I call Tucson, Arizona home, where I have lived, off and on, since the age of five. It is surrounded by craggy mountains, majestic saguaros, thorn trees and scruffy desert brush, with the occasional cloud formation looking like ghost riders in the sky. The vistas are spectacular and the spirit of the wild old west lives on, particularly on bright, moonlit nights. It is a unique place.
I traveled extensively during and after college, probably more than most when I did it, and lived abroad as an expatriate, but I am always most comfortable among the people and surroundings of the Sonoran desert.