Eric Jay Toll

Looking back on the day
“There are so many weird sights, it really keeps the kids’ interest,” Randall was saying as he sat back in a camp chair at his Texas Spring campsite near Furnace Creek, California, U.S. “The dunes, the zebra mountains, walking on salt, Death Valley National Park has something each one of our kids has liked the best.”
Gwen mopped her brow against the evening warmth and passed some instructions to the kids on their way to wash the dinner dishes at the outdoor sinks a few...

George Washington slept here. So did Abraham Lincoln. And Clark Gable, John Wayne and JFK.

Kids just squeal with delight: “It’s like pouring chocolate milk into the river!” It’s Willy Wonka at his best magic.
Chocolate Waterfalls
The “Chocolate Waterfalls,” actually Grand Falls, Arizona, is located in the Leupp Chapter of the Navajo Nation, about 30 miles northeast of Flagstaff. While it is an adventure to get there, it’s well-worth the effort to see a unique, natural phenomena. It’s a 90-minute roundtrip from Interstate 40 at Winona. Grand Falls Arizona is not that far from Grand ...

“There’s almost nothing like the moment you’re able to take home your first paycheck from the store,” Amy Wulfert reminisces. She’s talking at the front desk in Hair of the Dog, a dog-grooming parlor in Scottsdale. “It took me about three years to get to that point. Three years of hard work, being there every day, and working with a good staff.”

The neighborhood shopping center Hair of the Dog calls home is an L-shaped complex anchored by Safeway. Several empty bays dot the property, but the ...

Why Road Tripping to Valley of the Gods Is a Must Do

It’s just a simple non-descript green highway sign on U.S. 163 in southeastern Utah near Mexican Hat: “Valley of the Gods.” Pointing to the edge of the road, it appears to plop vehicles off the side of the road into Lime Creek.

Not a national monument or park, Valley of the Gods is publicly-managed Bureau of Land Management territory in a setting surrounded by four national monuments, two national and Utah state parks, and the Glen Canyon N...

The air is still while the billowing cumulus clouds contrast white against an azure sky over the Tucson Mountains.
The quiet is broken with the distant sound of children giggling and shouting, horses snorting, and the readying clump of horses into the soft Sonoran Desert sand.
At the far end of the arena, some longhorn cattle are clustered together watched over by a professional wrangler.
The music blares, the announcer roars enthusiastically, and a young rider heads into the arena to cut a c...

Virtually every evening, the sun paints the Phoenix sky in fire. Hues rise from the horizon in whites and yellows, pinks and oranges, and reds, darkening into purples and indigo. See one of the sunsets and you're amazed, see two, you're hooked. The fiery spectacle at day's end is one reason... So started the cover story for Planning Magazine's annual conference issue about host city, Phoenix.

C’mon! You know the words, “…standin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, what a fine sight to see…it’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me.” They pop into mind just seeing the “Winslow AZ, 1 mile” sign on Interstate 40. At least the Eagles’ song will divert music memories from “get your kicks on Route 66” or the kids asking, “are we there yet?”
“Take It Easy,” by the Eagles, “(Get Your Kicks) On Route 66,” from Nat King Cole, and Nelson Riddle’s theme for the ...

One quarter of all Americans think that the Grand Canyon is near Las Vegas, and not in Arizona, making the mistake of adding hours and boredom in getting to one of the most beautiful places on earth. Flying into the Grand Canyon State makes it possible to see any of seven different national monuments on the road from PHX to the Grand Canyon National Park.
Agua Fria National Monument, Black Canyon City, Arizona
Agua Fria National Monument. 45 minutes north of Phoenix, I-17 exits 256, 259 or Co...

Stand in four states at the same time – Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Four Corners Monument, officially, Four Corners Navajo Tribal Park, may be the only place in the world where four states, provinces or countries meet at the exact same point.
It’s what’s found at Four Corners Navajo Tribal Park. The park entrance fee is high, because it’s based on $5 per person over age 6. It’s worth it for the photo opportunity. Make this an #AmericanBucketList places to visit.
Four Corners Navaj...

Huzzah! In Spring, Arizona won’t turn the clocks to daylight savings time. The Phoenix area turns it back 450 years for the Renaissance Festival.
Festival time in perfect Arizona spring weather
Every February through April, it’s Arizona Renaissance Festival time. The event displaces the Sonoran Desert with an Elizabethan Village.
In 2018 it turns 30-years-old. The fair takes place at a 17th century “village” east of Gold Canyon, Arizona. The time warp into the past is about a 45 minute-drive ...

June 17, the adventure begins. The road ahead is 4,248 miles of planned travel. The plans to see 99 sights making the American West beautiful takes 24 days from Phoenix until the return July 11. A family visit in Port Townsend, Washington, has a June 29 arrival date; another such...

Maps are spread across the countertop on the kitchen island. The computer screen is too small to see all the details. The first phase of the trip, from Sonoran Desert to Sierra Nevada is all set. The route locked in. The accommodations are falling into place. The question – then...

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