Mr. Pack Rat: On a road to nowhere

Arizona State Route 373 is a dead end spur of a highway less than 5 miles long, sometime referred to as the road to nowhere. It ends at a little village of a town called Greer. Unlike most places, you can't just pass through Greer while on your way to somewhere else. You go to Greer - there is only the one paved road in and out. The entire community nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains peaks in the middle of a national forest.

If you are new to Arizona, you may have heard of some of our wonderful mountain communities like Flagstaff, Pinetop, and Show Low, where the thousands of city dwellers escape to to beat the summer heat.

You may not have heard of Greer. Less than 200 people live in Greer year round. There is a country store, a few restaurants and shops. There are some lodges and cabins to rent. Cell phone coverage is spotty at best. What does Greer have?

At 8,500 elevation often the coolest summer temperatures in Arizona and in the winter snow, lots of snow.

Teddy Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, western novelists Zane Grey, James Willard Schultz, Stewart Edward White and Mary Roberts Rinehart, and Hollywood Westerns legend John Wayne have all visited Greer. It is peaceful and beautiful.

Our family has been going to Greer for over twenty years. My son's learned to fish in the Little Colorado River which bisects the valley. Stocked with trout, crystal clear and it is really more of a stream than a river.

We have celebrated several Thanksgivings, Christmas and many wonderful family trips to Greer. Usually staying in a cabin with no phones, no TV and until recently no internet. There is little to do but thoroughly enjoy nature and each other's company.

If life is moving too fast and you need some quiet time, I suggest Greer.