Summertime in Northern Arizona

Many people from the Phoenix area gravitate to Northern Arizona throughout the summer, or as we call it, "Up North." We love the towns of Payson, ShowLow, and Flagstaff, and the White Mountains area. The elevation is higher, so the temperature is typically 20F cooler, and there are pine trees and mountains. Arizona is very arid (dry) with low humidity, as are many Western states, like New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Many people escape the desert region and the heat by going up for day trips or camping. It's anywhere from two to four hours by car.I am surrounded by sunflowers at an area called Mormon Lake, Arizona.
Mormon Lake, Arizona. The yellow is a sea of sunflowers and lots of elk hang out in this area in the summer.

Nesto and I have gone fishing several times this year, even taking one trip on the motorcycle. We purchased the collapsible fishing rods and packed a small tackle box and lunch on the back of the bike! We had one great fishing day, and caught several rainbow trout, as you can see from my "Fish-in-a-bag."
I like taking short hikes and enjoying the wildflowers and wildlife. Here are some Columbine flowers, which is actually the Colorado State flower.We have seen deer, skunk, elk, bald eagles, lizards, red cardinals, blue jays, duck and chipmunks that will eat from your hands! The bald eagle is the national emblem of the United States and it's always exciting to see them in the wild. We saw some swoop and dive down to the lake at Woods Canyon and catch a fish for lunch. They fly so fast I could never get a picture, so I found one photographed by Bob Paty.