Sometimes you need to break away from the city to fully enjoy the seasons. Dewey-Humboldt’s Mortimer Family Farms allows visitors to do just this.

During the summer, Mortimer Family Farms holds the Sweet Corn Festival. The Corn Festival occurs every weekend in August.

About the festival via the Mortimer Family Farms website:

This festival will feature everything “CORN!” Come join us for the “a-MAIZE-ing” attractions, games, farm activities, barn dance, and much more! Admission is only $10.00 per person which includes entertainment for the entire family! Younger guests will enjoy the Pig Races, Farm Animal Petting Zoo, Buckaroo Pony Corner, Farm Slide, Corn Bath, Straw Maze, Barrel Train, Bounce Playhouse Farmland, and Barrel Train! Teen guests won’t want to miss the Bubble Run, Pig Races, Laser Tag, Roping Dummies, Obstacle Course, Water Rides, and Lawn Mower Races!

The whole family will relish Fresh Picked Sweet Corn, Vegetables, Antique Tractor Show, Hay Rides, Music, Barn Dance, Live Entertainment, Craft Vendors, and “a-MAIZE-ing” farm food set in the middle of our growing fields! Are you competitive? Test your skills with a Corn Eating competition, Corn Shucking competition, and Corn Toss with prizes being awarded!

The Mile High Tractor Club will be displaying antique tractors for all to enjoy! Watch as they compete for “Top Pull” every Saturday, seeing which Operator & Antique Tractor can pull the weighted sled the farthest.

Meet Farmer Buzz on a hayride tour of the farm with lots of stories and history about our area – he will even take you to the fields to pick your own Sweet Corn right off the stalk. Learn about agriculture, the history of Dewey-Humboldt, and watch a real Blacksmith create works of art in iron!

Join us for our Farm Dance, both Saturdays, in our 4 – 7 Barn. The dance is for all ages to enjoy and it is a MUST! Be ready for this Boot Scootin’ good time from 7:00 to 10:00 pm along with all festival attractions.

Farm Market Store and “My Grandma’s Kitchen” is open daily from 8-6 where you will find farm raised: Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Peppers, Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Herbs, Black Angus Beef, Chicken, Home baked Cookies, Pies, Cakes, Fudge, Sandwiches and more! Their baked goods utilize farm fresh ingredients, making everything from scratch – Just like Grandma always did! The recipes are family favorites and they are delicious.

The vegetables have arrived! The store and festival will be loaded with Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Squash, Peppers and other Summer Vegetables grown on the Farm!

Mortimer Family Farms hosts events throughout the year. Keep connected with Mortimer Family Farms on Facebook and Twitter to learn about other upcoming events!

Image courtesy of rimcountry.com

With an elevation over a mile-high(5640 ft), Christopher Creek Campground’s crisp, fresh air and vibrant views are a joy to behold. The facility is tucked along the banks of the spring-fed Christopher Creek, which passes just below the Mogollon Rim.

The Mogollon Rim, pronounced by locals as “muggy-own,” is a 200-mile long cliff in northern Arizona that ranges between 5,000 and 7,000 ft in elevation. The unique landscape was created by extreme erosion and faulting that has sculpted spectacular canyons and buttes. The rim serves as the geographical dividing line between the cool high country above and the hot, dry desert below. Christopher Creek is located in the desert portion, but is balanced by the cool waters of the creek and forested surroundings.

After a day of horseback riding or mountain biking, take a dip in one of the facility’s three swimming holes to cool off from the summer sun. Or if winter is more your thing, visit during the snowy months to take advantage of the miles of cross-country skiing available. Each spring, the creek is stocked with rainbow trout, allowing anglers the opportunity to cast their hearts out for rainbows as well as brook and brown trout.

The small town of Christopher Creek is just a short drive away and offers a few restaurant options for those who tire of cooking at the campground. A series of lakes called the Rim Country Lakes are about a 10 minute drive east. Woods Canyon Lake is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the state and offers options for boating as well as a nature trail that loops around the lake’s perimeter.

Information courtesy of recreation.gov; learn more here.

Photo courtesy of granitecreekvineyards.com

Take a break from your daily duties by taking a peaceful vacation to the Granite Creek Vineyards in Chino Valley, a family owned & operated vineyard and winery.

The vineyards are surrounded by rugged granite peaks and high elevation rolling prairie. The vines surrounding the area truly bring everything together. The Chino Valley Vineyards is a family owned and operated vineyard and winery.

The vines bask in the intense sunshine, with hot days and cool nights that last late into the fall. This provides the perfect ripening conditions. Organically farmed granite soil and pure well water help develop the truly delicious fruit.

This vineyard is the first farm in Arizona to be Certified Organic. Granite Creek Vineyards is one of only a handful of wineries in the United States that makes Certified Organic Wines without any added sulfates.

See this and more at the Granite Creek Vineyards website by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of nytimes.com

Every city and town has a unique feeling and energy to it. Step into some and you feel right at home, others may not feel like the place for you. Sedona’s energy might be the most unique of any city or town out there, though. The energy, which is largely the product of its vortexes, truly empowers you.

There are four main energy vortexes in Sedona: The Airport vortex, Red rock Crossing/ Cathedral Rock Vortex, Boynton Canyon Vortex and Bell rock Vortex. Each vortex strengthens a unique part of those who traverse its grounds.

Stand at one of Sedona’s four main vortexes and the energy will flow into and through you. You may find that you feel more confident, more empathetic, or more at peace depending on the vortex you step into. Each vortex helps with a specific energy.

Travel Tip: Don’t be closed off to the workings of the vortex, the more sensitive you are during your vortex excursion, the better the experience.

Image courtesy of sangres.com

Winding through the evergreen pinion-covered Coconino National Forest, this byway, designated as Arizona’s first “All-American Road,” gives way to several scenic views.

Along the byway is a diverse ecosystem where people can bask in the glory of the buttes, cliffs, desert expanses and canyons.

This landscape has inspired and shaped people for over 10,000 years.

Travelers are encouraged to enjoy the scenery, go picnicking, hiking, biking, wildlife watching, and take photos along the way.

The Sterling Canyon Spur leads to two of the most spectacular rock formations in the area. Devil’s Bridge and Vultee Arch are each just a short hike off the road. The Boynton Canyon Spur leads to a trail into an area described as one of Sedona’s new age vortexes. The Loy Butte spur will put travelers in the middle of some of the area’s more sweeping vistas. The Sycamore Canyon Spur takes travelers past  Robber’s Roost, where horse thieves once hid their contraband and to Sycamore Pass, the gateway to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness.

Image courtesy of greatsedonahikes.com

The Dogie Trail is a step back into the days where Cowboys ruled the land. Dogie is cowboy slang for motherless calf, alluding to the area’s ranching history. Cowboys once herded cattle along this route through Sycamore Canyon. Evidence of this history remains in the form of stock tanks that sit along the path. The trail is covered with crimson-and-cream colored bluffs topped with junipers and pinon pines. Hikers may find pools that linger from recent rains shaded by cottonwood and willow trees. The hike ends at junction with the Sycamore Basin Trail in the Coconino National Forest. The trail is hailed as a rugged beauty that has been unspoiled and untamed by man.