Friday, September 8, 2017

We have been hearing a lot about Walnut Canyon National Monument, so we decided that today was the day for a visit. We left Jax in the camper and drove the short 10 miles to the canyon (no dogs allowed on these trails).  Once there, we found out there were two trails, The Rim Trail and The Island Trail. We chose The Island Trail because it allowed us to see more of the cliff dwellings. It is a mile loop with sheer drops and a 185-ft climb (240 steps) down into the canyon. The problem of course is that it means 240 steps back up to the canyon rim!  But it was worth it.  The dwellings were sheltered by overhanging cliffs and were home to Walnut Canyon's only permanent inhabitants more than 800 years ago. The people made their living by farming (corn, beans, and squash planted on the mesa top),  hunting, and gathering edible plants. These people were called Sinaqua, which means without water, because of their ability to survive in the relatively dry area. I can not imagine how they made their way up and down those cliff sides on a daily basis.  They stored water in large vessels when the water was available, through infrequent rainy times and snow in the winter.  As you probably know by now, we are fascinated by the history of early Americans.  One of the sad things is to discover how much vandalism occurred at places like Walnut Canyon.  By the time it was recognized as a National Monument in 1915, souvenir hunters and vandals had taken or destroyed most of the artifacts from this region.  So sad!  But nearly 300 dwellings remain and are being preserved.  Your imagination has to fill in the rest.

 

Later in the evening we went to the the RV park's Friday night Happy Hour.  Drinks, food, and friendly conversation made for a nice evening.

Thursday, September 7, 2017
One of the things I like about Flagstaff is the diversity of landscape.  The other day we were hiking in pine forests and alpine meadows, but today we hiked Fatman's Loop, which consisted of cedar and juniper trees, yuccas, and rocks.  It was more high desert.  We have been trying to hike a few miles everyday to build up our strength and endurance.  The real bonus is being outside enjoying nature and the beautiful scenery.

After lunch we left Jax in the camper and went to see Riordon Mansion.  What an unusual place with such an interesting history.  The house was built in 1904  in the arts and crafts style.  It has been preserved almost completely in its original state, with the original furnishings.   The home was built by two of the Riordan brothers.  They were the owners of the Arizona Lumber Co., who contributed enormously to the economic and educational development of Flagstaff. The house is actually two separate homes connected by a common room.  It is 13,000 sq feet on 6 acres with 40 rooms.  There were many unusual features such as the unique sets of windows in the common room. Each window consists of 7 black and white photographs with a translucent frosted glass background.  The photos are of southwestern landscapes and portraits of Native Americans.  I have never seen anything like them.  Another quirky thing was in the living room of one of the homes.  Instead of a couch there is a large wicker swing,like you might see on a porch, suspended from the large ceiling beams.  I love touring old historic homes and this one was especially nice.

Tomorrow we plan to go see Walnut Canyon, but tonight we are watching the KC Chiefs' first game of the season.  Go, Chiefs!!!

Tuesday, September 5, 2017
I got up at 6:00 am to walk Jax, as usual.  It was such a beautiful morning that I told Pops to get moving.  An early morning hike was in order.  Once again we took the suggestion of one of the neighbors and went to Old Caves Trail. This trail system had several loops but we decided on the summit trail. The trail was crushed lava rock and sand so the walking was easy, no big rocks.  It went 1.2 miles up to the summit, but there were a lot of switchbacks so the climb was easier than some we have done.  On the way up we saw beautiful views and many unusual trees, shaped by the winds.  We love the pine forests and mountain vistas of Flagstaff . This may become our summer home.

Later, we went to the Horseman's Lodge for lunch and then spent the day relaxing at the RV park, visiting with people.

Monday, September 4, 2017
I was reading in a brochure about Plateau Lakes Scenic Drive and I told Pops I wanted to do that drive today.  I thought it would be a change from mountains and canyons.  There are three lakes listed: Lake Mary, Morman Lake, and Stoneman Lake.  According to the brochure, these are picturesque lakes that provide photographers with amazing pictures of mountains and sky reflected in the lakes.  Sounded perfect.  On our way to the lakes though, we spotted an interesting hiking trail sign so we decided to hike a little first.  I am so glad we did!  It was spectacular!  We hiked through a pine forest until we came to the top of a ridge that looked out over a canyon full of lava rock boulders.  Across the canyon was a massive pine-covered granite wall.  We walked along the ridge until the trail started down a series of switchbacks into the canyon floor.  As we went down into the canyon we saw a group of young rock climbers heading for the wall. It is a popular rock climbing area called The Pit.  The scenery was unbelievable and so unexpected.  We climbed back up and returned to our search for the lakes.  I am so glad we had the hike that morning because the lakes were a disappointment .

 Two climbers in the middle and bottom of picture.

Lower lake Mary was just a marsh, a wet grassy area for water fowl, I guess.  Upper Lake Mary was a lake but was dirty brown and very shallow, grass growing up through it in places, too.  Ok, on to Morman Lake. The brochure said it had a picturesque little village on the western shore, with a lodge and restaurant.  Hmmm.  We found Morman "Lake" and the village with the lodge and restaurant BUT the "lake" was a huge field of beautiful yellow wildflowers.  No water, although there were "lake" houses, campgrounds (full of campers), and crowds of people.  There was a rodeo going on and it was a very busy little village.  But where was the lake????  We have decided that there must be a drought, but it didn't look like there had been water in that "lake" for a long time.  Alright, let's move on to Stoneman Lake.  In order to get there we had to leave the paved hiway and drive 15 miles down Forest Road 213. This road was listed as a well maintained gravel and dirt road.  Wrong again. It was 15 miles of rutted washboard dirt and rock.  (I have thrown out the brochure!). Anyway, we persevered and found the overlook for Stoneman Lake.  Well, again, no water.  But this one didn't even have pretty yellow flowers.  It was in a "bowl" shaped valley and was full of dead brown plants surrounded by a little green grass.  A young man at the overlook turned to his girlfriend and said, "Didn't this used to have water in it?" .
Well, we gave up on lakes and headed back to Flagstaff.  What an interesting day. I always love unexpected detours in the plan and we certainly had that today.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Another beautiful morning!  We have had perfect weather, so far, on this trip.  Our next-door neighbor told us about a good hiking place so we left early this morning for the Campbell Mesa trails.  These trails are easy and peaceful. They run through pine forests and alpine meadows full of beautiful wildflowers, yellow, red, purple.  So pretty with the mountains in the background.  We did Continental Loop but there are a few others we can try at a later date.

Later that evening we went to the Sunday Potluck Cookout. The RV park provides hamburgers and hot dogs and the guests all bring sides. It was a nice evening with very friendly people.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

We began the day with a short hike to the Eldon Pueblo Ruins, which is only a couple of miles from our campground.  Between A.D. 1070 -1275, the Elden Pueblo was home to people the archaeologists call The Sinaqua.  At one time the Pueblo was an importanant trade center.  However, by 1275 it was abandoned , primarily because of a 20 year drought.  The ruins were discovered in 1916 during an archaeological survey of the Flagstaff area.  Through the years different groups laid claim to it in attempts to preserve the site.  Finally it was decided in 1980 to open the site to the public and use it as an educational center for schoolchildren in the area.  The university also uses it, for educational purposes, while studying Hopi culture, archaeology, and site preservation practices.  There is a self-guided tour that we followed.  It was interesting and informative.

After lunch we went to the Historic Downtown Flagstaff. We toured the old train depot, which is also the Visitors Center and the Amtrak station.  The old downtown area has many art galleries, Native American shops, restaurants and bars.

Friday, September 1, 2017

We have arrived in Flagstaff, AZ after a short stop in Gallup, NM.  We settled into our new Rv park.  It is a very nice, small, quiet campground.  There are only 50 sites and about 90% of them are seasonal returning campers.  They come every year and stay from mid-May to mid-October.  Most of them are from Phoenix, Tucson, or Scottsdale Az. They are all escaping the heat at home