Flagstaff

After our amazing day at the canyon on the 1st, we spent the 2nd a bit slower. We packed up the tent and scratched our head on what to do next. Had a bit of fun by hiring a pair of Banana Bikes from the campground office. Their Banana Bikes are sort of the BMX version of a recumbent bike; fixed gearing, pedals out the front, wheels in a tricycle formation, lean your body left or right to steer. Very fun to scoot about in, and with the fixed gearing they're very good leg exercise too! While scooting around I saw a herd of squirrels feeding under a bird feeder so I went back with my camera and got a few (50+) photos of them. There was 5 of them, all busy nibbling away on the bird seed, then the wind would blow up their tails and they'd all simultaneously sprint off in different directions towards the same tree, then they'd all bound a few feet up the tree and hang there trying to see what had spooked them. Just like cats do!

Shutter speed: 1/4000th of a second :-)

 

We then set off for a bit of a drive, stopped in at the Northern Arizona Museum which was interesting, but not stunning (I thought they had owls). Their building however was amazing…

Building exterior. Must be almost as old as the rocks it's made from.

 
Indian dolls / Passage way inside. Walls were possibly adobe.

They had a bit of an exhibition by an artist; I love this photo of hers, will have to try make one of my own.

After this we continued on up the road to the Arizona Snowbowl ski field, where they operate their highest chair lift over the summer months up to the top of the mountain.

Took 25 minutes to get to the top! At points we were at eye level with the tops of the trees, pays not to look down. So 25 minutes later we arrived at the top and… WOW .

Silhouettes / Volcano crater

The view from here was absolutely amazing. I hiked up a short spur to the lookout point, and at 11,500 ft (just a few hundred show of Mt Cook) elevation it was pretty tough going; had to stop to catch my breath in the thin atmosphere a few times. But it was certainly worth it, I would say it almost rivalled the Grand Canyon view. On a good day you can see 16 volcanoes in the distance. The San Francisco Peaks, which is what I was standing on, was once a volcano too, you can see the crater above.

The mountains in the distance were amazing; they just appeared out of the haze and were so beautiful with their graduated colouring. The sense of distance and height was just spectacular. Can only imagine what the view is like in winter; it must be breathtaking.

Soon it was time to continue on down.

 
Dead pine, very stocky build / View on the way down

 
Aspens on the way down / Ponderosa Pines

Eventually we got to the bottom. We went down the hill a bit and found a meadow to have lunch in.

Surrounded by Aspens

   

Aspens turn at different times in each state, so it seems after seeing them turn in Colorado, we've now arrived in Arizona just in time to see them turn here too.

Had a nice relaxing lunch in the grass sitting against a rock in the late afternoon sun. Didn't see any wildlife, but was so nice just to take some time out for an hour or two.

After that we went back into town and got a room in the Flagstaff Rodeway Inn. The check in clerk was SO grumpy, everything was a huge effort, almost as if us staying there was a real inconvenience to her! Our room was tiny and overpriced, and they'd put a massive wooden cabinet right in front of the only window, so we couldn't even see outside. To top it off, the bathroom ceiling leaked the following morning and I slipped on the tiles and nearly cracked my head open, since I obviously wasn't expecting a good half inch of water in the bathroom. I told the lady about it when returning the key and she didn't seem shocked or even surprised; sounds like it happens a bit too often.

But anyway, before the bathroom incident we went out to dinner to at the Downtown Diner, which is a lovely little establishment just a block or two away. We were quite surprised by all the people out; there was even an adopt-an-animal stand on one corner! Across the road there appeared to be a protest going on. We both got the chicken fried steak which was nice, though "vegetable of the day" appeared to be peas… felt a bit let down there. One odd thing in America: they always bring out the salad first, then after you've finished that the main comes out. I only pecked at my salad, as I was saving it to go with the main. Poor waitress thought I didn't like the salad!

After desert and leaving the tip on the table (yay, just like in the movies, first time we've been to a place that does it that way) we headed on out. The waitress had mentioned it was Art Walk tonight, which is first Friday of every month in Flagstaff, and all the galleries and boutique stores open up late, serve nibbles and wine, and the artists are usually there to talk about their work. So we wandered around, but I got a little distracted by the protest over the road first.

The protest wasn't a protest at all; it was actually a "free hugs" line. There were about 30 young people there, all about uni age, mostly females. As you walked past they'd ask you if you wanted a free hug. I've seen videos of these things online, so to actually see on in person was pretty cool. Naturally I had to join in so I ran across and got lots of free hugs, kinda worked my way down the line much to Angela's amusement. She now calls me a hug slut!

We then continued on our way and went into some of the galleries. One had amazing glass plates and everything else. A few had amazing photos. One had simply amazing photography of Arizona and Wyoming scenes. We found another store called "Life is Good" that has apparel with Jake & his trusty dog, Rusty, on it. They little cartoons are very cool & clever, and yet very simple. Unfortunately they mostly only had long sleeve tops, what with winter on its way.

Another gallery had a massive owl in the window; now that was a show stopper! There was a huge crowd outside talking about the owl, and inside there was barely moving room. The owl was sitting in the window on a big branch, it must've been nearly 2 feet high and when an owl that big looks at you, you know it! There were a few people playing in the street. At the Black Hound Gallery they had a live DJ and the assistants had all dressed up in fancy costumes.

Eventually we wandered back to our closet and fell asleep. Flagstaff is a really fun little city. It's the perfect balance between big and small town. It is simply laid out. It had a very agreeable climate. The scenery is amazing, being nestled in Ponderosa Pine forest. There is are lots of young people around, but it isn't crazy like Durango was. Then of course there is the railway line right through the middle of town. Population is only 60,000 which seems like the perfect size to keep things compact. Even the roads are quite tame; the main road (Historic Route 66 as it happens) is 2 lanes in each direction and is never too crazy. It's pedestrian friendly and everything is within a few blocks of the main road. The station is amazing. Trains every 15 minute (was one every 5 minutes for a few hours tonight). And then there is the awesome Art Walk every month which gets everyone out into town and is really fun.

In short, I love Flagstaff. I hear they have real seasons too, with warm (cool for Arizona) Summers, colourful Autumns, lively Springs and very snowy Winters; one of the snowiest cities in the US apparently). Yup, Flagstaff is wonderful and I really enjoy it here.