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	<title> &#187; Odd Observations</title>
	<atom:link href="http://arizonaoddities.com/category/odd-observations/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://arizonaoddities.com</link>
	<description>History that defined us, quirks that connect us</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:53:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>The Big Indian Head of Winslow</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/the-big-indian-head-of-winslow/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/the-big-indian-head-of-winslow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:54:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>SamLowe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Artistic Endeavors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northern Arizona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winslow]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=888</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Peter Wolf Toth arrived in Winslow in 1979, intent on adding one of his art works to the city's landscape. When he left about four months later, he had turned a single ponderosa pine log into a 30-foot tall Indian head, and he left it there for posterity. The work was one in Toth's series of giant heads that he carved in every state and four Canadian provinces. He called the effort "The Trail of the Whispering Giants," and dedicated it to what he considered the mistreatment of Native Americans by early settlers and the federal government.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/the-big-bad-bulldog-of-winslow/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Big, Bad Bulldog of Winslow'>The Big, Bad Bulldog of Winslow</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/08/a-giant-head-guards-route-66/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: A Giant Head Guards Route 66'>A Giant Head Guards Route 66</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/10/arizona-place-names-a-slew-of-cities-and-counties-with-spanish-indian-and-random-origins/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Arizona Place Names: A Slew of Cities and Counties with Spanish, Indian and Random Origins'>Arizona Place Names: A Slew of Cities and Counties with Spanish, Indian and Random Origins</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Arizona Geography Trivia: Can You Pass?</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/arizona-geography-trivia-can-you-pass/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/arizona-geography-trivia-can-you-pass/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:50:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea Aker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dose of History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Natural Surroundings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landmarks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trivia]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=878</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Test your knowledge of Arizona Geography with this short quiz, originally published in Marshall Trimble’s Official Arizona Trivia. Don’t scroll down too quickly. The answers are posted shortly below the questions. When you’re finished, leave a comment with your score. Did any answers surprise you?
1. Name one of three Arizona dams named after U.S. Presi­dents.
2. What mountain range is north of Tucson?
3. What Indian reservation is located completely within the boundaries of another?
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/06/general-arizona-trivia-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: General Arizona Trivia: Can You Pass?'>General Arizona Trivia: Can You Pass?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/05/arizona-trivia-sampler-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Arizona Trivia Sampler: Can You Pass?'>Arizona Trivia Sampler: Can You Pass?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/05/arizona-history-trivia-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Arizona History Trivia: Can You Pass?'>Arizona History Trivia: Can You Pass?</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Does Downtown Phoenix Seem to Have Two Downtowns?</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/why-does-downtown-phoenix-seem-to-have-two-downtowns/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/why-does-downtown-phoenix-seem-to-have-two-downtowns/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:45:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea Aker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valley of the Sun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phoenix]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=869</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: Why does Phoenix seem to have two downtowns — one “downtown” and then another grouping of high-rises farther north along Central Avenue?
A: Because many years ago, the city fathers and mothers thought big.
Unfortunately, they also thought wrong, or at least incorrectly.
The result is today we have a downtown downtown and downtown uptown, although we know of people who think of anything south of Northern Avenue as being practically the inner city.
According to Dave Reichert, head of the Phoenix Planning Department, back in the 1960s, when we only had one downtown and it was downtown, the city’s leaders had dreams of grandeur.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/03/origin-of-hollywood-sidewalk-stars-in-downtown-phoenix/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Origin of Hollywood Sidewalk Stars in Downtown Phoenix'>Origin of Hollywood Sidewalk Stars in Downtown Phoenix</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/07/gun-sculpture-of-phoenix/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Gun Sculpture of Phoenix'>Gun Sculpture of Phoenix</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/01/original-bethany-home-was-early-1900s-tuberculosis-sanitarium/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Original Bethany Home Was Early 1900s Tuberculosis Sanitarium'>Original Bethany Home Was Early 1900s Tuberculosis Sanitarium</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The (Mis)Truth About Montezuma&#8217;s Castle</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/06/the-mistruth-about-montezumas-castle/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/06/the-mistruth-about-montezumas-castle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:17:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>SamLowe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dose of History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northern Arizona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indian ruins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landmarks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[montezuma castle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[place names]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Although the history of Montezuma Castle is pretty well documented, considering that nobody wrote down much of anything when it was a hot spot of ancestral civilization, there's this one thing that sticks out as a case of mistaken identity. Or make that, mistaken transplantation.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/mining-the-past-at-castle-dome-city/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Mining the Past at Castle Dome City'>Mining the Past at Castle Dome City</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/12/courthouse-diversity-in-tucson/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Courthouse Diversity in Tucson'>Courthouse Diversity in Tucson</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Arizona Trivia Sampler: Can You Pass?</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/05/arizona-trivia-sampler-can-you-pass/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/05/arizona-trivia-sampler-can-you-pass/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 May 2010 19:25:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea Aker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dose of History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Only in Arizona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[place names]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trivia]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=819</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Test your knowledge of Arizona with this quick sampler, originally published in Marshall Trimble's Official Arizona Trivia. Don't scroll down too quickly. The answers are posted shortly below the questions. When you're finished, leave a comment with your score.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/arizona-geography-trivia-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Arizona Geography Trivia: Can You Pass?'>Arizona Geography Trivia: Can You Pass?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/06/general-arizona-trivia-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: General Arizona Trivia: Can You Pass?'>General Arizona Trivia: Can You Pass?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/05/arizona-history-trivia-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Arizona History Trivia: Can You Pass?'>Arizona History Trivia: Can You Pass?</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Scottsdale&#8217;s Planet Ranch a Costly Goof</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/scottsdales-planet-ranch-a-costly-goof/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/scottsdales-planet-ranch-a-costly-goof/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:49:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea Aker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valley of the Sun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scottsdale]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=807</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: We were exploring some back roads in western Arizona when we came to a locked gate with a sign reading, “Planet Ranch, City of Scottsdale.” What is Scottsdale doing in La Paz County?
A: Ah, Planet Ranch.We’d forgotten about that, and there probably are a lot of people in Scottsdale who wish they could forget about it, too. It is one of those “seemed like a good idea at the time” things, the type of thing, we must admit, that checkers the careers of many Valley 101 staff members.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/12/the-stories-behind-scottsdales-mccormick-ranch-gainey-ranch/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Stories Behind Scottsdale&#8217;s McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch'>The Stories Behind Scottsdale&#8217;s McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/11/meet-arizona-oddities-authors-at-artfest-of-scottsdale/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Meet Arizona Oddities Authors at ArtFest of Scottsdale'>Meet Arizona Oddities Authors at ArtFest of Scottsdale</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/08/think-arizona-is-the-grand-canyon-state-think-again/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Think Arizona is the Grand Canyon State? Think Again.'>Think Arizona is the Grand Canyon State? Think Again.</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Big, Bad Bulldog of Winslow</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/the-big-bad-bulldog-of-winslow/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/the-big-bad-bulldog-of-winslow/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:31:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>SamLowe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Northern Arizona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winslow]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=792</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dog parks are not unusual in Arizona, but there's one in Winslow that takes the concept up to a higher level. It's called Bulldog Park because it's home to what may be the world's largest bulldog. The site is on a strip of land that covers no more than 150 square feet and was formerly a weed-filled boulevard. But a local committee cleaned it up and installed what appears to be a giant guardian to make sure nobody messes around with the park. Or in it.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/the-big-indian-head-of-winslow/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Big Indian Head of Winslow'>The Big Indian Head of Winslow</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Do Sun City Folks Put Rocks On Mailboxes?</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/why-do-sun-city-folks-put-rocks-on-mailboxes/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/04/why-do-sun-city-folks-put-rocks-on-mailboxes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea Aker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valley of the Sun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sun city]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=787</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: We recently moved here from Pittsburgh, and we have an extremely important question about Sun City West: Why do residents put stones on their mailboxes?
A: We have heard of stones on roofs and stones on lawns, but we have to admit that stones on mailboxes was a new one to us. Of course, here at Valley 101, almost anything is a new one to us.
We considered examining this phenomenon firsthand, but the Valley 101 mobile research lab was in the shop, so we set hand to telephone and called the Sun CityWest Visitors and Information Center, reasoning that we were, in a sense, visiting and in need of some information.
And we quickly had an answer, thanks to the exceedingly helpful Kay Johns, who works there.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/09/legend-city-a-failure-in-its-own-era/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Legend City: A Failure in Its Own Era'>Legend City: A Failure in Its Own Era</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/07/roof-rocks-help-cool-hot-house/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Roof Rocks Help Cool Hot House'>Roof Rocks Help Cool Hot House</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/07/the-painted-rocks-at-chloride/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The Painted Rocks at Chloride'>The Painted Rocks at Chloride</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Do People Paint Citrus Tree Trunks White?</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/03/why-do-people-paint-citrus-tree-trunks-white/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/03/why-do-people-paint-citrus-tree-trunks-white/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:23:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea Aker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Natural Surroundings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valley of the Sun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weather Talk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weather]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=770</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Q: Why do people paint the trunks of their citrus trees white?
A: HA! At last, a question we actually knew the answer to without having to look it up or ask somebody. It’s to protect them from the sun.
We are soooooo smart.
To celebrate, we asked an actual newcomer in the office if she knew why citrus trunks are painted white, and she said it was to repel insects. These comical newcomers.We were going to laugh at her until we remembered she is much higher up the food chain than us and holds what passes for our career in her elegant and well-manicured hands. So we didn’t laugh.
Just to double-check, and to look busy, we called Ralph Backhaus, a professor of plant biology at Arizona State University.
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/why-dont-palm-trees-blow-down-in-the-wind/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Why Don&#8217;t Palm Trees Blow Down in the Wind?'>Why Don&#8217;t Palm Trees Blow Down in the Wind?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/06/yes-its-hot-famous-people-who-said-it-best/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Yes, it&#8217;s Hot. Famous People Who Said it Best.'>Yes, it&#8217;s Hot. Famous People Who Said it Best.</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/09/wickenburgs-botanical-incarcerator/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Wickenburg&#8217;s Botanical Incarcerator'>Wickenburg&#8217;s Botanical Incarcerator</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Elephant Feet in Northern Arizona?</title>
		<link>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/03/elephant-feet-in-northern-arizona/</link>
		<comments>http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/03/elephant-feet-in-northern-arizona/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:53:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>SamLowe</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Natural Surroundings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northern Arizona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Odd Observations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[landmarks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rock formations]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://arizonaoddities.com/?p=764</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every now and then, as I search across Arizona for things of an unusual nature, something pops up as a complete surprise, something I'd never heard about even though I thought I'd seen 'em all. Several of them did that to me recently as I wandered across the northern part of the state, and they involve elephants. Or things that evoke mental images of elephants.
They're actually rock formations, but they look like elephant feet. Great big elephant feet.
Two of them stand along Highway 160, at Tonalea some 20 miles east of Tuba City on the Navajo Reservation. They're giant sandstone pillars and they look so much like elephant feet that you don't even have to squint your eyes to get the picture. The fact that the pillars are grayish white and brownish red instead of gray does not affect the illusion. Nor does the fact that they're about 20 feet tall make any difference. Who knows how big them desert-stompers were billions of years ago?
Related Posts:<ol><li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/02/do-your-feet-get-bigger-when-you-move-to-the-desert/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Do Your Feet Get Bigger When You Move to the Desert?'>Do Your Feet Get Bigger When You Move to the Desert?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2010/07/arizona-geography-trivia-can-you-pass/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Arizona Geography Trivia: Can You Pass?'>Arizona Geography Trivia: Can You Pass?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://arizonaoddities.com/2009/07/roof-rocks-help-cool-hot-house/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Roof Rocks Help Cool Hot House'>Roof Rocks Help Cool Hot House</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
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