My wife and I used to spend a great deal of time in Arizona, and it has much to offer–particularly now that the state is the object of a boycott by those who favor illegal immigration.
At the top of the state and the top of most scenery lists is the Grand Canyon. One no longer has to risk life and limb to explore it, as one-armed explorer John Wesley Powell did in 1869. But the views from the rim or up from the Colorado River are no less magnificent just because you can now drive or ride to this breathtaking monument to the persistence of erosion. The El Tovar Lodge reminds guests of the grand era of travel when the railroads built impressive lodges in the West to entice vacationers from the East.
For manly vacations, check out Old Tucson Studios, custom-built frontier location for countless Westerns starring Hollywood icons from John Wayne to Clint Eastwood. Tombstone, where the actual gunfight at the OK Corral took place, is still around, with a fee to see the real corral. South of Tucson in Green Valley is the Titan Missile Museum, which allows visitors to descend into the underground control center of an ICBM launch site, and view a missile standing in its cavernous silo. North of Tucson is the Pima Air and Space Museum where once high-flying warbirds now sunbathe into their autumn years, like retirees at a desert resort.
Arizona’s cities and towns have much to offer–Sedona’s red rock beauty is now sprinkled with Starbucks, boutiques, and slow-moving traffic; Phoenix is home to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the outstanding Heard Museum for Southwest art and culture; Flagstaff is close to Sunset Crater, Wupatki and Walnut Canyon National Monuments–easy day visits with short hikes into northern Arizona geology and history; Bisbee offers art galleries and tours of the old gold mine; and Scottsdale is still the hot spot for world class resorts and dining.
There is much more to Arizona than you can see currently in the breathless media coverage of those protesting the state’s lonely effort to enforce federal immigration law. This responsibility, which should have been met by the federal government, has been consciously avoided by Washington for the last three administrations. Arizona stepped up, and has been hammered for it
In consequence, the Obama administration has promised legal challenges, protestors have gathered to support illegals, and groups from highly-paid San Francisco city officials to Democrat lawmakers who hope to turn illegal residents into loyal voters have called for a boycott on Arizona.
Which brings us to possibly the most attractive current feature of the Grand Canyon State. Not only does it offer unmatched scenic, cultural and leisure diversions, but all these are certain to be even more enjoyable now that a visitor’s chance of encountering illegal aliens and liberals has been greatly reduced–one by law, the other by mass liberal hysteria. It is hard to imagine an Arizona attraction that will not be improved by less traffic, smaller crowds, and fewer undesirables.
So encourage your liberal friends to boycott the Grand Canyon State, and enjoy the less obstructed views of scenic wonders, the better tables in restaurants, and the shorter lines at Chase Field. Not to mention the elevated level of conversation.
