There's a lot happening in the Grand Canyon State! The Internet offers a great way to check in on wildlife, hiking, river running, parks, special events, politics, and people. Although a virtual visit to Arizona cannot replace the real thing, you'll find an enormous amount of helpful information on the Internet's World Wide Web. Thousands of Web sites interlink to cover everything from the Grand Canyon's environmental issues to Scottsdale restaurant reviews. Up-to-the-minute weather and news reports lie at your fingertips 24 hours a day. E-mail links let you write to many of the tourist offices and other people who can provide additional information. The websites will save you time and money by quickly providing information that you would otherwise have to write or call for. Most public libraries offer free use of Internet computers. If you're new to the on-line world, library staff or a friend can get you started.
Web "surfing" will have choppy waves at times, however, due to out-of-date sites and missing links. Also, don't expect to find every topic covered in Moon Handbooks: Arizona! Note that you'll often see Internet addresses beginning with an "http://" but Web browsers need only the part of the address that follows it.
Where to Start
The Yahoo site will take you almost anywhere in Arizona with its well-organized offerings. Enter travel.yahoo.com/ and select Travel Guides, United States, then Arizona. From there you can choose a city, sight, or commercial link. Other search engines work well, too.
The Arizona Office of Tourism site, www.arizonaguide.com, leads you to many corners of the state in its online guide and events calendar. AZ Tourist News at www.aztourist.com describes the travel scene with stories, news, and event listings. The "Internet News Portal to Arizona" Arizona Reporter www.azreporter.com is full of entertainment and event news. Although based in the Phoenix area, the Arizona Republic site, www.azcentral.com, has excellent statewide coverage of news, weather, sports, business, entertainment, and travel. Arizona Highways at www.arizonahighways.com offers some of the same beautiful photos, travel information, hike descriptions, and entertaining stories found in its magazine pages. You'll find lots of hiking and other outdoor information at the Great Outdoor Recreation Pages, gorp.away.com/gorp/location/az/az.htm. If you're interested in learning about the desert, check Desert USA at www.desertusa.com for information on places to visit and the plants and animals you might meet there.
South-Central Arizona
The Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.visitphoenix.com offers extensive information on sights, events, and services in and around Arizona's largest city. Also based in Phoenix, www.azfamily.com presents regional news, sports, restaurant reviews, and entertainment listings.
Southern Arizona
The Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.visittucson.org has the latest on travel in and around the "Old Pueblo."
Grand Canyon and North-Central Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park has so many things to see and do that it's well worth visiting the official site, www.nps.gov/grca. The unofficial Grand Canyon Explorer is a good source at www.kaibab.org. The commercial sites Grand Canyon Hotels & Tours and TheCanyon.com offer an introduction to the park and links to Grand Canyon hotels, tours, and surrounding towns. Over at Page and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, www.pagelakepowelltourism.com lets you know about things to do in town and out on Lake Powell. In north-central Arizona, the Flagstaff Flagstaff Visitor Center, www.flagstaffarizona.org will fill you in on the sights and services there. Sedona-Oak Creek Chamber of Commerce at www.visitsedona.com takes you to the magical Red Rock Country south of Flagstaff.
You're welcome to follow along on my past trips!
Mountain Biking Lhasa to Kathmandu, told by fellow cyclist Chris Sandvig, relates the awe-inspiring and very challenging cycling tour in Tibet and Nepal that our small group rode in 1999. It's one of the world's highest sustained altitude rides, absolutely breathtaking!
Makalu Trek in Nepal had more than its share of trials and tribulations; it lasted four weeks and took place in autumn 2000.
Cycling Pakistan & India tells of an epic bicycle ride from the Karakoram Mountains of northern Pakistan to the warms seas at the southern tip of India; the six-month ride began at the troubled time of September 2001.
Cycling Indian Himalaya began in Leh, Ladakh, and took "Bessie Too the Bicycle" and me over one of the world's highest road passes in late 2002.
Cycling Thailand & Laos heads for the Mekong River and a journey across lush rice paddies and across jungle-clad mountains in the winter of 2002-2003.
Cycling Across Northern Europe begins in the land of Vikings—Denmark—and journeys east across Sweden and Estonia to the larger-than-life land of Russia in the summer of 2003.
Cycling Thailand to China was amazing for astounding variety—a four-month ride from tropics of central Thailand to the great ice mountains of the eastern Himalayas in 2004-2005.
One Year in Asia tells the story of a 17-month epic cycling trip in 2005-2007, including a ride all the way across China from Southeast Asia to Central Asia, plus a pair of rides in India—one in the Himalayas (near the headwaters of the Ganges) and one in the south, capped off with cycling in Cambodia and southern Thailand.
A Sentimental Return to the TransAmerica Trail After 31 Years tells of a ride way out east in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio in autumn 2007, inspired by the reunion of my fellow riders from a 1976 Virginia-Oregon Bikecentennial ride.
My dad, Gordon Weir, tells his story of flying in WW II as a navigator in B-17s and B-24s.
Could there be TWO travelers named "William Weir" who are both cyclists and filled with wanderlust? Yes, the other is Willie Weir and he has tales to tell.
Cyclist Peter Gostelow has ridden an incredibly adventurous ride across Asia. He tells some great stories illustrated by awesome photos. We met in the southeastern corner of China in March 2006.
English cyclist Colin Champion describes his 2003 bicycle ride of Lahaul, Spiti, and Kinnaur.
Moon Travel Handbooks and Travel Matters have titles and articles by my fellow authors.
Veteran author David Stanley takes you to the people and islands of the South Pacific. He also has a map site dedicated to the region.
Visit the Thailand author Joe Cummings, whom the Leonard DiCaprio's character in The Beach threatened to "punch his lights out"!
Carl Parkes tells what's happening in Southeast Asia and beyond in his lively blog.
Caribbean expert and author Chris Baker brings the region's color and magic to his website.
Julian Smith writes about science and travel; his books include such diverse destinations as Virginia, the Southwest, El Salvador, and Ecuador.
Joshua Berman writes about Nicaragua, Belize, and his round-the-world adventures.
Nicaragua author Randy Wood tells about his region and other corners of the world.
Erin Van Rheenen's Living Abroad in Costa Rica site explains about both visiting and living in this Central American country.
Explore author Don Pitcher's wide-open spaces of Alaska, Washington, and Wyoming states.
Tim Bewer has books on Wisconsin and travels extensively in Latin America as well.
See beautiful Canada with Andrew Hempstead's Travel to Canada.
Ready to hit the open road? Then swing by Jamie Jensen's Road Trip USA.
Travel the world with advice from Edward Hasbrouck's The Practical Nomad.
Jeff Bradley, the TNGuy, has a great site about all things Tennessean.
Senior Citizens will find an online travel magazine just for them at Alison Gardner's site.
Californian dog lovers will enjoy trotting over to Maria Goodavage's site.