Other places in the West

Just a FULL day's drive from this --->




















Valley of the Gods, Southern Utah





Death Valley, California
(not far from Las Vegas)



Extremely beautiful, highly under-rated Dante's View

Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater is so big,
it is known simply as ''Meteor Crater'.
In the 50's and 60's, NASA used the site for practicing for the moon's craters. You can see the fenced-off camp at the base with a wooden cutout of a 6 foot-tall astronaut (he's on the right -hand side next to the US flag in the second picture)

That's how freaking big this hole is!!!

Out in the middle of flat, extra-arid land just east of B.F.E on US40. An amazing, baffling land feature found in few other places on earth and none with the same magnitude and quality.

see the astonaut??? (click to view larger)
John Funk vs. Giant Hole

Fish Creek Canyon

Top 5 Arizona Spot *****
along the Apache Trail (State Route 88), Fish Creek Canyon is freakin' awesome

A vast array of desert flora and colors

More info on Apache Trail

Ruins

Montezuma's Castle - Central AZ, north of Verde Valley
a nice little 5 story condo perched high above Beaver Run the REAL Montezuma never came with in 500 miles of; no doubt, a party pad!
Stop by Cliff Castle Casino on your way there and try your luck

800 years or so old, you can tell it was an ok place to live but you can't get too close to it...





... not like at....

Casa Grande Ruins, Coolidge, AZ

older, bigger - yeah it needs to be sheltered from weather and sun, and there's a WalMart across the street scaring all the coyotes away, thus allowing the ground squirrels to tunnel uncontrolled threatening the welfare of the ruins... at least there's 200+ year old graffitti


The Big House cannot be entered, you can walk right up to it, though!
The surrounding parts of the village CAN be entered - check out Manny Stiles with John Funk inside of what was obviously a music studio---->

Casa Grande comes fairly recommended to check out at least once...

MEK in Sedona - once again

Here I am in Sedona, again... Cathedral Rock just above Crescent Moon Picnic Area in the cloudy background - up there

Chillin' on a rock at Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon - up the road from Sedona - down there

Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ

If you like deserts, plants or desert plants...
Desert Botanical Garden is the place for you

Note: this picture of me taking a picture - see the 'Phoenix Cloud' over the Papagos (the mountains in the background that looks like piles of cow dung)

I live about 2 miles from the Papagos, see them every day, have climbed them manny times and I am still intrigued the same... they have a very mystical aura about them that can be felt in your being and essence.

More on the Papagos later!

At the DBG
You may even see a Desert Tortoise!





(one time we even encountered a snake!)

The Butterfly Exhibit(going on right now) is exquisite!!!
I might be a poet, but
I am not a pussy and I LOVE the butterfly exhibit.

Yeah, that's me out there

Moran Point, South Rim, Grand Canyon, Arizona U.S.A.

Manny Stiles' Guide to Arizona

I've been to 44 states. Grew up on the East Coast in SE Pennsylvania, but I moved to Arizona 5 years ago. But, I know my Arizona. These are my pictures and stories!


Manny Stiles - Guide to Arizona!

World's Tallest Fountain

That's me at Fountain Hills, AZ during sunset.

Here's a Random take on the World's Highest Fountain

"It looks like a hand"

Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing;
Crescent Moon State Park,
Sedona, Az

.....click pictures to enlarge

The first time I saw Cathedral Rock, I made the mistake of mentioning a few dozen too many times that it looked like a hand. SO every time we've visited since it is repeatedly quoted "Hey, it looks like a hand!"

Another highly underated scenic spot in Arizona

Canyon de Chelly, Navajo Reservation, NE Arizona

Monument Valley

Run, Forrest, Run!!!

Monument Valley - on the border of Arizona and Utah in Navajo Country is some of the most amazing buttes, mesas, columns and spires in WORLD, let alone Arizona. There are paths leading through and in between the formations such as the 'mittens'; but it is almost all unpaved roads and on the Navajo Reservation, so expect to pay the locals some dough for the priviledge of trodding on their sacred grounds.
Don't even dream of taking pictures of an actual Navajo Indian - photographs are considered evil to these people (unless you slip them some cash first, of course). There are stories of some Navajos walking in front of tourist's cameras then demanding payment for their 'services'.
Now, I respect 'the people' enough to not take their picture. I learned this after trying to take a picture of a VERY old (looked at least 105 years old) Navajo woman years ago. I tried to talk with her as she was very interesting to me and probably had many stories to tell, but she didn't talk to me. She saw me with the camera and shied away, so I attempted to 'steal' a picture of her when she wasn't looking. Well, I took 8 pictures or so of her and she hid her face EVERY time, then when I was out of film she gave me this look like she was cursing me with every ounce of her being, I was bugged out all day waiting for ill deeds to happen to me... nothing happened, but I still feel bad for harassing the old lady...obviously!

If you do visit Monument Valley and have a little extra time, wander up a bit into Utah and see Valley of the gods. It's a few miles past Mexican Hat, on a dirt road with SPECTACULAR views, you might see 2-3 other cars on the entire trail and best of all, free!!!