Tempe, Phoenix, Sedona

I had the opportunity to visit Arizona when I was asked to consult with Arizona State University on their computer systems. Even though it was business, I did get a chance to play tourist a bit as well. I flew into Tempe, which is right next to Phoenix, and spent a few days on the Arizona State U campus. It was interesting to be somewhere that it never snows - people park on the perimeter of campus and move about by golf cart.

Although I had expected sun, I managed to catch a rare pair of wet days - I would have called them showers but the folks there were amazed with the amount of rain they got. Because the ground is sun-baked, it even caused some local flooding. Yet in Michigan it would have been nothing to speak of.

As I recall, I arrived late Saturday and on Sunday, my host took us on a road trip to Sedona, a tourist town further north. It was quaint, a series of little shops that reminded me of those on Mackinac Island here in Michigan. They were filled with arts and crafts objects, souvenirs, snacks, ice cream, tapestries - etc. A lot of stuff that I didn't need and didn't want, but it was fun to shop around.

I liked the desert but it was too different for me. Not pretty but exotic, interesting to see but not somewhere I would want to live.