Dan's 2012 Great Adventures: Verde Valley Thousand Trails RV Resort

I'm currently at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails RV Resort in Cottonwood, AZ between Flagstaff and Phoenix on I-17. This 300 acre oasis is situated on the Verde River at an elevation of 3,356 feet. Getting use to the triple digit "dry" heat has been a bit more demanding than previous trips. All your sinuses, eyes, and throat dry up like the surrounding desert. I've been using saline nasal spray to help me breathe and drinking lots of water. Gusts of hot air literally take your breath away. If you want to dry something, just put it outside in the sun for 12 seconds and it's dry! On the flip side, the nights cool off to a comfortable 50 degrees for sleeping. The sky and sunlight are much brighter and clearer than you can imagine. It's just like the ad on TV for the non-drowsy allergy medicine to "live Claritin clear" where they peel away a clear screen to reveal a much clearer view so that it's now "Claritin clear". Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so sunrise begins at 4:30 AM and the whole world comes alive and busy shortly thereafter walking dogs, cutting grass, etc. This is also to take advantage of the cool temperature before it quickly warms to triple digit temps and everyone goes into hiding in air conditioning.