/what-to-eat-in-houston.html#more">keep reading...</a>Trevor Huxhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00755537526611087409noreply@blogger.comHouston, TX, USA29.7604267 -95.369802828.8787477 -96.6606963 30.6421057 -94.0789093