Travel

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, May 4, 2008 Web hopping: Take it easy in Arizona Itching for a road trip but worried about the price of gas? Then choose a relatively short route that packs a lot of sightseeing into your enjoyment of the open road. One possibility is hitting a few highlights of the Southwest in just a few days. www.visitphoenix.com; www.heard.org Start from Phoenix, where you should click on "Arts & Performances" and look for "Museums." Honest, before hitting the road, you should visit the Heard Museum, an outstanding place for getting acquainted with the native cultures and arts of the Southwest. www.prescott.com; www.visit-prescott.com; sharlot.org Then find Interstate 17 and head north, but be prepared for heavy traffic. About 50 miles north of Phoenix, with the Bradshaw Mountains swelling on your left, take the turnoff on Arizona 69 to Prescott, Arizona's territorial capital. Click on "What to Do" for local attractions, including Whiskey Row along the west side of the courthouse square. The "Shopping" section of Visit Prescott is a guide to the numerous local galleries and antique shops, and the Sharlot Hall Museum preserves the log-walled Territorial Governor's Mansion. www.azjerome.com Now you have two choices, depending on what sort of driving you like. If you dig curvy mountain roads, find Arizona 89A and head east over Mingus Mountain (keep your eyes on the narrow road, and let your passengers admire the view) to Jerome a one-time copper mining town pasted onto the side of Mingus. It nearly became a ghost town, but now bustles with galleries and shops in dozens of rescued old buildings. www.visitsedona.com From Jerome, elevation 5,200 feet, you can look east across the Verde River valley to an area of rugged red cliffs about 20 miles away as the crow flies. Drive in that general direction on 89A and that's where you'll find Sedona, a community of shops and galleries surrounded by the scenic Red Rock country. Look for "Videos & Life Views" to see what attracted the makers of Western movies and today's visitors from around the world. And under "What to Do," find Red Rock State Park with its outstanding view, and "scenic drives" at the bottom of the page. If that mountain drive to Jerome didn't sound like your thing, head back east from Prescott to I-17 -- look for a shortcut labeled Arizona 169 -- and resume your drive north. You can reach Sedona by taking the Cottonwood exit, and then catching up with 89A, or by continuing to the Sedona exit (narrower road, possible construction). www.flagstaffarizona.org Follow 89A through downtown Sedona and it becomes a scenic drive through Oak Creek Canyon, then climbs into pine forest on the way to Flagstaff, a university city with clean air, a picturesque downtown and mountains (12,000 feet) in the background. Check out the video, and the places to stay while you rest up for the next day. www.meteorcrater.com; winslowarizona.org www.laposada.org; www.standinonthecorner.com Before you drive back to Phoenix, less than four hours on I-17, consider a side trip about 35 miles east on Interstate 40 to Meteor Crater and about 20 miles farther to Winslow, home of the historic La Posada Hotel. You know, Winslow, immortalized in the Eagles' "Take It Easy" where you can get someone to take your picture in Standin' On The Corner Park. Roger Petterson, Associated Press

1. Principal of Christian school in Arlington charged with child rape 2. 5 moms battle Lakewood Elementary School fire 3. Couple fight back against armed home invader 4. Traffic detoured around motorcycle accident in Lake Stevens 5. Teen burglar's own snapshot may help police catch him 6. Mill Creek teens robbed at gunpoint 7. More glory for former Snohomish High basketball coach 8. Local Briefly: Search-and-rescue teams look for hiker 9. Boeing stock plummets on analyst's downgrade 10. Transit driver has dangerous attitude 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Tour de Jour • Racing to help the helpless • It's coming: Make way for the new City Hall • They won't take it anymore • Meet the new Gateway principal • School activity buses could be restored • Mountlake Terrace hires new police chief • Council prefers a back seat in green movement • Students of the month • Arlington Fly-In marks 40th anniversary this year • Melody Biringer a wide-ranging entrepreneur • County home market offers low rates, lower prices, wide variety of prope ... • Good investments may be boring but profitable • Fryelands industrial park growing in Monroe • Out of the Blue Aviation expands flight training • Paul Allen’s rare Flying Heritage Collection becomes latest aviation att ... • Warbird's history keeper