Mesa, Arizona Real Estate - Teri Ellis - Homes Arizona Real Estate

What I did this summer! Catchy title doncha think? I actually took some time “away” from blogging, commenting, and working in real estate “24-7” and enjoyed some down time and alone time with my husband in Show Low, Arizona, a wonderful little town located in the White Mountains just north and east of Mesa, Arizona 140 miles.

I thought I would share just "some" of the things I chose to do during my down time, along with some photos: I learned to knit, played golf, ate, rested, lounged on the porch and read, read, read. 

Some sights of interest along our way to Show Low! We pass through Superior, Miami, and Globe, mining towns in eastern Arizona. Then, as we head north to Show Low, we pass through the Salt River Canyon which is an amazing drive and has spectacularly beautiful scenic views.. As a child, I recall driving that area with a HUGE amount of trepidation....now, the roads are wider, passing lanes, etc.

There are many, many wonderful places to visit in Arizona. I've shared many photographs and tours in the past, and will continue to do so.

As described in Wikepedia: "Show Low is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It lies on the Mogollon Rim in east central Arizona, at an elevation of 6,400 feet (1,951 m). The city was established in 1870 and incorporated in 1953. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 11,763.[1]

“According to the legend, the city was named after a marathon poker game between C.E. Cooley and Marion Clark. The two men decided there was not enough room for both of them in their settlement. The two men agreed to let a game of cards decide who was to move. According to the tale, Clark said, "If you can show low, you win." Cooley turned up the deuce of clubs (the lowest possible card) and replied, "Show low it is." The stakes were a 100,000 acre (400 km²) ranch. Show Low's main street is named "Deuce of Clubs" in remembrance.

In 2002, a large forest fire, the Rodeo-Chediski fire, threatened the city and forced an evacuation. The city is near extensive forests, and in normal times is a popular recreational area."

Yes, I’m a huge fan of Arizona and, especially, those places I can visit easily from my home base in Mesa, Arizona.

Last year I shared several areas of interest within a day's ride from Mesa, Arizona. I promised to share some of the photos of the Painted Desert. I'm finally keeping my promise.

Located just about four hours north and east of Mesa, Arizona, the Painted Desert can be reached from the I-40 east of Holbrook, Arizona. As you enter the Park from the North end,

you will be treated to panoramic views of amazing colors and shapes. Seriously, the scenery is literally a huge canvas of multiple colors, shadows, and light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've just started to print and then hang some of my photos in our Show Low retreat. I'm sharing just a few of the Painted Desert in Arizona. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for this session.....I hope you enjoy them as much as I've enjoyed sharing them.

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, ServingMesaArizona, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: MesaAzRealEstateVoice; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog

It is my custom to share my day trips from Mesa, Arizona as evidenced by previous blog posts. Last week, my husband and I traveled 18 miles east of Holbrook, Arizona on Highway 180 to the south entrance to the Petrified National Forest Park. There will be three parts of this post. The first and second part will be information about the Park itself as well as pictures of the Petrified Forest south of Highway 40 and Route 66. I took over 150 pictures of the "tour" and will "try" and ferret out my favorites to share the beautiful landscape of this spectacular park. Once entering the Park going north, there are myriad places to pull over and take pictures as well as views, signs explaining what you are seeing and more. Some of the stops include small hikes of a mile or so. We took one of the trails which was a mile plus, and passed on the steeper one. The trip through the Park itself is about 28 miles long and ends on Route 66, the north portion of the Park.

Driving northeast from Mesa, Arizona, up through the White Mountains and Highway 77, you will be in Holbrook in less than four hours. The Park is less than a 20 minute drive...so actually this could be a day trip; however, I recommend making it a two day trip so the traveler can stop in Holbrook, Arizona to see the Wigwam Motel and a little further west along Highway 40, stop by Winslow, Arizona. I will be visiting the city known for the Eagle's song, "Standing On The Corner," shoot some photos and share them within a week or so.

Now, to the Petrified Forest and some amazing photographs. If you are interested, I've provided a link to the Petrified Forest website for more information and insight into this beautiful National Park. I've also provided some of the informational signs to give you an idea of what you will be seeing.

This is a sample of what the fallen logs look like after myriad years...it is now a beautiful rock. Amazing!

 

Fields of petrified wood......just one example above. AND check out this HUGE log/petrified wood specimen below:

Check out the colors in the sand....and that HUGE rock in the background below:

....and a closer view:

What does the rock above look like to you? We were guessing...came up with some ideas. ;-)

There are so many photos like this with the teepees in the background, with petrified rock scattered about. Just so many, many formations and colors. The clouds added to the shading and interest of the photos I took. ;-)

If I could have a favorite, the Badlands - Blue Mesa - might be one of my favorities...it is absolutely incredible.

This had a path to the bottom which was about a 55 minute round trip walk. We went to the top of the path and returned to take more photos from other vantage points.

 

See the path?

Now check out the bottom! I've now moved to a place that has a step out to take this picture.

As we left Blue Mesa, marveling at the colors, the beauty of this earth, a movement caught my eye: She's not a deer, but I forgot what the Ranger told me she was. Her colors blended into the background. Isn't she beautiful? She just looked at me as I snapped her photo twice from the car.

I'll end this post with the above photo.....it is so hard to choose which photos to use. I hope you all enjoy traveling to and visiting the Petrified Forest National Park in northeast Arizona. For those of you contemplating moving to Arizona, this is yet another good example why that's a good idea. ;-)

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog.

 

As many of my readers know, wherever I go, I take pictures. THEN I share them with my readers. Since there are so many, many wonderful places to see in Arizona, I will share as I see. This will be Part I of my trip to Holbrook, Arizona and to the Petrified National Park, located within four hours from Mesa, Arizona. Since Holbrook, Arizona is located on Route 66, there are lots of cool things to see.

Our first stop was at the The Wigwam Motel.  I took lots of photos, of course. This is such a cool place. As you can see, The Wigwam Motel is a flashback to the "old days," that SOME of us will remember. Check out that Studebaker Truck....I don't remember that Studebaker made trucks....scattered throughout the motel area are vintage cars, even an old Hudson! How about those little motel rooms? Cool, huh? I've taken the liberty of sharing with everyone, an excerpt written about the history of this place below:

"The history of the Wigwam Motel is very interesting for many people.  Our father, Chester E. Lewis, had other motels along Old Route 66 in the 1930's in other Arizona cities.  He saw his first Wigwam Village in Cave City, Kentucky in 1938.  A man by the name of Frank Redford already had a couple of Wigwam Villages built in Kentucky by that time.

Our father decided that he would like to build a Wigwam Village of his own.  In that time period, the term franchises or chain motels were not known of, much less used.  Mr. Redford was more interested in sharing his novel idea than making money. Mr. Lewis and Mr. Redford came to an agreement that radios would be placed in each Wigwam that would play for one half hour for a silver dime.  Mr. Redford would then receive the dimes from the radios for a period of some years in payment for the use of his plans.

There were seven of these Wigwam Villages built from the 1930's to the 1950's from Florida to California. The one, here in Holbrook, receives a lot of media attention due to it being located on Route 66 and located near several Native American Reservations,Navajo, Hopi, White Mountain Apache Reservations.  There are several vintage automobiles that are around the perimeter of the property.

The Wigwam Motel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 2002."

I've shared some of my photos below, but be sure to check out the link above 'cause you will be able to see the rooms, and the room prices. People still stay in these little wigwams....

 

 

 

Yet another reason to live in and around Mesa, Arizona. Everything is so close. Wouldn't it be fun to stay in this Motel?

 

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog.

Located just four hours north and east of Mesa, Arizona, is Holbrook, Arizona. Lots of history here, and I will share.

As my husband and I drove into Holbrook, we pulled into a gas station on the corner of 77 and Route 66. As he was putting gas in the car, I happened to notice a restaurant across the street that I had seen on Arizona Highways. I grabbed my camera, snapped some photos, and made a mental note: we would stop there for dinner after our tour of the Petrified Forest National Park, just about 18 miles east of Holbrook.

After I came back home, I went online to check out the history of this fabulous restaurant! Joe and Aggie's on Route 66! I, for one, recommend this restaurant. They have the best ever Cheese Crisps - one of their specialties AND they serve sopapias! To die for!!!

Check out the street lights in Holbrook - very quaint, as is this little town on Route 66!

 

 

We also visited the History Navajo County Courthouse and Museum. The courthouse was built in 1898, a time when Holbrook was still known as "a town too tough for women and churches." Also in the courthouse is a jail which we stepped into which was in use until 1976. Today, the courthouse is used as a museum.

Check out the jail:

 

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog.

 

 

I have another "day trip" to share. This is just about an hour and forty minutes straight north of east Mesa, Arizona. Another spectacular place in our Arizona desert. I had to climb down 90 steps to reach the Waterfall Trail. Going down? Not bad!! Coming back up? Well, how about I confess I'm a little out of shape.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is at an elevation of 4,530 and located just north of Payson, Arizona. This is an easy day trip to make.....and the bridge? Well, it's awesome! I did not go down to the bottom of that bridge, but will someday and come back and show photos. ;-)

Since I live in the desert, it's always a wonder to me to find so much beautiful country. Green country, water, and pristine beauty. This Waterfall Trail is worth every step down and up. It is about 300 feet long, ends at waterfall cove, 90 steps, some very steep! Beautiful, beautiful - hope you enjoy. ;-)

 

 

View Album

Get your own

 

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog.

 

 

 

I've shared several places to visit in Arizona - all within two or three hours of Mesa, Arizona. I call them my day trips. Granted, you might want to stop overnight somewhere, but you don't "have" to. You can actually go to Montezuma's Castle, near Camp Verde, just north of the Phoenix Valley, stop for lunch and be back home to Mesa within four hours.

Montezuma's Castle National Monument is a group of well-preserved cliff dwellings. I have included an excerpt from Wikipedia which is fascinating. These cliff dwellings are fascinating as well.

As a kid, we would actually crawl through them. This, of course, was before it was made into a national monument. I took my daughter and her children to see this spectacular area.

They were built and used by the Pre-Columbian Sinagua people around 1400 AD. Several Hopi clans trace their roots to immigrants from the Montezuma Castle/Beaver Creek area. Clan members periodically return to their former homes for religious ceremonies. When European Americans discovered them in the 1860s, they named them for the Aztec emperor of Mexico Montezuma II, due to mistaken beliefs that the emperor had been connected to their construction.^[1]

I definitely consider myself to be a beginner at photography, but do enjoy taking pictures and then sharing them online - especially her on Active Rain.

Enjoy the slideshow!!!!

 

 

 

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog.

 

One of our favorite golf courses in northern Arizona - just three hours from Mesa, Arizona - is the Pinetop Golf Course in Pinetop, Arizona. I've captured a few pictures of the greens and the fountains; however, there are so many beautiful views on this 18 hole golf course, that I had a difficult time narrowing them down. I've got some of the grounds around the club house which I'll share in another post. There are huge homes sitting prominently along the edge of the golf course as it winds throughout the community. The grounds and fairways are spectacularly green, and very maintained. There is a driving range, and this is a popular tourist spot. One more reason that living in Mesa, Arizona is a great location!!!

 

 

View Album

Get your own

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: Active Rain; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog.

I've been doing a series on day trips from Mesa, Arizona. All of the day trips have been within a 3-4 hour drive from East Mesa, Arizona. I've been primarily sharing the north areas, but promise to share more of the south communities when it cools off. I kinda sorta feel like "Arizona Highways" sharing some of my favorite hot spots for those living or moving to Mesa, or even the Phoenix Valley. There are sooooo many places to visit, to see, and to enjoy.

My next "day trip" is of photos and information on our recent hike on the Mogollon Rim Interpretive Trail located just inside Lakeside, Arizona in the White Mountains. A dramatic 200 mile long uplift split Arizona into two greatly different regions, after the seas withdrew. At the Mogollon Rim, you are on the edge of the Colorado Plateau, a flat landscape broken here by the volcanic White Mountains. Looking below, you will see mountain ranges and lowlands known as the Basin and Range Region. The flavors of both regions are woven together here, creating surprising variety.

Part of the trail is covered with asphalt, and it's a fairly easy walk and wheelchair accessible. It leads over a bridge, and comes to a halt at the edge of the panoramic views. Then, a dirt trail continues, and we continue around on the dirt trail to the beginning.

Looking off of the Rim we are able to see the White Mountain Apache Reservation (at least we know it's there. The Apaches have lived in the Rim area for hundreds of years. There is much history in this area, and I've included some from Wikipedia below.

I couldn't resist taking a photograph of this little bridge....;-)

 

A great panoramic view at the top......

The Rim is an escarpment defining the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, and along its central and most spectacular portions is characterized by high limestone and sandstone cliffs. It was formed by erosion and faulting, and dramatic canyons have been cut into it, including Fossil Creek Canyon, and Pine Canyon. The name Mogollon comes from Don Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollón, Spanish Governor of New Mexico from 1712-1715.

Much of the land below the Mogollon Rim lies 4000 to 5000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 m) above sea level, with the escarpment rising to approximately 7,000 ft (2,100 m). Extensive Ponderosa Pine forests are found both on the slopes of the Rim and on the plateau above. It is a major floristic and faunal boundary, with species characteristic of the Rocky Mountains on the top of the plateau, and the species of the Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental on the slopes below and in the Madrean sky islands (high, isolated mountain ranges) further south.

The Mogollon Rim's limestones and sandstones were formed from sediments deposited in the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Several of the Rim's rock formations are also found in the walls of the Grand Canyon. In many places the Rim is capped or even buried by extensive basaltic lava flows.

The Rim's uppermost sandstone stratum, the Coconino Sandstone, forms spectacular white cliffs, sometimes several hundred feet high. This Permian period formation is of eolian (windblown) origin, and is one of the thickest sand-dune-derived sandstones on earth.

Cities near the Mogollon Rim include Payson, and Show Low. It is bisected by Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff. The eastern portion of the Rim was the site of Arizona's largest-ever wildfire in June 2002, the 470,000 acre (1,900 km²) Rodeo-Chediski fire. The Mogollon Rim was also the site of the Dude Fire that started on June 25, 1990. This fire grew to over 30,000 acres (120 km²) and killed six wildland firefighters. Other large fires have burned along the Rim since 1990, and the area's Ponderosa Pine forests remain vulnerable because of past fire suppression and fuel build-up.

Ready for your day trip yet? We live in an amazing country, and need to take time to see it and enjoy it while we can. ;-)

 

Mesa, Arizona Real Estate. Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. Feel free to visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com. Or stop by my blogs at: MesaAzRealEstateVoice; or Phoenix Valley Real Estate Blog

Just about one and a half hours north and of east Mesa, you enter the beautiful Salt River Canyon. High cliffs, red dirt, and from the top to the bottom - about 4.5 miles where you come to a close up view of the river and the historical Salt River Canyon bridge. Along the way down or up are pull outs, and at the bottom, a beautiful bridge, red water running through the Salt River, white clouds, and amazing views.

As a child - here I am reminiscing again - we drove through the Salt River Canyon to reach the White Mountains for our family summer vacations. The roads are MUCH nicer than they were in the 50's - and there are passing lanes as this is a main artery and many trucks are seen traveling through the Canyon.

I've provided a Slide Show below of some of the remaining photos, but have many more. I took a stroll-hike along the Mongollon Rim this morning, and I will share those photos on another post. I hope you enjoy seeing our beautiful Arizona in just 1.5 hours from Mesa, Arizona.

 

 

 

Thinking about relocating to Mesa, Arizona or the Phoenix Valley? Call me at: 480.216-3334 for information on purchasing or selling a home in Mesa, Arizona or surrounding towns. OR email me: Teri@TeriEllis.com. OR visit one of my websites: HomesAzRE.com, MoveToMesaAz.com or MoveToSunnyAz.com.