It seems strange, but Arizona is a winter paradise. Not only for snowbirds from Wisconsin and North Dakota who flock here to the Valley of the Sun, but also for people who really like snow. We have it good in Phoenix. When El Niño’s clouds move in, we get a heavy rain in the valley. But up in the mountains, Payson, Prescott, Flagstaff, and so forth, it’s another story. They get the flaky stuff.
So we go to see the snow. It’s a real attraction for us. We grab our hiking boots and bundle up. Yes, we use those gloves and hats once a year. And off we drive. We can see the white beauty from afar on Four Peaks Mountain. Let’s go!
Smoky the Bear advises us in Payson that fire danger is low today. No wonder, the snow pile reaches well above his waist. We drive up to the trout farm on the Rim by Horton Creek. Barely a one-lane track is ploughed. What if we get head on traffic! We don’t want to get stuck in the berm. No snow tires, chains or shovels anywhere. Who knows if our T-Mobile will get a call out of here.
But we are driving through a winter wonderland of pristine snow. The pine trees are loaded, bending under the heavy white weight. Is this Narnia? We expect snow creatures, but they are only happy sledders parked by the road.
We get out at the parking for the trailhead. The trout farm is closed, but there is a little trail into the snow-covered forest. We tread gently into the quiet scenery. Sculptured trees of sugar loads decorate the path besides us. Paff, that snowball hit right on my chest. Wait a minute, take this!
We like to see and touch the snow, and then be out of it. We basically know all the coffee shops in Flagstaff, our favorite one Macy’s with its coffee roaster and inspiring photographs. Yeah, we could trying skiing sometime on Mount Humphreys, but we are too lazy. Instead we enjoy the vista across the winter wonderland from up there.
This is Arizona winter wonderland. You may see Prickly Pear cacti covered with snow. They sure look funny that way. Or a white cap on a saguaro, a Santa-guaro. When it snows, we run to catch a whiff of it. And we get out of it just as quick. What a good deal.
Look at our beautiful Arizona snow mountains: Four Peaks, Bell Rock, Mt. Humphreys