The Desert Botanical Garden contains any type of plant, cactus, and flower that grows in the desert climate. It is amazing to see how many beautiful plants exist in nature. The colors are deep and stunning, despite the harsh climate that they live in.

It seems like there can only be a few varieties of cactus in the wild. As a native Arizonan, I thought I had seen it all. This garden is full of life that seems strange even in this desert environment. Notice the cactus on the bottom of this photo slightly left from center. Its thorns are so long and thick, almost like small branches sprouting from a tree.

The trees that grow in the desert are also different than what you would expect. These blossoming trees look similar to something that would be seen on the east cost during the fall. This picture was taken just a summer was beginning. During the warm weather these amazing plants flourish and come to life in the dry air.

My favorite stop at the garden is the recently added butterfly exhibit. This is a large tent filled with amazing flowers and beautiful butterflies. This is the most stunning life that can be found in the desert.

It is hard to believe that these colors can be found in the Arizona desert. This desert is not the typical blowing sand landscape that many may think it is. It is full of life and activity throughout the hottest of days.

The experience of a swarm of butterflies floating around you is very calming. They make no noise and fill the room with colorful motion. They will even land on your arms and hands if you remain still enough.

As I was preparing to leave the park I found this stunning butterfly. Its colors were completely different than the others that I had been observing. No matter what you look at in the Arizona desert, there is always something unique to be seen. Just when you thought you had seen every shape and color of butterflies, along comes one that stands out among the rest.

The Desert Botanical Garden is full of plants and life that you might not see elsewhere. It is definitely worth the trip to this amazing exhibit. Make sure you pick a cool, sunny day to go though… it still is the desert.

At the end of the continent is a wild coast called Glacier Bay. The bay is a large Y shaped fjord. Mountain ranges rise to 15,000 feet. There are 10 tidewater glaciers, coastal beaches, fjords, and protected coves encompassing this breathtaking wonder.

There's such a diversity of life existing here, that it's hard to believe that only 200 years ago, all of this was capped under nearly a mile of glacial ice. A century later, it has retreated 65 miles, leaving a landscape that is changing everyday.

Grand Canyon

Carved by the Colorado River, is a gorge known as the Grand Canyon. Jokingly called by us Arizonans as the “12 second tour” (due to the accidental falls by tourists), this canyon took more than six million years to be created.

It is more than a mile deep, and 277 miles long. The canyon developed in two different direction. It first started from the west, and then from the east. The two then converged forming a canyon rich in color. So when traveling here, pay attention, and watch your step.

Sedona

Snoopy Rock

It is known for its red sandstone, and unusual formations. The city was named after the city's first postmaster's wife, Sedona Miller Schnebly. To us Arizonans, it is known as Red Rock Country.

Cathedral Rock

The type of reddish-orange layering of rock in Sedona, is found only in this vicinity. It has monoliths known as Coffeepot, Snoopy, Cathedral Rock, and Thunder Mountain.

Redwood National Park

So much diversity exists at the Redwood National and State Parks. It contains some of the most amazing forests in the world. The trees are the tallest living organisms than anywhere in the world, with trees growing as tall as 350 feet. Some of the redwoods that grow here take 400 years to mature, with some even being as old as 2,000 years.

Once upon a time the majestic redwoods began to fall victim to the lumbering trade. But eventually they became protected under the Save-the-Redwoods-League. The park is now part of the World Heritage Site as a testament to the slow growth of these beautiful trees, and as a reminder at how we need to be responsible in protecting them.

Crater Lake

Located in Oregon, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was created with the collapse of a volcano. It is nearly 2,000 feet deep, and is the seventh deepest lake in the world. The Lake was created when Mount Mazama exploded caving in on itself. Eventually over time, melting ice and rainwater would fill the crater creating what is seen today. The original volcano no longer exists, but a new one is taking shape. It is known as Wizard Island, and the mound is slowly developing into a new volcanic state.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Unlike the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon is comprised of about a dozen smaller eroded ravines. The erosion has created thousands of bizarre and unusual rock formations, ranging in a vast array of beautiful colors.

The park is named after Ebenezer Bryce a Mormon farmer, who established the region in the 1920's. The rock shapes were created by water erosion (rain and melting snow). The fragile shapes are known as hoodoos.

Yellowstone National Park

Located in Wyoming, Yellowstone became a national park in 1872. Known for its geothermal fissures, and the world famous Old Faithful, this park was the first of its kind. Yellowstone spans an area of almost 3,500 square miles.

Yellowstone Lake is centered over Yellowstone Caldera, one of the largest super volcanoes on the continent. The caldera is still an active volcano, and has erupted on many occasions over the last two million years.

Many times I am asked by people who are going to the islands for their first trip, “What should we do there?” It is one of my favorite questions to answer. Next to Deborah, Hawaii is my favorite topic of conversation. So, here are a few suggestions for your first trip to Hawaii, specifically your first day.

If you are like me you will have to save for this vacation, but you will not have to be wealthy to enjoy my suggestions. If by chance you are wealthy, read no further, charter a jet and hire a personal guide when you get to Hawaii. In fact, if you want to take along as a personal guide…wait, I better stay here and save for my next trip. That daytime job sure puts a damper on going to Hawaii when I want to go, but eating is nice so I guess I better keep working.

For those are planning a first trip to Hawaii I highly recommend the island of Oahu. All the things you read about are on that island. You can do day trips to other islands, but your best bet is to take subsequent vacations to all of the other islands. If you can see all of them, Oahu, Hawaii with is called The Big Island, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kauai, you will understand how much different each one is from the others, yet how much of a part they all play in completing the paradise chain.

So, pick a flight from the United States mainland and try to arrive in Honolulu around mid-afternoon. Forget the rental car for a couple of days. Most hotels have rental car dealers in their lobbies, or at least within a very short walking distance of the hotel. Remember you are in Hawaii, a place where walking is something you will enjoy.

Most vacation packages include transportation from the airport to your hotel door. Some include transportation back to the airport, but many do not, so be sure you understand in advance if you have your return trip to the airport covered. Otherwise, make sure you save cab fare. It would not be a fun walk to the airport and the airlines will not hold the flight for you.

When you get settled in your room, make your first excursion down to the tour desk. Like the car rental counter, most hotels have a tour desk in the lobby. They normally close between 4 or 5 PM, so find that desk soon after you check in.

Book a tour for the next day; your first full day on the island and make a trip around the island. The best one is called the Grand Circle Island tour. It leaves around 5:30 in the morning and you will get back to the hotel around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. You will not spend very long at each stop, but you will learn where everything is located for later. Do not be concerned about the early morning departure.

After you travel from the mainland, the time difference will have your internal clock so confused that you will awake very early on your first morning in Hawaii. On my first trip I was sitting in Denny's at 3AM talking to everyone else who had arrived the day before and could not sleep.

The Grand Circle Island tour will pick you up from your hotel on Waikiki beach, take you through the park, past the zoo (yes Honolulu has a zoo) and out to Diamond Head. After a tour inside the crater you will travel on around to Hanauma Bay, the marine sanctuary. The view is spectacular, it is a great place to snorkel and you will see where Elvis filmed scenes from Blue Hawaii.

Continuing on around the island, you will pass by a lighthouse, feast your eyes on some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Of course, you will see that all day long. The tour stops at the famous blow hole and while there you can gaze down at a very famous piece of beach. Calling it a stretch of beach would be “stretching” the truth. It is a tiny spot of beach known as the “From Here to Eternity” beach. If memory serves me correctly, Charlton Heston filmed a love scene on that beach.

On this side of the island you will see magnificent cliffs, dozens of waterfalls, perhaps an occasional whale or two playing offshore, pass by a beautiful temple, see where the waves are higher than thirty feet, known as the North Shore, Sunset Beach and The Pipe Line.

You will move on around the island, see the beautiful Waimea Falls where cliff divers entertain several times each day. That side of the island also hosts the trip through a rain forest and an almost biting cold drive to the top of a very famous cliff.

On your way back into the opposite end of Waikiki Beach from which you left you will see the famous Turtle Beach where you can pose for pictures with some of the oldest creatures on the island. The turtles are happy to pose with you, but do not ask them to smile. They have to draw the line somewhere.

You will also pass by Pearl Harbor which is home to the Battleship Missouri and The Arizona Memorial. You will also see Punchbowl National Cemetery, which is inside an extinct volcano. Your driver, time permitting, will also take you through the famous China Town district of Honolulu.

All in all, this makes a pretty good first full day on the island. Now sit over dinner and plan what you want to go back and see more of on your next day. Enjoy your time and remember while you are there; do not rush, you are on Hawaiian time!

A great view of all the ice sheets of Greenland breaking away to form ice bergs it's also thought that this is where the iceberg that sank the Titanic originated. Some of the icebergs are half a kilometer in size and to see them up close is an amazing experience unfortunately this “iceberg factory wont be there within the next generation due to global warming so if you are planning to visit it you should visit while it is there.

Erta Ale, Ethiopia

A lake of lave where very few people ever visit. The bubbling pool of lava makes patterns in the 100 meter wide lake it is on the boarder of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the only way to get there is by camel.

Meteor Crater, Arizona, USA

It's the world's biggest creator and over 1.1km across. It is said that over 50,000 years ago and space rock that was only 30 meters in diameter and cause this great impact to the surface creating this creator. This is one of 171 of the documented impact creators on the planet.

Salt Flats of Death Valley, USA

It's one of the lowest elevations in North America at 282 ft or 86 meters below sea level and looks amazing. This white layer is salt and minerals which have formed when rain water drips from the mountains around the valley into the valley it self by the time this water reaches there it's so hot that it evaporate leaving behind a white crust that we now see.

The Wave, Arizona, US

The red sandstone has been sculptured by the wind into this spectacular shape you can help but fall in love with it the very fragile rocks are a piece of art work and the US government put restrictions of only 10 visit per day to try and preserve it.

In 1920 Mormon Church President Heber J. Grant invited the leading architectural firms of Salt Lake City to submit designs. Don Carlos Young, Jr. and Ramm Hansen were the winning architects. Brothers Young and Hansen designed a modern structure which reflected the desert horizon.

The same care in selecting the architects was shown in choosing the artists to plan the interior of the temple. Mormon artists Torlief Knaphus, A.B. Wright, LeConte Stewart, J. Leo Fairbanks, and Fritzoff Weber contributed to the design of the furniture and decorations. With the exception of Fritzoff Weber, a Norwegian artist, all of these artists had also worked on the Alberta, Canada or Hawaii temples.

Lee Green Richards painted a mural of Joseph Smith preaching to Native Americans, since many Native American members of the Church would attend the Arizona Temple. Navajo sisters wove a rug for the foyer in grays, reds, and natural black and white wools. They used the trunks of living trees for loom supports. Indian artifacts were incorporated in the garden landscaping. President Grant dedicated the Arizona Temple on October 23, 1927.

Golf just doesn't get any better than in Tucson, where golfers have a wide array of courses to choose from which present a myriad of challenges for all handicaps. Some of Tucson's courses are rated among the top 75 Resort Courses by Golf Digest magazine and ranked in the Top 10 of International Golf Resorts by Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Where To Tee Off

In Southern Tucson, the Arizona National Golf Club, Forty Niner Golf Club and The Lodge at Ventana Canyon are excellent choices for an enjoyable golf vacation.

The Arizona National Golf Club, rated one of the Top 100 Courses in the US by Golf Magazine, is an 18-hole, par-71 course situated along the northeast foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

In addition to the Golf Magazine designation, the Arizona Republic has recognized Arizona National Golf Club, which is home to the Arizona Wildcats, as the Top Golf Course in Tucson. Panoramic views of mountain vistas, giant saguaros and nine natural springs provide the backdrop for this Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed course. The 6,785-yard course meanders among the foothills of the mountains, across shady mesquite lined arroyos and craggy rock outcroppings to provide classic desert-style golf challenges.

The golf club provides practice facilities and a state-of-the-art teaching and instruction facility where golfers can warm-up or improve their skills. The double-ended, full length driving range offers turf hitting surfaces and bunkered target greens. Bermuda grass putting and chipping greens are also available.

The Forty Niner Country Club, a semi-private course that has hosted both PGA and LPGA tour events, is an 18-hole, par-72 course nestled between the Catalina and Rincon Mountains.

Mesquite, giant cottonwoods, eucalyptus and weeping willow trees provide a serene and peaceful setting for this traditional William Frances Bell designed course. The 6,641-yard course stretches out along a wooded riverbed. Its rolling fairways, lined with an assortment of desert shrubbery, provide serious and casual golfers a myriad of challenges. Practice facilities, a full-length driving range, putting and chipping areas, are available for pre-game warm ups to members and non-members, there is a daily fee for non-members. Private, semi-private and group instructions are available upon request.

The Lodge at Ventana Canyon, featuring two 18-hole, par-72 championship Tom Fazio designed courses sculpted into the Santa Catalina foothills. Listed at number three on the Top Ten List of Golf Courses in the Southwest, The Lodge at Ventana Canyon has received numerous accolades including Arizona's Best Resort Course (1995) from Golf Digest, Top 50 Golf Courses (1997, 1995) from Links Magazine, One of America's Best Golf Courses (Mountain Course 1996, 1994-1992; Canyon Course 1996, 1994, 1993) from Golfweek and Top 25 Best Golf Resorts (June 1997) from Condé Nast Traveler.

Winding through the canyons and arroyos of this fabulous 600-acre high Sonoran Desert preserve are the Mountain Course, a classic desert style course with many changes in elevation and several elevated tees, and the Canyon Course, which winds through Esperro Canyon. The lush Sonoran desert foliage and roaming wildlife such as deer, roadrunners, rabbits and bobcats provide an unforgettable golfing experience from the first through 18th hole. Its practice facilities include a full swing area, short game range, sand bunker and two full size putting greens.

Where To Stay

Both on and off the golf course, Tucson caters to all your vacation needs.In addition to Hotel, Bed and Breakfast and Golf Resort accommodations, luxurious condominiums and executive estates are available for leasing on a weekly or monthly basis throughout the area. Many of these homes, come with internet access; cable television; fireplace; outdoor swimming pool and patio; Jacuzzi; and preferred rates and tee times to nearby golf courses. Others, like The Casitas at Sabino Springs Luxury Golf Condos, which is situated 150 yards away from the Clubhouse at Arizona National, are either a short five or ten minutes drive away or within walking distance of one or more of Tucson's golf courses.

If you enjoy gazing across the horizon, then Casitas at Sabino Springs is just the place for you according to homeowner, Bill Anderson. “Our guests can enjoy spectacular views of the lush fairways and majestic mountains while sitting on their private patio.” Each luxury condo includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a dining area and a great room, washer/dryer, 3 flat screen televisions.” For those wanting a daily workout, the Casitas' exercise facility features a pool; hot tub; and spacious air conditioned workout room inclusive of 3 different types of stair steppers, 2 treadmills, 2 stationary bikes, a sit-up bench, a back and abdominal machine, and a Paramount Fit 3000 fitness center machine with 4 weight stations.

Whether you are an avid golfer or simply want to enjoy a well-deserved vacation in the beautiful, sunny Tucson foothills, luxury condos and executive estates offer a luxurious alternative for the comfort of one's own home.

Top Restaurants for Great Meals

Tucson's nightlife offers the perfect setting for a memorable dining experience at the end of the day. For fine dining in Southern Tucson, Anthony's in The Catalina's; Café Terra Cotta; Mama Louisa's; Saguaro Corners Restaurant and Texas T-Bone Steak are popular choices with locals and tourists.

Anthony's in the Catalina's 6440 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85718,

520-299-1771; Anthony's, which has been rated one of the Top Ten Restaurants in the Tucson area by Restaurant Row, offers a traditional Continental cuisine in an romantic setting. Situated on a hill above the city, guests can enjoy the spectacular view of the city's lights on a clear night or nature's heavenly beauty as bursts of lightening light up the skies on a stormy night. Reservations are recommended.

Café Terra Cotta 3500 East Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ 85718, 520-577-8100; A Tucson tradition for 15 years, Café Terra Cotta, which has been rated one of the Top Ten Restaurants in the Tucson area by Restaurant Row, offers a Southwestern-style cuisine. Terra Cotta's menu changes weekly to coincide with what foods are available in local markets. Some of the featured entrees are mesquite-smoked lamb chops served with a mint and papaya salsa, pork adobado in a dry spice marinade garnished with black beans and a hot-sweet apricot-chili conserve or grilled swordfish.

Mama Louisa's Italian Restaurant 2041 S Craycroft Road Tucson, AZ 85711 520-790-4702; Mama Louisa's Italian Restaurant features Italian and seafood cuisines in a casual yet romantic atmosphere. This award-winning restaurant has a full-service bar, off-premise catering, and is wheelchair accessible.

Saguaro Corners Restaurant 3750 South Old Spanish Trail, Tucson, AZ 85730, 520-886-5424; Saguaro Corners Restaurant, which has been rated one of the Top Ten Restaurants in the Tucson area by Restaurant Row, provides dinner guests with a spectacular view of desert vegetation and natural wildlife through its floor to ceiling picture windows. Saguaro Corners' diverse menu includes hamburgers, seafood, steaks and vegetarian dishes. Reservations are recommended.

Texas T-bone Steakhouse 8981 E Tanque Verde Rd Tucson, AZ 85749 520-760-8599; The Texas T-bone Steakhouse is a popular choice for families. In addition to its signature T-bone steak, the country-style steakhouse rounds out its menu with chicken and fish entrees for those wanting an alternative to beef.

We hiked past rugged cliffs and rest stations that unsurely cling to the cliffs of the canyon hanging there looking like there about to fall down. When we were at the bottom of the canyon I look up at the now hostile cliff above me restrained to falling by some supports. The canyon is 2 miles deep in many places. The layers of sandstone we touched were a natural work of art. Unassuming, the people whoosh by us as if they were running from the canyon as if to fall down. I was surprised at how many people actually attempt the 8-mile walk down the canyon. When we were at the surface I nastily promptly take a look at a weatherbeaten poster on one of the canyons rock walls that faintly says ?most of the people who get too tired hiking and have to be helicoptered out of the canyon are teens who think they can make it, bring water don?t get dehydrated!?

I was baffled when what I thought was 1 or 2 miles to a certain rock in the Canyon was actually 9 miles! One rock stood out from the others with some dry and some lush moss and a hardly growing spruce tree on the crimson top of the rock, it also looked so helpless, as if it were teetering on a fulcrum point. We decided to go to the Grand Canyon because seeing it is kind of a once in a life time event also to visit my grandparents vacationing house in Phoenix, AZ and to visit many towns in Arizona (the hot weather is nice too). We got there by train, boarded from Chicago and got off in a small town: Flagstaff, AZ. We drove from Flagstaff in a rental car to wherever we wanted to go. It was busy at our departure station Chicago Grand Central Station and many people on the blinding silver train cars looked us a barbaric look. 2 hours later and we were looking THEM a barbaric look!

It soon got crowded on the train as we stopped at the first few stops. At popular stops the many people getting off caused havoc, I ignorantly read a book for the duration. The Amtrak train we were on was a double decker and was surprisingly spacious with running water, drinking water, snack bar and lounge car with movies nightly. The train ride was an agonizing about 48 hours each way. The Grand Canyon was created by the Colorado River eating its way through the sandstone. The many straining shades of loud orange are somewhat nice.

The Grand Canyon was improperly explored by two unassuming Spanish gold miners. It was properly explored by Major John Powell when he took a few canoes and about 20 men and used the river to travel in the canyon. It was finally properly mapped by satellites. The canyon is better known to the local Hopi tribes that live there and they called it the Gateway to Heaven. We stayed in various hotels, one attractive and artistic includes the Cameron Hotel. The Cameron Hotel itself is located in the heart of the desert and in the small village of Cameron, it also shows off with a gold shimmering glow at night seen from miles.

It also has a Mexican courtyard with exotic plants. I really liked Arizona and bought a few prickly and fuzzy cacti which are now happily growing in my home with genuine sandstone and desert dirt (ground up course sandstone).