My Spirit is SKY High!

I don't ski. Truth be told, chairlifts scare me a bit. Why they don't knock you over or whack you in the back when you jump off has always been a mystery to me -- but one I plan to solve on the Arizona Snowbowl Scenic Skyride.

Located in the Coconino National Forest in the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona's highest mountain range, Arizona Snowbowl is a short 30-minute drive from Flagstaff and a popular winter destination for skiers, snowboarders and other Nordic sport enthusiasts. In the summer, however, the slopes remain active with hiking, mountain bike riding, picnics, wildlife viewing, Frizbee golf and the area's most popular attraction, the Skyride.

First stop is the Agassiz Lodge, elevation 9,500 feet above sea level. There you buy your ticket, $12 for adults and $8 for juniors and seniors. If you're hungry or need liquid encouragement, stop at the Peak Side Cafe where you can enjoy lunch, and a variety of draft beers and cocktails, inside or outside on the large patio.

After buying my ticket, I went straight to the chairlift, which was already busy with riders. I studied the people as they got on and off. None of them seemed to have any problem taking their seat on the slow moving chair. It looked easy enough, so I hopped on for the 45-minute ride to the top.

If you're not a big fan of heights, you might not want to look down. However, looking up, as I discovered, might not settle your nerves, either. The grip, as it's called, that holds the passenger carrier to the moving cable is about the size of a man's hand, and is all the prevents you and the chair from plummeting to the ground. While riders may be responsible for more accidents on chairlifts than equipment failure, it still didn't give me a lot of confidence.

So it's best to stare out at the scenery, which is breathtaking. You pass over lush green meadows, that in winter are ski runs covered in snow. You climb up into the trees like a bird, flying over Ponderosa pines, Spruce and Fir trees until they all but disappear at the end of the ride -- which is 2,000 feet higher than where you started.

Now, at 11,500 feet above sea level, it's not quite as green as before. You'll find very few trees at this altitude, but plenty of large black rocks from an extinct volcano that helped shape Arizona's Northern Plateau.

But what you're really here to see isn't rocks or trees -- it's the view. And on a clear day, you can see for miles. That may sound like a cliche, it's true

I found that the ride down the mountain wasn't as scary as the ride up. Maybe it was because I was more comfortable with the ride. But more likely it was because I was no longer looking down. I was looking straight ahead. I was so preoccupied with the amazing view that I forgot all my fears.

I arrived safe and sound at the base of the mountain. I may not ski, but I've mastered the chairlift. Winter visitors to Arizona Snowbowl only get a one-way ticket to the top and miss the best part of the ride. I'm glad I don't ski, or I might have missed out too.