Flagstaff, Arizona

Last summer I decided that I wanted to spend more time in Flagstaff, about 2 1/2 hours north of Phoenix.  I've been here many times in the summer but never for a long stretch.  I looked into renting an AirBnB for a couple of months but they seem to be quite expensive.  I also considered parking my Casita trailer at a RV park but it costs something like $4,000 to $5,000 for the whole summer.  Living in a small space for such a long time doesn't sound appealing to me.  

Phoenix seems to be getting hotter and hotter every year.  The population keeps growing and living in Phoenix is becoming undesirable like any big city.  Crime, traffic, crowd, tensions, etc, seems to be an everyday occurrence.

So last year, on impulse, I decided to checked into real-estate in Flagstaff.  I looked up Redfin, a real-estate website, and saw a 3-bedroom condominium on the market.  I prefer a condo because I can just lock up and leave.  It's part of a large condo/apartment complex and has some very nice amenities:  a 24-hour gym, sauna, jacuzzi, basketball court, and a small play pool.  

I won the bid against four other buyers in a very hot real-estate market.  Then come months and months of remodeling and buying furniture.  I was very fortunate to meet Julio, the handyman, who used to work at the apartment complex.  He changed the condo from an aging space into a beautiful modern condo.  It's a place that I want to spend a lot of time in.

That brings me back to why I picked Flagstaff.  First, it's only slightly more than a 2-hour drive from my house in Phoenix.  It's almost 150 miles of 99% highway driving.  But, the biggest change is a 30F degree temperature difference between the two locations in the summer.  

Most people think of Arizona as the desert and therefore, hot.  But, northern Arizona is very different.  Flagstaff is at about 7,000 feet elevation and full of Ponderosa Pine trees.  It has four seasons and there is skiing in the winter.  It is a college town; home to Northern Arizona University.  Compared to Phoenix, it is a relative small town, population about 70,000.  It doesn't even have a Costco or Trader Joe's.  Most of the residents are outdoor loving people.  There are hiking and biking trails within the city.  It is surrounded by the Coconino National Forest.  You get the small-town feel when you are here.  The pace is slower and people tend to be more patient.

Inner Basin Trail

Near Flagstaff are places known to people all over the world, none better known than the Grand Canyon National Park.  The South Rim is only about 1 1/2 hours away.  Two hours away are Horseshoe Dam and Antelope Canyon, both insanely popular, especially among foreign tourists.  Both are on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  So are two other well-known National Monuments - Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, about 3 hours away.  Some lesser-known National Monuments or Parks nearby are Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Tuzigoot, Montezuma Castle, and Montezuma Well.  

Grand Canyon

Lower Antelope Canyon

Grand Staircase Escalante

Horseshoe Dam

Monument Valley

Spider Rock at Canyon de Chelly

Route 66, nicknamed the "Mother Road," by John Steinbeck in the book "The Grapes of Wrath" passed right through downtown Flagstaff.  In Arizona it is known as the Will Rogers Highway.  Route 66 was a major east-west highway from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, before the Interstate System was built.  Today it is popular with European tourists riding motorcycles through all or part of the highway.  

Although I initially want to spend more in Flagstaff just during the summer, it looks like I may spend time here all year round.  I have my ski equipment ready and Snowbowl is only 30 minutes drive away.  In the fall the Aspen trees start to change to a golden yellow.  I love the four seasons!