Mel Johnson Personal Blog

Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ

Red Rock Country – that’s what they call it.And you can see why.

I was returning to Las Vegas from Phoenix and decided to take a detour through Sedona.I’ve heard a lot of buzz about this town – beautifully inspiring rock formations, a famous artist community, and a great place to relax and enjoy nature.

Like any ‘artsy’, high-end tourist town – think of La Jolla, without the ocean – there are plenty of art galleries, fine restaurants, ice cream shops, jewelry stores, real estate offices … and of course, t-shirt shops.That just means the place is popular.

The thing that interested me the most, however, wasn’t the town.So, after a nice lunch at a sidewalk café in the heart of Sedona, I drove out into the natural beauty of the deep red canyons and evergreen forests for a little hike.Yes, in addition to their famous Saguro cactus, Arizona also has trees – green ones.Especially headed North towards Flagstaff.The elevation at the forest was high enough that I could still see snow on the ground between the trees in late March.Surprising what you learn when you get off the beaten path.

Having seen it, I’d say the buzz about Sedona’s beauty is right.In fact, America is a big, majestic country with a lot of interesting places to visit.This summer, get your loved ones out of their daily grind and away from the TV – and go see this great country of ours firsthand.It will make some great memories.

“Life is not measured by the breaths we take – but the moments that take our breath away”

By the way, you should join my ‘Post Card Club’.I send a few post cards to friends and clients whenever I travel.Just email me your address with the words ‘post card’.Then look for one in the mail.You never know what interesting place I’ll visit next!

It was a week when I had two conferences back-to-back.One in Las Vegas, one in Phoenix.I already had an airline ticket … but, I was completely fed up with being on airplanes (what happened to the glory days of airline travel, when it was actually fun to fly?).

So, I decided to drive – all 356 miles from Vegas to Phoenix – and back again.Very glad I did.Not only was it more fun than flying, I had a chance to see a part of the country I have never seen before.

Perhaps the biggest sight?Hoover dam.Wow, is it massive!And the engineering that must have gone into that structure.Hoover dam was built in the 1930s.It has enough concrete to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York.It forms Lake Mead (110 miles long) and supplies water & electricity for hundreds of miles to cities in Southern California, Nevada, & Arizona.I wonder what the early pioneers would say?

Today, you can still drive across the actual dam itself.But, because there is so much traffic twisting thorough the narrow roadway (and perhaps for safety reasons as well) they are building a new bridge – 4 lanes, high above the riverbed.Look at the size of that bridge – amazing how they construct these things.

Reminds me of a famous quote:

‘Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve’ – Napoleon Hill.

What is your big dream?

Add a comment and I’ll share mine with you – and what I’m doing to achieve it.

Yes, Zurich is my favorite city in Europe. Very sophisticated, modern, safe, extraordinarily clean, famously efficient … and it still has that old world charm. It’s also a great town for walking and sightseeing – either in the old town or near the lake. I love the architecture, the polite people, and the comfortable feeling you get walking around.

Of course, the Swiss are also known for some valuable exports – like watches, cheese, and most importantly … chocolate!

Luxemburgerli

The best chocolate shop I’ve found is Sprungli – and it is a favorite local brand. I like the shop at Bahnhofstrasse 21 (21 Bahnhoff Street) – it has a coffee shop on the second floor. Of course, the first floor has more varieties of chocolate than most Americans have ever seen in their life.

They have something called the ‘Luxemburgerli’ that is … well, ah … simply out of this world.

My favorite – Truffles

Check out the Sprungli website and see if you agree that the Swiss know chocolate. Then, order some. You’ll be glad you did.

One of my family’s favorite places is a beach – any beach. This was on a 6-hour layover coming back to the US via Miami.

There’s something about relaxing on a broad sandy beach that can’t be beat –especially when you have jet lag.

Of course, if we had the time, I might have stayed over and taken Angela out for some Miami Beach nightlife – it can be a lot of fun.

One of these days, I think Angela and I will sneak away, just the two of us …