Best PLace to...

Every Saturday I get the Explore Arizona section of my newspaper. Talks about great places to hike (no can do; my man won't hike, and hiking in nature with children is considered a special kind of misery), neat places to stay in state for a weekend (no can do; husband won't pay for accommodations within a seven-hour radius of home) and road trips within this region that are well worth the time invested (invested in practising patience with his offspring and his sights-relishing wife, Matthew might say).

The centennial of Arizona's statehood is approaching in February 2012, so there are also articles about its territorial history, the unusual people who shaped its future and other interesting tidbits which I, of course, find very engrossing. Mainly because, much to Matthew's chagrin, I am determined to see every location of historical significance within the state (and I don't mean just moseying down to Tombstone to watch a re-enactment of the shootout at the O.K. Corral), as well as all the oddball towns located along the Mother Road, Historic Route 66.

Lately, the Explore Arizona section has also been rattling off the "best ofs" in this state and its sister states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. I scanned through them and found myself completely disinterested in subjects along the line of : Best Place to Get a Massage on a Slab of Red Rock (Sedona, of course). But one little blurb did indeed catch my eye, and when I found it, I started to laugh it up. Ah, the memories!

The title for the piece was: Best Place to Throw Out Your Car's Suspension

What was that place? Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Why was I laughing? Because after just barely meeting my in-laws on my first trip to New Mexico, I requested that they drive me out to see the amazing ruins at Chaco Canyon. It was a wild ride on a very bad road, but I had no clue at the time that I was asking them to put their Jeep's suspension on the line for their soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

The story of my first and only adventure in Chaco Canyon is told here. The pictures, sadly, do not do it justice. If we risk our minivan and Matthew's sanity to view the ruins again this summer, I'll be sure to post more pictures. Enjoy.