Arizona Drives Make National Geographic Traveler Magazine

Photograph submitted to My Shot by Irina Smirnova

When I was a kid in Chicago we religiously took the annual family vacation to St. Louis.  It’s only a three-hour drive, but based on the sights it seemed much longer.  To pass the time, my mother would suggest that we look out the window and yell out what we saw.  Our endless responses of, “Cornfield, telephone pole, cornfield drove my father to respond … “New game!”

Since moving to the Southwest, I no longer find that game as boring or repetitive because we are surrounded and blessed with amazing scenery at all view points.  It seems that National Geographic Traveler magazine agrees and has chosen three Arizona drives as part of their 50 “Drives of a Lifetime.”

The New Old West Arizona
This 160-mile route ventures southeast to Tucson, through Patagonia and Sonoita, Kartchner Caverns, Tombstone and Bisbee.

The Four Corners
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah
This 525-mile drive can not be appreciated at 65 miles per hour.  Take two days at least to see what took thousands of years to create.

Navajo and Hopi Lands
Northeastern Arizona
This 425-mile loop route runs from Tuba City northeast to Kayenta, southeast to Canyon de Chelly, south to Ganado, then west back to Tuba City. Highlights include various Native American attractions and national park sites.

I guess sometimes it’s the journey, sometimes it’s the destination—and sometimes, it’s both.