You might be in Arizona if ...
1. Mileage markers on the freeway are in kilometers, not miles. Interstate 19 (I-19), a freeway of just over 63 miles that runs from Mexico to Tucson, is the country's ONLY highway that lists distances in kilometers instead of miles. The Carter Administration orchestrated it to make the interstate more accessible to tourists coming from Mexico and also to introduce the metric system to Americans. As we all know, the metric system never caught on here but businesses don't want the signage changed. However, speed limit signs have always been in mph, not kph.
2. You find spent cartridge cases ("desert shells") on a roadside picnic table. Arizonans love their guns. I think it goes back to our "Wild West" roots. It is not uncommon to see folks walking around town with a gun holstered on their side. There are at least two gun ranges within ten miles of our house. Finding a deserted area in the desert for some target practice is a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.
3. You see rivers with no water. It is not uncommon to drive over bridges with nothing but a dry riverbed beneath them (often with vegetation growing in the bottom!) and a sign identifying the "river." The photo below is the Gila River!
4. You see saguaro cactus. Arizona is the only place in the United States where saguaro cactus grow. And they grow abundantly! These majestic cacti often look like they are beckoning to us, telling us to "c'mon over!"
5. You see a handicapped parking place with a ramp to the picnic table at a roadside (not a "rest area") picnic area. Arizonans are friendly and welcoming to visitors and "new transplants." Many of our winter visitors are disabled or have difficulty walking, especially on uneven terrain, and roadside stops like this one make it easier for them.
Arizona is well-known for a lot of things - the Grand Canyon, our mild winter weather, our blisteringly hot summers, a sheriff who makes inmates wear pink underwear and copper, to name a few. I have to admit I love both the little and the big things that make Arizona different. There is no other place I would rather live. I hope you feel that way about the place you live - it is a wonderful feeling!
