In the heart of Arizona there are really cacti with arms, and road runners scurrying about, although they don't go beep beep.

The drive to Phoenix takes you through some desolate lands, with small communities providing an oasis to the vast desert. It even has dust storms to transverse, adding that frisson of excitement to the desert drive.

Phoenix itself is situated on an expansive plateau, bordered by small mountains. It almost never rains here, and gets unbelievably hot in the summer, but in spring it was gorgeous.

One of the highlights is the Desert Botanical Gardens. Every time of cactus is displayed, Rita a special section reserved for the Saguaro cactus, which only grows in Arizona, and us the classic cactus from the westerns. They are protected in Phoenix, and everyone removed has to be replanted elsewhere.