Prescott, Arizona: “Everybody’s Hometown”.

Ok, first things first: it's pronounced "Preskett" (press-skit). That’s how you say it in Arizona, and anyone who pronounces it the grammatically correct way (“Press-scott”) will be immediately outed as an obvious “you ain’t from around here”. You see, apparently, the town settlers wanted to sound as “western” as possible, so they purposely mispronounced the …

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Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.

Located along Highway 89, approximately 2 miles south of the small town of Yarnell, Arizona, sits the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park. It’s a unique state park, dedicated as a memorial site to a mass tragedy. On June 30, 2013, 19 members of the 20-man Granite Mountain Hotshots died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. …

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McDowell Sonoran Conservancy: Tom’s Thumb Trail.

Located in the McDowell Mountains in the upper Sonoran Desert, right outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, sits the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy; an independent, nonprofit conservation. Created in 1991, it’s a massive area of around 30,580-acres, making it the largest urban preserve in the entire United States. The conservancy was birthed in 1990 by 13 preservationists and …

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Jerome, Arizona: “Too Strong to Die”.

Perched high within the Black Hills, inside the Prescott National Forest, sits a town famous among both ghost hunters and “Wild West” fanatics. Located about 2 hours north of Phoenix, and 1 hour, 20 minutes south of Flagstaff, there are many things to do and see in Jerome. Established in 1876, it was once the …

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I Left my Heart and Soul in Sedona.

Sedona, Arizona is one of the few places that both struck and stayed with me, aside from Montana (Montana: The Most Beautiful State in America.) and Estonia (Tallinn, Estonia: The Friendly Russia.). Many people have similar experiences at Sedona, which is likely due to the alleged vortexes and ley lines that run throughout the area. …

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