By Jack Hommell
Without getting syrupy or maudlin about it at all, we are fortunate to live in this area of Arizona and Mohave County. There are many, many reasons to be thankful for all the bounty we experience day by day. I won’t try to enumerate the blessings, I’ll just ramble along, noting them as they come to mind.
We have, first and foremost, some of the best weather in the entire country. It gets warm for the most of the summer, with a few scorcher days. In the short winter, we have a very few frosty days and it is just cool for the rest of the winter. So, cool winters and warm summers. We don’t get any of the deadly hot summer that is common in Phoenix and we don’t get any of the dangerous cold that’s common in higher elevations. A good barometer of just how attractive it really is around here is the huge number of “snowbirds” who visit here from October thru April. Yeah, they really like it……………almost as much as I do.
Now, added to the preceding, there are more very nice, friendly, helpful people here per square mile than I have found anywhere else, bar none. Yes, I know there are some individuals who will be glad to argue the point that everyone they have met is nasty and grumpy. From my personal experience and observations, you get what you give.
Yet another plus here is the scenery. There are so many beautiful vistas around here, it’s hard not to get blasé about it. You can try until you get tired, just trying to count the mesas and cliffs and canyons and the grand panoramas. If you go up to the top of the Hualapai Mountains, into the pines in the right time of the year, the scent of the pines is intoxicating and the photo opportunities abound. If you go just north of Chloride and up Big Wash Canyon to the Windy Point campground, the vistas are truly breath taking, wide screen movie quality at a minimum. From portions of that drive, you can see both the Hualapai Valley and The Sacramento valley, and on very clear days you can see the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff. If you want to be a bit more active than just gazing at the scenery, there are really many hiking and riding trails within an hour’s drive from town. There are also numerous hot springs to be enjoyed with the same ease of access. You can easily find your way to visit some of the fascinating overlooks at some of the nearby mines which are still very active. If off-roading is your game, there are numerous easy drives for novices and many for seasoned enthusiasts.
If you choose to be really sedentary, you can pick from many a choice viewing spot and watch the hundreds of huge freight trains that come through Kingman daily, and at the same time you can watch the staggering variety of truck traffic passing by on either Highway Ninety Three or on Interstate Forty.
If that is not enough, go down to the Powerhouse and the old Steam Train engine park and observe the astounding variety clothing styles and spoken languages of the flood of tourists from Europe and the Orient. There is no excuse here for anyone to say “There’s nothing to do” or “I’m bored”, unless the person is just returning from a ‘round the world treasure hunt or a rocket ride into earth orbit.
There are practically numberless clubs, special interest groups, hobby groups, associations, volunteer opportunities, etcetera, for a person to get heavily involved and as busy as your time and physical condition will allow. Add to all that, the very many opportunities to volunteer time to public functions, committees and agencies, all of whom are welcoming to interested citizens.
Blessings? Yes we have them, by the score. It doesn’t have to be Christmas time to be joyful in counting your blessings, nor is it inappropriate to invite your friends to share those blessings. You might even want to make new friends with whom to share your newfound treasures. I count my blessings every day that I have the unrestricted opportunity to live here. I invite you to do the same.
