Arizona Adventures

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Richard

by Richard Santi

*A beautiful Prescott sky during monsoon season!*

Hello again!

Prescott is home to one of the most unique cultures in America with old shops, saloons, beautiful trails and outdoor scenery unlike anywhere else. The old west charm and multitude of possible activities make Prescott an ideal place to explore, and a great location to fill your free time with fun adventures. Embry-Riddle truly has a great hometown.

Every once in a while, it can be fun to get out of town and explore the surrounding area, and Prescott lies in the very middle of numerous attractions that make great day or weekend trips. I want to share with you some of my favorites!

Jerome, Arizona

45 Minutes from Campus

Nestled on the side of Mingus Mountain, this old western mining town will bring you back to the prospecting days of the 1800s. Truly what is in my opinion one of the most unique treasures of the West, you can walk the streets totally unaware of what century you are in. It is home to numerous shops and great restaurants and is supposedly one of the most haunted cities in America! You could spend an entire day there, or even just drive in for dinner.

Sedona, Arizona

1 Hour 20 Minutes from Campus

*The beautiful red rocks of Sedona make for a fantastic nature trip.*

The red rocks of Sedona are probably one of the prettiest sighs you’ll see in the whole country. The unique geological formations are perfect for a cool nature hike, or any other outdoor activity. Everywhere you go, there is not a bad view. You could easily drive over and spend a couple hours taking it all in with your friends. Us pilots are especially lucky as one of our practice areas includes Sedona!

Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona

1 Hour 45 Minutes from Campus

If you are looking for some big-city fun, Scottsdale sits just on the northeast end of Phoenix and is home to fun restaurants, shopping malls, museums, and much more. Embry-Riddle students are incredibly fortunate to go to school in one of the prettiest natural areas of the nation with large mountains, forests, and beautiful prairies. However if you area city person, or are even simply craving a city adventure, America’s largest state capital is just a short journey away from campus.

Payson, Arizona

1 Hour 54 Minutes from Campus

*On the ground at the beautiful Payson airport. A perfect destination for pilots*.

This one is mostly for the pilots, as it’s a short flight. You could make it there in about 30-45 minutes, and the airport has a fantastic diner! You could rent a plane and easily make the trip with your friends to have a great breakfast while watching planes land. An added bonus is the beautiful forest that surrounds the town.

Grand Canyon National Park

2 Hours from Campus

*One of the seven natural wonders of the world is just two hours from campus.*

Perhaps one of the most amazing sights you’ll ever see is just a couple hours north of campus. It’s a great location for a day trip with friends, and there is simply nothing like it. Enough said.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona

3 Hours 9 Minutes from Campus

*Lake Havasu will give you the feeling that you are on a different planet!*

Arizona is a desert state, but if you like water-skiing and other water related activities, there’s all of that and more in Lake Havasu. It is one of the quintessential spring break locations. The town has unique resorts and restaurants, and it is a popular flying destination for pilots.

Tucson, Arizona / Pima Air & Space Museum

3 Hours 18 Minutes from Campus

*Some of the world’s coolest airplanes are on display just a few hours south of campus.*

If you are looking for a cool aviation-themed getaway, the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson will make a great day or weekend trip. There is a large indoor and outdoor display with some of the industry’s most iconic airplanes.

There are many other locations around Prescott that make great adventures. These are just a few of my personal favorites. In Arizona you can make your own adventures, as every town and every mountain has its own cool charm. Adventure awaits you here at Embry-Riddle!

No Fear – Why I Now Love Arizona!

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Megan

Arizona. If I am being completely honest, I never wanted to live in Arizona. From the sun, the snakes, and no trees I was skeptical and afraid when I moved here in August. But with the fall semester winding down, and my first semester of college wrapping up, I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Arizona.

For one, Prescott has four seasons and trees. Perfect pool weather in August and chilly fall temperatures that makes my inner Washingtonian smile. I could not be more blessed. I love being able to walk around campus and see the leaves on the ground, with the chill of the fall breeze on my back.

Besides the weather, there are so many adventures to be had! This past week I drove up to Page, Arizona with Chi Alpha and explored two different canyons. Coming from a place filled with trees, I found the bouldering, mountain goating, and crawling through slot canyons to be truly magnificent and different.

Winding through narrow pathways surrounded by beautiful rocks, climbing over boulders that look like a scene from Star Wars, and watching the sunset over the Horseshoe Bend allows you to take a moment and reflect.

Arizona has challenged me, shown me glorious things, and gave me new friendships. The fear of moving to a place filled with cactus, snakes, and sun has left and been replaced with joy, adventure, and friendship.

Don’t be afraid of the unknown or moving to a new state, it will be scary and hard in the beginning, but trust me you are not alone. Soon the fear will be turned into other things, like it has for me, and you will wonder why you were scared in the beginning. It’s time to start a new chapter in your life, time to jump in with two feet, and know it will be worth it!

Soar With Me Through Sophomore Year!

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Amelia

Hello all future Embry-Riddle students! My name is Amelia Cassidy and I come from the tiny, yet lovely city of Bend, Oregon. I am a current sophomore double majoring in Aviation Business Administration, with an area of concentration in Management, and Aeronautics, with a minor in Security Intelligence Studies. On campus I am part of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and various clubs such as the Airline Pilots Association – Aviation Collegiate Education (ALPA ACE) Club, American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Women In Aviation, and the Honors Student Association. I originally came in as an Aeronautical Science major, however I switched majors second semester. After graduation, I hope to put both of my degrees to use and work either as an airport manager or in the business side of an airline. While I am already employed in the aviation industry, I plan on getting my Private Pilot’s License and all my ratings and, eventually, flying for Delta Airlines.

Although it may not seem like it, I actually do have free time! In that time, I love to cook and bake, run, swim, skateboard, hike, camp, explore, adventure, and travel. I am also very much into the arts. When I can, I love to sit and draw, as well as go out and take pictures (both film and DSLR). I also sing, play guitar, violin, and a bit of piano.

Even though I have only been here for a year, I feel as though I have done and accomplished so much! I have had the best experiences and have been exposed to once in a lifetime opportunities. Because of this, I very much look forward to my upcoming years, as well, and sharing my experiences with others. Feel free to ask me about anything, as I have had experience in all sorts of groups around campus! I’ll be more than willing to help out any student and give advice to the best of my abilities. I invite you to follow my blog. I will be posting all sorts of fun things and pictures throughout the year. I hope you enjoy what I have to post and again, don’t hesitate to ask questions or find me if you’re ever on campus.

Have a lovely day,
Amelia Cassidy

P.S. These are only a few basic pictures, there will be more to come!!

One of my drawings

Granite Mountain: The view from my Freshman year dorm.

AST – The sorority I’m in

The AST sisters!

Orientation leaders being silly during Fall 2015 Orientation Week

My friends and I took a road trip to L.A for MLK Weekend

My Top 3 Fall Activities at ERAU

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jeffery

My favorite semester is fall, not just because I’m coming back to school and my friends but because there’s some great adventures I’ve made into a yearly tradition. and I want to tell you about them. I hope you try these out when you get here!

Snowbowl Ski Lift, Flagstaff, AZ. One of my favorite off campus events I enjoy doing in the Fall is driving an hour and a half north to the city of Flagstaff driving around downtown and towards the San Francisco Peaks. Here in Prescott we get a fair share of fall foliage around town and even more closely here on campus. However, one of the best places to view fall foliage is in the city of Flagstaff. As a guy that was born and raised in New Orleans there is no such thing as fall foliage. The seasons down south are a lot less defined as it is in most states around the country. I still to this day get very excited when the Fall season starts because of the impeccable beauty it shares throughout Northern Arizona. I try to make time to take a trip up to Snowbowl every year in late September. At Snowbowl you can ride the lifts up to the very top peak of Mount Humphries and get a chance to look out and see miles and miles of crisp beautiful yellow, red, and orange leaves surrounding the San Francisco Peaks and throughout the town of Flagstaff, smelling the fresh aspen trees as you ride the lift up to 11,500 ft. the highest mountain peak in the state of Arizona. It is honestly one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had while living here in Northern Arizona. It is one of the most relaxing and de-stressing day events that really help keep you leveled when the fall semester workload is beginning to pick up. Another really cool thing that you get a chance to take advantage is that they have amazing sales at the ski shop located at the bottom of the lift. You can take advantage of the exceptional deals and pick up some great snow and ski gear to impress skiiers and snowboarders once the winter season gets into full swing.

Off Campus: Go Kart Racing, Scottsdale, AZ Whenever I have the need for speed I love to drive down an hour and a half south and visit Octane Raceway and go Go Kart Racing with my friends and fraternity brothers to take a break from studying. Octane is located in Scottsdale, AZ which is a city located to the east of Phoenix. Scottsdale has great shopping and some amazing restaurants so there’s a lot to check out while you’re down there. Octane Raceway has a very challenging course that takes you from the inside of the facility to an outdoors patio lounge area where you get a chance to feel the very dry hot air from the Phoenix dessert. The Karts go up to 45 miles per hour so there’s a lot of power for you to get your urge for speeding and racing out of your system. Its so much fun taking a break and coming down to race with my friends because it gives us a chance to hang out get a little competitive and just have an incredible time with each other.

On Campus: Halloween Haunted House sponsored by the Safety Center If you are like me and enjoy your occasional scream here and there around the Halloween season you don’t have to look too far. Our Robertson Safety Center puts on a zombie-themed haunted house that utilizes their crash site as the backdrop. There’s nothing more exciting than the eerie feeling of wrecked planes surrounding you while zombies pop out at every corner crouching over bent propellers and behind crushed fuselages. It was so much fun being able to have a moment where my friends and I could laugh at each others facial expressions as the suspense of not knowing what was behind each corner or even next to our feet etched the most amusing look of fear on our faces. I honestly hadn’t laughed so hard in so long. It helped make that Halloween season one I will forever remember here at Embry Riddle with some of the most amazing people I have been so lucky to have met during my years here.

Here’s an update: Just went to Flagstaff this past weekend for the fall colors again!

My Lake Powell Adventure – College is so much more than you think!

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Megan

Imagine getting in a car one Friday and driving four and a half hours to the border of Arizona and Utah to spend the weekend on an island with 75 of your friends. That is what last weekend was for me. At Embry-Riddle I have been highly involved with Chi Alpha which is a campus ministry group that focuses on crazy adventures, and building community.

Powell Car (Small)
This past weekend was Chi Alpha’s Lake Powell Adventure. For this trip, we carpooled out to Lake Powell, boated to our own island, and played on the water. There was boating, tubing, blobbing, water-skiing, cliff jumping, salsa dancing, campfires, great food, and even better friends.

Friday night we arrived on our island to find three campfires, dinner, and s’mores. Some of the boys decided to go night cliff jumping while the rest of us talked and hung out around the fire. That night we slept on the beach under hundreds of stars. It was beautiful.
Saturday started with a bang. My friends and I decided after breakfast to go cliff jumping. It was terrifying but worth it. Then it was on to tubing and water skiing for the rest of the day. Because of all the different water activities some people would be on the boats, others cliff jumping, relaxing, and even blobbing. If you do not know, a blob is an inflatable bag of air that someone sits on the end of, while another person jumps and catapults them into the air, it is really cool. Even though I decided not to get blobbed, there is always next year!

The day ended with a relaxing campfire again. This time some of the boys decided to create a mote with a fire in the center, which allowed us all to be together. We ate, sang, and bonded under the night’s sky.

Then we packed up and headed home on Sunday. Four and a half hours in the car is a way to build a friendship that you never thought you would have. The car ride to Powell was very entertaining. Singing to Disney, and rocking out in the convertible was an experience I will not forget!

It is hard to capture the love I have for Chi Alpha and the trip in this post. But the relationships and adventures I have had through this organization are amazing and I know will stay with me long after college.

Before you head off to college everyone says to get involved, and it is true. Being a first year student, I do not know what college would be like without the clubs and organizations I am a part of, and the people I have meet through them.

Granite Basin MTB VLog

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Colton

Well here’s something new I’m trying… A sort of Video-blog kinda mesh, where the video is the main focus of the blog post and this text is just an accompaniment. If y’all enjoy this format, I’m sure you’ll see more in the future.

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At last, finals were done. And what better way to celebrate than hop on my less-than prepared bike and throw myself down a mountainside with my good friend Ben. I’ll let the video do most of the talking.

This is my first “VLog”, and other than noticing that I move my hands alot when I talk to the camera (I’m used to being BEHIND the camera), I really enjoyed the process and hope you enjoy the result as much as I do. Leave me some feedback on what you’d like to see next/what I can improve upon!