Looking Up at an Oak Creek Canyon Wall

This snapshot should explain the reason parts of Arizona are a tourism Mecca and others offer no pleasing characteristics worth viewing. The top layer of rock is an unappealing charcoal color of rock; if a town is located within this layer of rock it won't have much of a draw for tourists. The level below yields to a brilliant white that stands a somewhat better chance of a tourism industry. But the bottom, though red, is the real gold for the tourism business that of course being the red rock. If an Arizona town is surrounded by red rock then it's got a good chance of drawing sightseers. While Oak Creek Canyon has an endless draw of tourists, an area east of here only contains the ugly gray and dull white rock formations and gets no return visitors.