It’s been real, it’s been good.

Dear Phoenix,

Now that the semester is over, I’m trying to decide if I’d like to keep this blog going, or if I’d like to revert back to my Blogspot travel blog.

Betcha didn’t know I had one of those, did ya?

Because most of my travels are outside of Phoenix, I’m leaning towards putting all my posts there.

I also want to write in a far less formal fashion.

So, if you still want to read about my adventures and whatnot (in posts that are far longer than 200-300 words), take a trip down to that URL and read up.

XOXO,

Amanda

Sedona, Arizona: Spectacular or average?

Dear Phoenix-

You’re probably well aware of the red gemstone found two hours north. It’s called Sedona by most, but has also been called as “beautiful” and “cultural” by others. I usually visit at least once a year, and the last time I visited was when I was returning from a trip to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. Let me tell you–the red rocks that Sedona is so famous for are absolutely gorgeous at sunset.Sara Morgan, a native Arizonian, would love to take out-of-town visitors to Sedona because of the fun things for adventurous people to do, including hiking, canoeing, river rafting and horseback riding.

“It is the epitome of desert beauty,” Sara said. “While Phoenix is a big city, I really believe that Sedona is the heart of Arizona.”

Trevor Godfrey, a journalism student at ASU, loves seeing Sedona when he goes off-roading in his Jeep.

“The colors are awesome and the hills are beautiful,” Trevor said. “I saw [Snoopy Rock] recently from super far away on an off road trail. It was amazing.”

Trevor plans on running a moderate off-road trail in Sedona this summer.

It has been a while since I’ve been to Sedona, but my roommate has never been there before and I’m considering making an end-of-semester trip up there just so she can see the red rocks before she returns home for the summer. It will undoubtedly involve a lot of photos, some shopping, and maybe a bit of hiking.

Go rock some red rocks, Phoenix.

Amanda

Given free time, some students stay local; others prefer to go far.

Dear Phoenix,

Attending one of the country’s largest universities has given me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and many different states. Being a native Phoenician, I’ve been able to introduce other students to various attractions in the city of Phoenix and the state of Arizona. I asked a two people I’ve met this year where they would like to go and what they would like to do if they could go anywhere in Arizona.

photo courtesy of @mandalyn93 on instagram

Jackie Cotton is a sophomore from Wayne, Illinois. If she could do anything in Arizona, she said she would prefer to stay in Phoenix and read at cafes.

“I would just go cafe hopping. Back home, we don’t really have small cafes that are walking distance from where I live. It’s my favorite part about living downtown,” Jackie said.

A few cafes that Jackie said she would like to visit include Jobot at Fifth and Roosevelt streets, and Giant Coffee at First Street and McDowell Road.

McKenna Kutsop is a sophomore from Mountainside, New Jersey. She would like to visit Sedona, Arizona, if she were given the chance to spend time outside of Phoenix. McKenna said she visited Sedona before, and described the views as “breathtaking.”

photo courteesy of @mandalyn93 on instagram

“I can go anywhere and see mountains, but they don’t compare to the red mountains. While there, I think my goals would be to hike as much as possible and take in the culture of the town,” McKenna said.

I have spent much time hiking and camping in Sedona as well as reading in coffee shops, and I agree. Sedona and downtown Phoenix are both great places to visit if you are not from Phoenix.

Eternally exploring,

Amanda

Dear Phoenix,

It’s difficult to travel when you’re a student, but a unique travel opportunity is available to ASU students. It’s called the ASU Outdoors Club, and it is a way for like-minded students to pool resources in a way to make adventuring more practical and social. Watch member Thomas Hawthorne describe his experience with ASU Outdoors Club.

Amanda

Roger’s Trough

Dear Phoenix,

Spring break was a few weeks ago, and while you provided the perfect weather, I wanted to do things outside the city limits.

Two of my close friends, an acquaintance of theirs and I drove out to the southeast side of the Superstition Mountains with the intentions of backpacking into Roger’s Canyon and hiking up to the ruins. It’s a four mile hike to the ruins with a 1,000 foot elevation change and a lot of overgrown plants.

Jon, taking a photo of the Superstition Wilderness sign. We hiked in as the sun was setting.

We ran into more than enough wildlife, including a tarantula (pictured), ants, a beetle (in my sleeping bag, even) and bees.

Jon moves his head as I play with shutter speed to make a light painting.

Ben and Jon prepare to cook dinner.

The ruins are believed to have been occupied by Salado Indians approximately 400 years ago, according to a sign posted nearby.

The doorway is approximately four feet tall.

Some parts of the ruins are so well preserved, hikers can see the hand prints in the hardened mud.

Family photo.

Ben Peck, 20, found and suggested Roger’s Canyon as our backpacking destination. He enjoys backpacking because “I feel like 75% of the crap in my life gets filtered out, and I can just look at it in third person as a spectator.”

Jon Navarro, 21, has day hiked the Grand Canyon with me (and Ben) before. He said his favorite part of backpacking is “being away from society and trying to lose sense of time. To just be in the moment where you’re simply an observer of the beautiful existence of nature.”

I usually backpack with Ben, but this time, backpacking with Jon gave me another way to look at how the outdoors affects people. Regardless of who I asked, both men said that backpacking gives them the opportunity to be an observer, a spectator, to watch the world around them.

I agree completely.

Keep your eyes peeled, Phoenix. Be an observer for a while.

Love,

Amanda

Gear Tips: What you need to go backpacking.

Dear Phoenix,

If you  haven’t already gathered, I really enjoy backpacking. So I created a quick vlog explaining the items you will absolutely need if you plan on going backpacking. Give it a quick watch to get a feel for the kind of equipment you will need for a night in the wilderness with your feet as the only form of transportation.

Keep those feet in good shape!

Amanda

How to Plan a Roadtrip

Dear Phoenix,

If you’re at all like me, you like to push your textbooks aside and start planning summer vacation when the temperature breaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit for three days in a row.

I’ve just begun planning a road trip, and I want to walk you through the steps I’ve gone through (and will go through) to plan the most perfect road trip possible.

The first part of the planning process is to pick out where you will be stopping! I want to go up the coast this summer with my friend Natalie. She hasn’t traveled much on the west coast. We plan to stop in San Diego, Los Angeles, Berkeley/San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. On the way back, we’ll be stopping in various places in Idaho, Nevada and Arizona as well.

The second part of planning a road trip is budgeting. Figure out how much money you’re willing to spend on gas, food and lodging. We’re both on a budget, so we’re taking a fuel efficient car, splitting gas money and sleeping on the floors of friends. If you  have more money, you can splurge for a hotel or hostel.

The third part of planning a road trip is to select the time span of the trip. Our trip is likely going to be two weeks or longer, because I can do that without a foreseeable summer job. It will give us ample time to visit with friends in each city and to explore on my own. Pick a time constraint that fits your life.

Those are the three main steps. As the trip approaches, we’ll start planning what clothing to pack based on the weather, and what local activities we can participate in.

Hope to see you on that open road!

Amanda

The Journey is the Destination

Dear Phoenix,

The artistic journals of Dan Eldon are an inspiration to me. Someday, I want to take the initiative and travel to a different country (far, far away from Phoenix) on my own. It’s nothing personal, Phoenix, but sometimes I just want to get away. I’m sure you understand. So, here is who Dan Eldon is and why I feel this way about him and adventuring as a whole.

Love and long adventures,

Amanda

Dear Phoenix,

The first time I hiked the Grand Canyon I went with a group of friends from church. We took the South Kaibab trail down, camped at the bottom of the canyon, and then took the Bright Angel trail up the next day.
I was amazed by how peaceful, beautiful and refreshing the hike was, even though I was sore and unable to walk well for the next few days.
I had the opportunity to return this past October for a simple day hike, and was just as amazed by the beauty that was such a short drive from Phoenix. My trip in October was even more beautiful as I was able to make the 5 mile return hike from Indian Gardens to the Bright Angel trail head by myself, at  my own pace, where I could enjoy the nature around me on my own terms.

Keep on trekking,

Amanda

Austin, Texas, or How To Be Spontaneous

Dear Phoenix,

I’ve been planning this blog for a few months now. As soon as I heard I would be creating and managing a blog for my Online Media class, I knew I wanted to spread the love for traveling in and around Arizona.

I made a list of places to visit and things to write about including Arcosanti, Jerome, the Salton Sea, road trip planning and music selection, and I plotted out when I would be traveling where.

That being said, I want you to know that I was supposed to go to Arcosanti this past weekend (the 7-9 of February), and then blog about it. I had contacted Arcosanti and almost made my reservations to stay there overnight, then I was offered the opportunity to go on another adventure.

Arcosanti: 60 miles from Phoenix.

The United Students Against Sweatshops annual national conference was in Austin, Texas and ASU needed another representative. I was essentially offered a free trip to a city I’d never visited before, where I would attend a conference that would teach me how to organize and mobilize people to fight for the rights of workers in other countries. How could I turn that down?

Exactly. I couldn’t.

Austin: 1,000 miles from Phoenix

So this is where I stand. I ditched the Arcosanti plans to go to Austin instead. I figure this would be a great note to begin my blog on: Plans are never ever set in stone.

If you’re going to be the traveling, adventurous type, you need to be ready to be spontaneous.  You need to go with the flow. Greater, grander surprises could be waiting around the corner than whatever you may have planned.

I ran into musician Daniel Johnston’s famous frog mural without even looking for it.

This trip isn’t the first one I’ve embarked on after very little planning, and it sure as heck won’t be the last. If you’ve never gone on an adventure sans-planning, I implore you to give it a try.

Right now.

Stay audacious,

Amanda