I've lived in Illinois for 9 years and haven't stepped foot outside Chicago. Sure I've been to the Ikea in the suburbs, regularly travel to and from the airport, and even visited a pumpkin patch that one time....but I haven't really seen Illinois. Not. At. All. And I do regret it just a little bit.
On the contrary, I lived in Arizona for 3 short years and made it a priority to see the whole damn state. I'm sure Illinois has it's Hallmark Movie small towns and beautiful scenery, but Arizona is so darn pretty. Getting out of the city, and hitting the open road, was one of our favorite Saturday activities when we called AZ home. The easiest scenic drive from Phoenix, is also my favorite, The Apache Trail.
The Apache Trail was once a stagecoach trail to move people through the Superstition Mountains. Today the trail is part of the Tonto National Forest and includes gorgeous desert landscape as well as deep reservoir lakes. For us, the end destination was always Tortilla Flat for lunch, and the drive to the Saloon is only about an hour from Scottsdale. Plan on the drive time doubling if you're like us and pull over often, to marvel at the beauty of nature.
Tortilla Flat, is an itty bitty town with a population of 6 but the Superstition Saloon has great burgers & chili and the prickly pear ice cream is always a hit. The walls and ceiling are lined with dollar bills so it would really stink if the place burned down (like it did in the 1980s) or washed away in a flood (like it was in the 1940s).
On the drive back, stop at the Goldfield Ghost Town or check out the sites you missed on the outbound journey. You can never have too many pictures of nature at its best!
Now go visit Phoenix. It's such a cool town.
Looking at the absolutely stunning photo is making me regret that i didnt make a trip there during my break.
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