“Awesome Arizona” new book

More from this show

Roger Naylor has written a new book called “Awesome Arizona- 200 Amazing Facts about the Grand Canyon State.” Naylor, nicknamed “the Dean of Arizona Travel Writers,” has amassed 200 interesting facts and commentary about his beloved state. Naylor sits down with Ted to discuss some of the fascinating facts in his new book.

“I felt like someone needed to come out and say it, Arizona’s awesome, and here I give you 200 reasons.” said Naylor. “I tried to do a mix of big obvious facts, some facts people don’t know, a lot of information… that might spur them to go out and explore.”

Naylor said one of his biggest struggles was figuring out what to leave out of the book. There were so many Arizona facts that he loved, and he wanted to include them all. One Arizona tidbits he did include incorporates a mule.

There is only one place in America that still delivers mail by mule: the village of Supai near Havasupai Falls.

“The beautiful waterfalls, it looks like something out of a tropical island,” said Naylor. “The mail is still delivered by mule there, the only place in the United States.”

Another fact he included something most people would not associate with a land-locked state like Arizona. An Arizona city hold the title of the most lighthouses of any town in the country. Lake Havasu City has 28 light houses along its famous body of water.

“They’re scaled down versions of famous light houses up and down the east and west coast,” said Naylor. “But they’re fully functional, navigational aids along the shore and around on the islands of Lake Havasu.”

Roger Naylor

Illustration of columns of a capitol building with text reading: Arizona PBS AZ Votes 2024
April 2

Arizona PBS to present candidate debates as part of ‘AZ Votes 2024’

A photo journalist walking a destroyed city
airs April 2

Frontline: 20 Days in Mariupol

A woman working on a project in an art studio
airs March 29

Violet Protest

The
aired March 25

Pulitzer on the Road: Small Town Shakedown

Subscribe to Arizona PBS Newsletters

STAY in touch
with azpbs.org!

Subscribe to Arizona PBS Newsletters: