At last, I had the opportunity to travel this weekend, an activity that has escaped many of us this past year. The trip was a short one. But a welcome chance to visit somewhere different with an overnight stay in Flagstaff. It is only a two-hour drive from North Scottsdale to Flagstaff, Arizona, but it is a world away in character.
For those of you that think of Arizona only as a hot, dry, dusty desert you will be surprised to know that the State of Arizona is truly a place of environmental contrasts. While southern Arizona resides predominantly in the Sonoran Desert, northern Arizona is a land of pine forests, high mountains, and of course the Grand Canyon, one of the world's natural wonders.
The City of Flagstaff lies at approximately 7,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in North America. Flagstaff is at the same time, one of the sunniest and snowiest cities in the United States.
The reason for my visit to Flagstaff was for the wedding of two dear friends. The young couple had planned to be married in April of 2020, but as we all know the pandemic brought the world to a halt. The venue where the couple had booked their wedding, a country club in Flagstaff, closed and they were forced to postpone their nuptials to a later time. A year later in April 2021, the couple was able to finally have the wedding of their dreams.
On this beautiful April day, with the temperature hovering around 70 degrees and a clear blue sky. We gathered at the Forest Highlands Golf Club, a historic golf club and residential community, amidst the green grass and tall pine trees with a spectacular view of Humphreys Peak. Humphreys Peak is the highest natural point state of Arizona with an elevation of 12,637 feet. A full mile higher than the city of Flagstaff.
As you can see from the picture Humphreys Peak still had quite a bit of snow, which many years lasts all year long.
Flagstaff offers wonderful hiking, skiing, golf, and a fun historic downtown with quirky souvenir shops and dining options to meet anyone’s tastes.
One of the wonderful things about living in Arizona is that you can choose your environment. cactus, desert, mountain, forest, you name it. All these choices within just a few hours ride.
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