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I took a few days off last week in hopes of trading in the cold weather for a little bit of the Grand Canyon state’s warmth and sunshine.
Turns out it was a little warmer than expected here for this early in March, but I had no problem finding lots of sunshine and mountains — and even John McCain — during what has turned into my annual winter escape to Arizona.
I love Wells County and Indiana, but if I were to ever move anyplace else in the United States it would be to Arizona. I can even tell you where: Tucson.
I fell in love with the southwest and Arizona when I spent a semester studying at The University of Arizona in Tucson in the spring of 2003, and ever since then, it has become one of my favorite places to visit.
The scenery is stunning. In Tucson, for example, you can be walking in the desert, surrounded by Saguaro cactuses, sand, rocks and mountains, but hop in your car and 30 minutes later be at the top of Mount Lemmon and see snow on the ground. Mountains, canyons and cactuses have always fascinated me ... probably because I grew up in the Midwest around just the opposite — corn fields, hills and flat ground.
If you’ve never visited Arizona, I would highly recommend it, especially in the winter months. It is hot in the summers, but not worse than a humid Indiana July afternoon in which you stick to everything you touch.
For an outdoor enthusiast, Arizona is a dream come true. There is always some place new to explore, whether it be a stroll through the desert or a hike in one of the state’s many canyons. My friends from college still live in Arizona, and we try to find a new place to explore each time I visit.
Our latest trip took us to the Aravaipa Canyon, located about 50 miles northeast of Tucson. We spent the first day hiking through the canyon and marveling at is idyllic cliffs. The canyon runs through the northern end of the Galiuro Mountains and is a federal wilderness area, which means visitors need to get a permit prior to visiting.
There was no marked trail in the canyon, so we hiked along the stream for seven or eight hours and explored a few side canyons. I think we were in the stream more than we were on dry land, as we had to cross multiple times. The creek flows year round — quite an amazing sight for being in the midst of the desert. You see plenty of cactuses along the way, but also sycamore, ash, cottonwood and willow trees — all in the Sonoran Desert!
Officials only allow 50 people a day to visit the canyon, but we saw more planes (six) in the sky than people (two) on the ground during our 12-mile trip. It was a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
The following day, however, we were back in Tucson at the University of Arizona for a basketball game at the McKale Center. My friend and I have an annual tradition of attending at least one UA basketball game each season. We began last year and lucked out by being at the best game of the season when the Wildcats defeated UCLA 84-72.
If you follow Pac-10 basketball at all, you probably know that Arizona has struggled this year as the school’s new coach (Sean Miller from Xavier) tries to rebuild the program following the Lute Olson era. We were hoping for a good game but didn’t think it would be as spectacular as last year.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Turns out we once again attended what I believe was the best game of the season, as the Wildcats defeated USC 86-84 in double overtime when senior Nic Wise made the game-winning lay-up with 1.5 seconds left. Unfortunately, Arizona lost to UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament quarterfinals, which means the Wildcats will not make the NCAA tournament this year for the first time in a quarter of a century — the end of a national streak.
We were in the midst of watching the game when we happened to see John McCain running across the floor to his courtside seat, carrying a hotdog and a Coke. We could see the Arizona senator and former GOP presidential candidate from our seats without binoculars, along with his wife. McCain sat next to newly elected Sen. Scott Brown from Massachusetts, who now holds the office Ted Kennedy had for so long.
I thought about trying to make my way down after the game to see if he had a few minutes to speak with a News-Banner reporter, but McCain and Brown left for a campaign rally before I could get down. I would have even offered to buy McCain another hot dog!
It was a great trip, but I also discovered that some cities in Arizona are facing the same — if not worse — budget problems than we have in Indiana.
As I read a story about Chandler — a suburb of Phoenix — I learned the city may have to cut $49 million from its budget unless voters authorize a budget override in May. Apparently city residents vote on the override every four years, which allows city officials to exceed expenditure caps enacted in 1979. Voters have OK’d the measure every election since then but there are some worries this year because of ongoing economic concerns. If it fails, the city’s proposed budget for 2010-2011 would be capped at 1979 levels. That’s a scary thought for any city or organization.
Indiana’s not alone in its fiscal crunch but we still have serious concerns about the decisions voters will be forced to make in November regarding writing permanent property tax caps into our state constitution. But, we’ll save that topic for another day.
In the meantime, consider a trip to the southwest when you plan your next vacation. You won’t regret the experience!
by JUSTIN PEEPER
jdpeeper2@hotmail.com
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