This is the fifth and final in a series of posts about visiting 12 national parks in Utah and Arizona over 9 days.

In the morning, I went out early with my camera. We’d found our cabin in the dark, not realizing it was only a few steps away from the edge. Violent winds had swept across the Arizona desert that week, kicking up a storm of red dust, so the canyon itself was hazy—still magnificent, but not as vivid as the postcards. For a lazy photographer like me, it was a fine excuse to put away the tripod. The... Read More

This is the fourth in a series of posts about visiting 12 national parks in Utah and Arizona over 9 days.

Our original plans called for a straight haul from Kayenta to the Grand Canyon, a 3-hour drive with nothing to see along the way. I pulled out the AAA maps and TourBook® guides, realizing we could add two national parks to our tally, plus an attraction I’d always wanted to see: Meteor Crater (from the movie “Starman”). The only hitch: adding 4 more hours to our drive time. And there’d be no speeding—the AAA TripTik warned... Read More

       If you’re feeling an urge to escape from everyday stress, chances are you’re overdue for a trip to the spa.  It sounded good to me, even though in the back of my head was the thought “Do real men hang out at a spa???”  I wanted to find out.

Whether it’s personal reflection, maintaining a healthy mind and body or simply decompressing from the daily grind that you seek, you won’t have to look far to find a resort or destination spa that might be just the ticket for you. I was ready for all four, and geared up to the... Read More

    These featured AAA Drive Trips - just two of over 100 available - are a contrast in geography and history, each with their own appeal and seasonal advantages. Click on the Drive Trip's name to access the complete printable itinerary.

The first Drive Trip, Central and Northern Arizona, a 327-mile journey from Phoenix to Prescott to Flagstaff, is, says AAA Road Reporter Mike Robb. "one of our... Read More

Question: Kathleen Michaelson asks:  I would like to plan a day trip in April with three kids from Las Vegas to Zion or Death Valley. What do you suggest?

Answer: Kathy Mackdanz, travel planner at the AAA office in Minneapolis answers: April is a great time to visit either of these areas. Death Valley National Park, a AAA GEM attraction, is a great day trip from Las Vegas. From the city to Death Valley is approximately 110 miles going via Mountain Springs and Pahrump, Nev. Take the Death Valley... Read More

Question: Charles Sotiropoulos asks:  I plan to visit Sedona, Arizona, and would like tips on lodging and the best time of year to visit.  I have many varied interests including golf, sightseeing, horseback riding, plus local hangouts.

Answer: Dave Jankus, travel planner at the AAA office in Phoenix says: Sedona is one Arizona's premier destinations. Although Sedona is in the northern and cooler part of the state, it is in a valley and during the summer temperatures can reach into the 100's. The best time to visit is in the fall or spring.  Oak... Read More

     AAA’s National Office has formally designated the state of Arizona as a Strict Enforcement Area under terms of the association’s process for identifying locations where unusually strict traffic law enforcement is used, or where Traffic Traps are in operation. This will be the first time an entire state has been designated a AAA Strict Enforcement Area.  A Strict Enforcement Area is one in which traffic laws and regulations are strictly enforced for valid reasons, such as improved traffic safety. No censure is implied by this designation, nor is it intended to be derogatory.

     After preliminary review, AAA decided that Arizona’s unique and rapid implementation of fixed and mobile photo radar was the... Read More

 
     With apologies to the Fifth Dimension and the great song writer Jimmy Webb, would you like to ride in this beautiful balloon? If so, you can visit the Phoenix area as I did on a recent trip to Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler, Arizona. I was on a familiarization trip (what we "insiders" call a fam). It was my first trip in a hot air balloon and I was impressed by how calm and relaxing it was despite the height.

      The ride was... Read More

       Dropping something into the Grand Canyon is bad enough, but jumping over the wall to retrieve it is just crazy. Apparently, kind Austrian tourists don't know that.

       We were on a AAA travel familiarization tour, and, wanting to capture everything possible on film, my colleague Lisa accidentally dropped her infrared filter over a wall onto a small, rocky outcropping below. Obviously, it had to be retrieved. But how? Climbing down into the canyon is obviously dangerous. So Lisa, in vintage “MacGyver” fashion, attached chewing... Read More