Recovery and Ruins (Flagstaff region)
May 4th-May 5th
On the road back to Flagstaff, we made a stop-off at Sunset Volcano. Though are legs were still aching from the early morning climb out of the Grand Canyon, we decided it would better to stretch them again after the long drive before turning in for a lazy evening. The volcano crater reminded us of our visit to Mt. Etna, with its black lava sand and visible lava flows. The Native Americans living near the volcano when it erupted more than 1,000 years ago, believed that it was a great spiritual force.
Back to civilization, we slept in a warm bed for the first time in a week. We also went out to a steakhouse buffet for dinner. The next morning, we woke up with a mission: oil change, grocery shopping, calling the parents, laundry…all by noon. We even had time to do some sightseeing in Flagstaff. We visited a beautiful house built by two brothers who made their fortunes in the timber industry and helped build Flagstaff. The two houses were joined in the middle by an enormous recreation room, complete with a 19th century billiards table, bear rugs and a cozy salon. It was here that we also learned about how Arizona’s budget crisis is affecting the state parks system. This site has lost most of its funding and now depends on private donations and fundraising to keep its doors open. We’ve seen numerous unfortunate examples like these while traveling the country.
East of Flagstaff, we stopped at Walnut Canyon national monument. This was another site of prehistoric Sinaguan cliff dwellings. This time we were able to hike down into the canyon to a path that led us past many of the dwellings. What surprised us was the fact that the inhabitants always built the fires inside and the only entrance/exit of the space was through the roof. It must have been very smoky in such a small space. The hike in and out required climbing quite a few stairs- and Fabien and I whizzed past a number of people. As in all of the parks, there were a lot of warning signs about the “strenuous” nature of the trail. Unfortunately, it seems that the average American isn’t physically able to do a lot of these trails.
Our day’s journey ended in Holbrook, a small town on the old Route 66, just outside the Petrified Forest National Park. We found a cheap motel, the Desert Sands, perfect on our budget and offering a little 70’s era charm.
Tags: Arizona FR, BIG TRIP 2011, In English 2005-2006
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