Scottsdale sits in the Sonoran Desert, the only place saguaro cactus grow wild.
Camelback Mountain really is shaped like a camel lying down.
A saguaro can live 200 years and grows its first arm around age 70.
Taliesin West was built here from desert rock by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is one of the largest city parks in the country.
Desert nights cool off fast because dry air does not hold on to heat.
Javelinas look like pigs but are not pigs, and they travel in family groups.
Palo verde trees are green all over because their bark does the work of leaves.
Hummingbirds live in the desert year round and defend flowers fiercely.
The monsoon brings dramatic summer storms and walls of dust called haboobs.
Coyotes trot through neighborhoods at dawn and are completely at home in cities.
Desert stars are unusually bright because the dry air is so clear.
Airplane wings are built to bend and flex in rough air, and that is on purpose.
The little hole in an airplane window keeps the pressure safe and stops fogging.
Pilots and copilots are usually served different meals in case one gets sick.
A jet engine sucks in enough air every second to fill a hot air balloon.
Your suitcase gets a barcode tag that computers read more than ten times per trip.
Airport runways have numbers that tell pilots which direction they point.
The window seat is the coldest seat on a plane because the wall touches outside air.
Air traffic controllers watch thousands of planes at once and keep them all apart.
Chewing gum or yawning helps your ears pop when the plane climbs or lands.
Most planes fly higher than the clouds, which is why it is sunny up there.
A plane's black box is actually bright orange so it is easier to find.
Food tastes less salty and sweet on a plane, so airlines season it extra.
The fastest a passenger jet usually flies is around 575 miles per hour.
Every airport in the world has its own three letter code, like a nickname.
Packing cubes let you fit more clothes because squished clothes take up less room.
Roll your clothes instead of folding them and they wrinkle less in a suitcase.
Maps used to be drawn by hand, and mapmakers sometimes guessed at the edges.
A compass needle always points north because Earth itself works like a giant magnet.
Time zones exist so the sun is overhead around noon almost everywhere on Earth.
The word vacation comes from a Latin word that simply means to be empty.
Postcards were invented in the 1860s and were cheaper to send than letters.
Souvenir is a French word that means to remember, which is exactly the point.
Travel journals help you remember small details your photos never manage to catch.
Some hotels give kids their own tiny robe and slippers if you ask nicely.
Counting license plates from different states is the oldest road trip game there is.
Sunscreen needs about fifteen minutes to start working before you get in the water.
Drinking extra water on a plane helps, because cabin air is drier than a desert.
A paper map does not need batteries, which is why sailors still carry them.
Passports have tiny hidden pictures that only show up under a special blue light.
The best souvenir is usually the cheapest one, because you actually keep using it.
Scottsdale sits in the Sonoran Desert, the only place saguaro cactus grow wild.
Camelback Mountain really is shaped like a camel lying down.
A saguaro can live 200 years and grows its first arm around age 70.
Taliesin West was built here from desert rock by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is one of the largest city parks in the country.
Desert nights cool off fast because dry air does not hold on to heat.
Javelinas look like pigs but are not pigs, and they travel in family groups.
Palo verde trees are green all over because their bark does the work of leaves.
Hummingbirds live in the desert year round and defend flowers fiercely.
The monsoon brings dramatic summer storms and walls of dust called haboobs.
Coyotes trot through neighborhoods at dawn and are completely at home in cities.
Desert stars are unusually bright because the dry air is so clear.
Airplane wings are built to bend and flex in rough air, and that is on purpose.
The little hole in an airplane window keeps the pressure safe and stops fogging.
Pilots and copilots are usually served different meals in case one gets sick.
A jet engine sucks in enough air every second to fill a hot air balloon.
Your suitcase gets a barcode tag that computers read more than ten times per trip.
We leave for Scottsdale today. Go go go!
Airport runways have numbers that tell pilots which direction they point.
Cut along the lines. Loop the highest number first, then thread each new strip through the last one before taping it closed.
