Arizona and New Mexico 25 Scenic Side Trips Book Review - Spectacular, The Road Worth Taking

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Category: Books

Published on Sunday, 01 April 2018 07:44

Written by Janet Walker

Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips, from Imbrifex Publications, is a South West explorers dream bringing the myriad of less traveled back roads, enchanting scenery, magical mountains and the history of the Old West to life.

Authored by Rick Quinn, who as native of Arizona has taken the time to explore his state and neighboring New Mexico both rich in history, never before seen views and vistas and awe-inspiring landscapes that rise up around the corner or find light dancing off the mountains at sunrise or a gradient wave of rust, red, browns and golds at dusk.

Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips, is better than a Rand McNally and contains detailed maps, mileage and time guidelines, seasonal advice and weather information, safe driving tips. The 384 page tome also includes family-friendly attractions, unique lodging and dining, festivals and events calendar and tips for touring tribal lands.

It is impossible to travel these two states without stopping to capture the dramatic rock formations that rise to towering heights or adobe structures, rock dwellings, or the vastness of the desert. Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips also provides optimum pull offs for world-class photo opportunities, tips for wildlife viewing and Quinn includes the background, history, mini-guides to the archaeology, and geology of the region.

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Quinn acts as an absentee Tour Guide as the traveler's manual, clearly well-researched, provides complete information about each of the 25 side trips highlighted.

The inside cover opens into a two page two state map with multi-colored solid lines designations coordinating with the four sections of Scenic Side Trips and are all alternatives to the major interstates beginning with an Alternative to Interstate 10; Part 2: Scenic Alternative to Interstate 17; Part 3: Scenic Alternative to Interstate 40; Scenic Alternative to Interstate 25. The also include side trips that loop the major cities.

As each of these trips begin and end at an interstate which make it easy to choose a trip that may add a few hours to the journey and produce a lifetime of memories.

Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips covers trips that head north from Van Horn, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico and also those that begin in St. George, Utah and head southwest to Flagstaff, Arizona.

The Table of Contents adds the points of interest available in each of the side trips. Exploring any of the trips from The Tucson circuit through the Santa Fe/Taos Loop and one will find hundreds of inviting, mythical, mysterious and magical small town, rare and forgotten wonders.

Quinn, who holds a degree in Anthropology, during the summer of 2016 traveled 11,000 miles, shot 7,000 photographs, and took copious notes on points of interest large and small. From National Parks, Museum's, folklore and pop culture, to history and traditional family and sporting vacation destinations to the ultimate photo op location.

The introduction is a step by step introduction to road warrior exploration from kick the tires, well better let an expert handle the car check-up, to light the fires, be sure to have plenty of fuel especially if the side bars indicate fuel options are an extended distance apart, they are and prepare accordingly. His introduction is a walk through beginning with his own trip to a road warrior's invitation, preparedness, and emergency, seasonal considerations and border country.

Creating a trip around themes can be completed quite easily. If the Old West outlaws and Indian culture are the choice than points like Billy the Kid Scenic Byway, Tombstone, O.K. Corral and Boot Hill, coupled with plenty of Indian Culture, preserved rock dwellings, reservations, and artifacts are easily added to the traditional vacation destinations the two states offer the millions of tourists who venture to the southwest each year.

Tucson to Phoenix, Phoenix to Flagstaff, Flagstaff and Grand Canyon Loop, Holbrook, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico, Gallup, New Mexico to Albuquerque, Mexico, Albuquerque Loop, Albuquerque to Santa Fe, Santa Fe/Taos Loop Part A and Santa Fe/Taos Loop Part B are just a few of the 25 Scenic Side Trips included, in this in-depth, detailed and through traveler's guide.

Trail of the Mountain Spirits scenic byway, Gil Cliff Dwellings National Park, White Mountains of Eastern Arizona, Phoenix Mountain Parks, Tumacacori National Historical Park rich in Southwest history, invokes magic and mystery.

Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips is more than researched it is experienced. It is the road less traveled and includes unusual opportunities along the way like a chance to take a selfie "Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona." Sound familiar? Out of context it takes a moment and for fans of The Eagles, the phrase comes to life. After the passing of Glenn Fry, a second statute was erected. The Eagles brought the big city to this small town.

Most don't think of Arizona or New Mexico with references to pop culture as it is the mystic southwest, the ancient hieroglyphics of the early Indian tribes: Navajo, Hopi and Anasazi all leaving a record of pictographs carved into the rock and none more so than at Canyon de Chelly.

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Canyon de Chelly attracts over 800,000 visitors per year and is an alternative to I-10. The most dramatic scenic side trip many would say is the spectacular Grand Canyon. Quinn provides the opportunity to have a Grand Canyon sunrise and an alpine sunset.

For the road warrior, the weekend traveler, or the arm-chair voyager, Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips provides so much interesting, fun facts and photos it becomes the ultimate guidebook for the ultimate roadtrip to the road less traveled.

RoadTrip America Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips is the only resource needed for the once in a lifetime road trip.

RoadTrip America Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, RoadTripAmerica.com, and also more information is available on Arizona-New Mexico.scenicsidetrips.com and Imbrifex Books.