• Amphibious Ambling - By most standards, The Turtle Expedition style of travel is, ah, Spartan. Even our Tortuga Expedition Camper is small compared to big fifth-wheel trailers or motorhomes with multiple slideouts, so you can imagine how excited we were to test something a little more luxurious. Did I say a little more? When we stepped into the new 75-foot (yeah, seventy-five foot) Odyssey, my first thought was, “I could live here.”

• RELICS & RODS - If Henry Ford saw his 1929 Ford sedan painted violet, he most certainly would spin in his grave. But that and many more flamboyant and dazzling vehicles is what nearly 20,000 spectators see when they attend the annual Relics & Rods Run to the Sun in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. For four days every October, owners of more than 1,000 street rods head for this desert oasis to parade and display their prized possessions. They come from across the country and as far away as Europe for one of the finest displays of vintage vehicles in the world.

• Riding With Wyatt Earp - It was a dark and rainy fall-chilled night. I was sleeping on a mat outdoors. Across a patch of cattle-trampled pasture from me was a bunch of bedded-down cowboys. One said, “I just can’t sleep in a wet bedroll.” Another said, “Well, will you just shut up and let somebody sleep who can sleep in a wet bedroll?” This exchange set the agenda for a real adventure that lay ahead. Very quietly, I crawled out of my soggy sleeping bag, and slid open the big side door of my RV, especially desirable at this moment for being dry and leak-proof. Inside, I wrung out my sleeping bag in the shower stall, hung it on the shower-faucet handles, dried myself and slipped into a nice, dry backup bag.

• Tooling Around Tucson - It’s the week before Christmas and we are dressed in shorts and T-shirts for a hike through the desert. The bright sunshine lifts the human spirit and fills our hearts with promises of fun and adventure. We are in Tucson, Arizona.

• Free Spirits - When I met Rod Payne, he was taking in the laundry. He had strung a clothesline the width of his lowered awning. It appeared to be just the right length to hang everything that came out of the washing machine in their motor home. ”We have a dryer,” Rod said, “but it doesn’t do near as good a job as the air does out here in the desert.”

• Amazing, Diverse Arizona - Peter Pan once exclaimed, “Do you want an adventure now or would you like your tea first?” There was no question about it; we were ready for our Arizona adventure. Our tea would have to wait.

• America’s Amazing Abyss - The vast American southwest is nirvana to outdoor enthusiasts. My husband, Guy, and I have vacationed in Arizona at least a dozen times during the last 12 years and have even ventured as far northwest as Flagstaff. But until recently, we had never traveled to the Grand Canyon.

• Travel by Train - There is no wrong way to get to the Grand Canyon, but an alternative to driving a motorhome is to stop in Williams, Arizona, and take the Grand Canyon Railway (reservations are recommended), which first carried passengers to the canyon’s South Rim more than 100 years ago.

• Snowbirds’ Mecca - It doesn’t take much to discover what snowbirds have known all along-what brings them back to Yuma. The city basks in sunshine 340 days a year and offers pleasures and amenities that appeal to all ages. No wonder many former snowbirds now call Yuma their year-round home.

• Desert and waterways of Yuma, AZ - Yuma is nestled in the Yuma and Gila valleys of southern Arizona, offering a climate that blends pleasant desert sunshine with the cool waters of the Colorado River.

• Canyons of Arizona - Arizona is called the “Grand Canyon State” for more reasons than one. The Grand Canyon may be the largest in the state, but other canyons in Arizona are just as grand.

• Tucson On the Cheap - Snowbirds and penny-pinchers, rejoice! A little money goes a long way toward having fun in Tucson — from art and history, to science and outdoor adventure. Frugal visitors can enjoy a host of fun and educational activities in the Old Pueblo for $10 per person or less.

• A Vision of the Future - Visit Paolo Soleri's interpretation of his “arcology” concept at Arcosanti near Mayer, Arizona. The small community is located not far from Phoenix, and is work in progress.

• Antelope Canyon Tribal Park - Located a few miles southeast of Page, Arizona, Antelope Canyon is one of the most breathtaking, yet tranquil, places on earth. It is really two separate canyons — Upper and Lower Antelope, separated by several miles of flat terrain. The upper canyon is reached at the...

• Museum of Northern Arizona Schedules Navajo Festival - Navajo Code Talkers and the fine art of Navajo weaving will be explored in depth at the MNA’s 59th Annual Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture on Saturday and Sunday, August 2 and 3 in Flagstaff. Seventy-five artists, traditional music and dances, Heritage Insight programming, and food will round out the weekend’s celebration of the vibrant Diné culture.