Eleven Down, 39 More Adventures to Go (Yikes!)

Wow! What a year. I've been across Arizona from the North to the South, with stops at several places in between. Some I'd like to revisit, while others I'm happy to cross off my list. Here are some picks and pans from year one.

Most Spectacular Sight: Boynton Canyon The sunset from the Mogollon Rim is always beautiful, but the view at the end of the Boynton Canyon Trail in Sedona was a complete surprise. After hiking for an hour through a thick forest of Juniper, Oak and Pine trees I scrambled up a rocky hillside and above the treeline to find this. A monolith of rust-colored limestone stretching a mile or more to form the canyon wall. While there are certainly many other impressive red rock formations surrounding Sedona, this is one you won't find on your standard tour.

Favorite Food Find: Bisbee Breakfast Club Nutritionists say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I must agree. One of the best breakfasts I've ever had was at the Bisbee Breakfast Club. Located in Lowell, a township of Bisbee, the restaurant serves a hearty morning meal -- so come hungry. Skip the toast and order a big, fluffy biscuit to accompany your meal. It's home-made, as are the cinnamon-pecan sticky rolls and extensive variety of desserts. Need a jolt of caffeine to get you going in the morning, try the coffee. It's roasted locally by the Old Bisbee Roasters -- another favorite of mine. If you're not a morning person, don't worry. Breakfast is served all day, with the lunch menu available from 11 AM to 2 PM.

Worst Adventure: Cutting Down My Own Christmas Tree This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. And not as much fun, either. First, it's cold outside in Northern Arizona at this time of year. I don't like being cold. Second, finding a suitable Fir tree among the forest of tall, gangly Ponderosa pine is no easy task. And when you do, no doubt it's 200 yards or more from the road, which makes getting it back to your vehicle a strenuous task. The high mountain altitude doesn't help the situation either. My advice, leave these beautiful evergreen trees in the forest, where God planted them, and visit your local Christmas tree lot or one of Arizona's Choose-and-cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, instead. Better yet, invest in an artificial tree and place a few pine-scented candles around your house. That's what I plan to do this Christmas.

Place I'd most like to Revisit: Bisbee I wish I lived closer to this charming, old Arizona town. But at more than 200 miles each way from Phoenix, a visit to Bisbee is more than a day trip. This, however, shouldn't pose a problem for me. Bisbee has a number of unique and historic lodging establishments, some reported to be haunted. It's narrow, winding streets are lined with antique shops, art galleries, museums, fine restaurants and sidewalk cafes. There is more than enough to do in Bisbee to fill a day. At night, you can enjoy live entertainment at a number of saloons throughout town and along its famous Brewery Gulch. By the way, some of these establishments are reported to be haunted, too. But that doesn't scare me, and it shouldn't scare you. Bisbee is a great place to relax and unwind, and forget about big city life.

Year one is behind me, but I'm nowhere close to being done. I'll be doing double-time, if I'm going to complete my list of 50 Things to See and Do in Arizona before I turn 50. You are always welcome to join me.

Pueblo Grande Museum Part 1

Hohokam for the Holidays

Is it too early to start preparing for Christmas? It's not, if you are the State of Arizona.

For the first time, our state will provide the United States Congress with the Christmas tree placed in front of the Capital building in Washington, D.C. A 75-foot, nearly 125-year-old spruce has been selected from the forest in Northern Arizona. It will take about 10,000 lights and more than 5,000 ornaments to decorate the tree. Most of the ornaments will be made by Arizona school children, but a few opportunities to create decorations for the tree are available to the public. That's why I'm at the Pueblo Grande Museum early on a Saturday morning, to make Native American Gourd Ornaments for the Capital Christmas tree.

Twenty other crafters filled the community room at the Pueblo Grande Museum, including my friend, Jeanne Olcott. We were each given a gourd, a variety of paint markets and went to work. Most of the group transformed their gourds into birds. Mine, I thought, looked more like a whale. But whales aren't native to Arizona , so I painted a lizard instead.

But the lizard only covered one side of my gourd, so on the back I painted a prickly pear cactus.

Nearly three hours later, all the gourds were finished and drying outside. There were birds of all varieties and colors, a snake or two and even a hot air balloon with the the Arizona state flag.

As the Capital Christmas Tree travels across the U.S., each ornament will promote the state of Arizona -- its diverse culture and rich history. You can follow its progress at the interactive website: http://www.capitolchristmastree2009.org/.

Be sure to keep an eye out for a yellow and orange lizard hanging in the tree. When you see it, I hope you will think of me.