Tucson, Arizona
We finally were on our way to Arizona as our family flew from Baltimore, Maryland with a stop at the airport in Dallas, Texas, for our next flight. Then, after a couple hours flight we would be in Tucson, Arizona where we would be staying. After arriving at the airport in Tucson, Arizona, we drove to my Grandparents’ house for our stay. The next morning we toured the city of Tucson, we drove through the city and up to the mountains that surround the city. Stone rails were built on the mountains so that you wouldn’t fall off the sides. At some areas there were wreckages of old cars that had tumbled off the side of the mountain. Also, in some areas, you can look out and see all of the city of Tucson. Camping grounds are set up all through the mountains for people who like to have a picnic or hike the trails. I thought the view was great, but it must have taken an hour just to get back to the bottom of the mountain.

Southern Arizona
Next we visited the Tucson Air Museum that opened in 1976, and is one of the world’s largest aerospace museums. It has over 250 aircraft, including planes from every single war, including the world’s smallest airplane. The air planes are kept outside and surrounded by barb wired fences. Also, there are memorials of war pilots who died in combat. My favorite part about it was that you could actually go into one of a past president’s plane and see where the president slept, ate, and worked on the flight. At the end of the weekend, before our trip to northern Arizona, we took a trip to Tombstone. Tombstone is an old western town in southern Arizona. Today, tombstone is still standing and there are many fun things to see like plays, the Boot Hill cemetery where over 250 Tombstone citizens where buried, and the main town itself. We went when they were remembering the Earp brothers who were part of a famous gun fight that only lasted 15 seconds. There were plays and banners, and tons of tourists. The plays were free, but you have to pay to see the reenactment of the famous gun fight. You can also pay to ride around town in a horse and buggy. After the fun day was over we headed back to our Grandparents’ house to start packing for our trip up north. We quickly got ready for a trip to northern Arizona and southern Utah.

Indian Ruins
On our way to the Grand Canyon we stopped at an old Indian civilization called Montezuma castle which is an old Indian fortress built out of the side of a mountain. It is one of the most preserved Indian buildings in the United States and was built around 1100 A.D. There is a river running near the fort so the Indians could have easy access to water. Tuzigoot was the next site we visited and is similar to Montezuma, in fact, they were the same tribe, the Sinagua Indians, and it was built around the same time. They built a group of homes on top of a mountain in northern Arizona that measures 500 feet
long and 100 feet wide and could house around 200 people. After we visited both these sights it was getting dark and we quickly headed toward Sedona.

Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is known as one of the most beautiful places in the world. Sedona is mostly made of red rock and pine trees. There is Oak Creek Canyon where there is a creek that people slide down for fun. Most of that day, we looked at Sedona’s huge, red rocks, and some of the resorts in Sedona. In the afternoon we looked at some Indian jewelry that was for sale. The next afternoon we shopped at the main shopping center and ate a big diner. After two nights in Sedona we headed toward the most famous tourist attraction, the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon
When we were almost to the Grand Canyon we stopped to see a rare buffalo species called the White Buffalo. They are so rare, that on that farm is the only place you get to see them. Soon the buffalo will be put on another farm where no one will be able to see them. When that was done we climbed into the car and continued toward the Grand Canyon. After we checked in at the hotel we climb back into the car and drove to a parking lot that you are required to park in. On the way there we saw a lot of tourist helicopters that flew you around the canyon. When we parked we hopped onto a trolley (that runs on natural gas so as not to pollute the canyon). We arrived at a plaza that overlooks the canyon it included the Grand Canyon Hotel and several gift shops. When you first look down into the Grand Canyon you feel dizzy and light headed, you feel like your legs will go out from under you. Theodore Roosevelt said the Grand Canyon is the most impressive piece of scenery he has ever looked at. Far below, there are trails branching out and you can actually see dots slowly moving which are people. At one point, down below, there is an old deserted mill and an old mine. At some points you can see the Colorado River snaking its way through the canyon. Watch your step; some places don’t have any rails at all, so stay away from the edge. Towards the end of the day we went to some gift shops and a fancy lodge that looked like a huge log cabin with taxidermy and a gift shop. At one gift shop there was a thick book called Deaths of the Grand Canyon that has all kinds of suicides and people that were found after being lost. Across from the lodge there was an Indian gift shop and that looked like a big clay hut. The location that these places were built on is neat, because it’s built on a cliff that you can look over the Grand Canyon! The deer have no fear at the Grand Canyon, because you are not allowed to hunt deer or any other animal. So, during the evening when the deer come out they’re not afraid of people at all.

Utah
After Grand Canyon we drove up to Utah to see more national parks. Our first stop was Brice Canyon which looks like giant sand castles that are orange and though not as big as the Grand Canyon, it sure is a lot prettier. At Rainbow Point you can see for miles across Brice Canyon. Next was Arches National Park in southern Utah, where there are cool looking rocks and a lot of arches. My favorites were the Double Arch and the famous Delicate Arch that measures 45 feet high and 33 feet wide and is believed to be formed by wind and rain erosion. This is another great place to do hiking. Before we turned around to go to Phoenix, we visited Zion National Park. Zion has a tunnel that is cut into a mountain for about a quarter of a mile and after that there is a winding road called Walter Wiggles that was built by a man named Walter Ruesch and if you look down you can see the whole road. Many hikers hike the long and winding road. Our last stop in Utah was Monument Valley. Monument Valley is own by a tribe of Indians called the Navajo. A month after the trip, our neighbor in Pennsylvania, had her adopted grandchildren who live in the Navajo territory over to stay for a couple of weeks. The kids’ father works as a principle in a Navajo school. There were a few western movies made in Monument Valley. I thought it was boring, there were nothing but rocks, rocks, and more rocks.

Phoenix, Arizona
Traveling to Phoenix was long and boring, we had to pass through nothing but Navajo reservation that stretched for hundreds of miles, and it took over a half day until we were finally out of the reservations. We finally turned around and headed for my friend’s house in Phoenix. They have a pet Black Widow Spider that they keep (Black Widow Spiders are much bigger there than they are in Pennsylvania). I was bitten on the foot by a fire ant these flaming devils’ sting is horrible and incredibly powerful for their size and is dangerous in large numbers. We went to the Phoenix Zoo filled with animals from all around the world. The Phoenix Zoo has the only exhibit that you can go in the cage with the monkeys. The environment is great for the animals from warmer parts of the world.

More in Southern Arizona and Mexico
We returned to Tucson for some more sight seeing before we had to head back home to Pennsylvania. We visited the Tucson Desert Museum that opened in 1952 where there are all the animals and plants you can find around Arizona. Bring a water bottle to the
museum, because you’re walking outdoors a lot of the time. Then, we went to the Titan Missile Museum that opened in 1986. It is the only museum in the world that has a Titan Missile. You can learn how the people that ran it lived, and see the control room and the missile itself. For our final trip we went toward Mexico, but first before going across the border we went to Sanxier Monastery. In there are beautiful pictures drawn on the wall. The monastery was built in the 1690s and was later owned by the Franciscan Catholics. Our last trip was to Mexico, there wasn’t a whole lot to see, there were busses that brought back Mexicans that tried slipping across the border. The town was full of sellers that would actually drag you into there shops to look at there items. A few days before we left we went in search of a deserted, small ghost town. We found it and it turned out to be just a few little shops set up. The past settlers that lived there worked in mines a couple of miles from the town. Before we headed back home the border control went whizzing by to pick up some Mexicans to take back across the border, they had a cage in the back of the truck big enough to fit at least three people. Traveling back to Tucson, we saw a dirt devil, dirt devils are like little tornados that pick dirt to make them visible. They’re not that harmful, in fact the people out there don’t seem to notice them. We spent the rest of our vacation in Tucson just relaxing from all the running. A few days later we flew back to Pennsylvania. Our vacation was fun, and soon I hope, we can return and see more sights that we didn’t see like: Sunset Crater, the Petrified Forest, and the London Bridge.

A Brief History of Arizona
Arizona was first owned by two main Indian types, the Apache and Navajo.
Later, Spain conquered lower Mexico and western United States. In 1835, Texas formed a rebellion to become part of the United States. During that period there was a famous battle at a old mission called the Alamo when part of a rag tag army of pioneers and Mexicans fought against the army of Santa Anna and were assassinated for there efforts. In the battle great men like David Crocket and Jim Bowe who were killed. In 1846, the Mexican War began when Spain tried to win back Texas. The United States’ army quickly fought for Texas and in 1848 the United States’ army conquered Mexico City which ended the war. Famous future generals like Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas Jackson, and George McClellan fought during the Mexican War and later the Civil War. Soon after, Mexico signed the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty that gave the United States Arizona, New Mexico, some of Colorado, Wyoming, and all of California. In 1853 Mexico sold the United States a purchase called the Gadsden Purchase (bottom of Arizona and New Mexico) for 10 million dollars.

Trouble for United States was not over when troops returned to the eastern part of the country to fight in the Civil War. The Apache Indians attacked the settlers. The Indians were later put on reservations, but one Apache named Geronimo and his men resisted and attacked the settlers until General George Crook and his troops forced Geronimo to surrender and to be put onto reservations. Around the same time the fight at the O.K. Corral happened that I wrote about in my story above, when I visited Tombstone.

In 1912, Arizona officially joined the United State as the 48th state and in 1917. The Arizona flag was adopted. The red and gold rays represent the original colonies and also the western sun setting, the copper star was put there since most of the mines in Arizona are copper, and the blue on the bottom of the flag represents liberty. Famous Hoover Dam was finished in 1936 and after World War II Arizona grew rapidly and is now one of the fastest growing states.

In England, in 1962, the London Bridge (that was built in 1831) was beginning to become unstable. The British government put the famous bridge up for sale and a man named Robert McCulloch, who was the founder of Lake Havasu City, Arizona bought the bridge for $2,460,000. The bridge was taken apart piece by piece then was sent 100,000 across sea to Long Beach, California. It was then hauled the rest of the way to Lake Havasu City and they began rebuilding on September 23, 1968 (the Lord Mayor of England laid the cornerstone) and the bridge was finished on October 10, 1971. Now thousands of people come every year to see the bridge.

During the Cold War (mid- 1940s to the end of the 1980s), a few miles south of Tucson one of 54 Titian Missile sights were built to fire upon the enemy by the President’s command. In less than five minutes the missiles would be fired and in thirty
five minutes the missile would hit its destination. After the war the missiles were deactivated and in 1986 the Titan Missile Museum opened. Today you can visit the museum and go into the control room and see a close view of the missile itself. More than 900,000 visitors have visited the museum since its opening date.

Arizona Fun and Fast Facts
Capital- Phoenix
Nickname- The Grand Canyon State
Bird- the Cactus Wren
Flower- Saguaro Blossom
Tree- the Paloverde (green stick)
Main Indian Tribe- Navajo
State Gemstone- Turquoise
State Fossil- Petrified Wood
State Fish- Apache (Arizona trout)
State Mammal- The Ringed Tailed Cat
State Reptile- Ridge-Nosed Rattle Snake
State Amphibian- Tree Frog
Arizona is 114,007 square miles and is the sixth largest state.
Arizona was the 48th state.
Three fourths of Arizona’s population is around the Phoenix and Tucson area.

Some Animals That You Can Spot in Arizona
Coyote
Prairie dog
Roadrunner
Cactus Wren
Quail
Lots of lizards
Rattle snakes
Antelope and Deer
Jack Rabbits
Mountain Lions
Tarantula
Javelina
Kangaroo Rat
Gila Monster