Day 16 (Desert downpour)
Day 16
July 7, 2006
Sedona, AZ to Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ (133 miles)
Well…it rained overnight in Sedona. Quite hard actually. This time, however, it didn’t stop before we got up. We picked a good night to stay in a hotel. This was a steady rain with low clouds that seemed to float through the landscape like passing ships.
We loaded all six of us into our minivan and drove to a bagel shop for breakfast. It is obvious after a short, casual observation that Sedona is a well-to-do town populated by the upper middle class. Most of the buildings and homes seem new, evidence of rapid growth over the past few years. Almost everything was attractive—of course the setting could make even a plain Jane town look good!
Before we set out for Flagstaff, we drove around town a bit, including the road that leads up on top of a mesa where the airport is located. While headed up this drive and at its summit, we got some incredible views of the town below and the red rocks that seemed to surround us. In spite of the rain, or perhaps partly because of it, we could see why Sedona appeals to so many people.
The drive UP to Flagstaff (+3,000 feet in 40 miles) on I-17 was a long, grueling pull for the Chrysler. If this trip doesn’t burn up the transmission, we’ll be very surprised. Our destination was Don Stewart’s house, a very spacious modular home in an attractive neighborhood about 1/4 mile off Historic Route 66, west of downtown Flagstaff. Don said we were experiencing the first rain Flagstaff had seen since March. We noticed that most of the people we encountered were talking about the rain and seemed genuinely happy to see it.
Flagstaff is a bustling, growing town of about 60,000 people. It seems lush—with large conifers dotting most of its open spaces. We liked the feel of Flagstaff and can fully understand its appeal to Don and thousands of other immigrants. Before heading out of town, we went out to lunch with Don. Frank’s father, Norm, posed with Don for a photo. Don and Dad worked together as instructors at NSA for many years. Both seemed to enjoy the reunion.
The drive to Grand Canyon was essentially flat, crossing a vast, mostly empty plain covered by a sparse forest of ponderosa pines and aspens. As we drove north, the rain lessened until when we arrived at Grand Canyon it had ended and was replaced with a partly sunny sky. After setting up the trailer, we drove to the Bright Angel Lodge parking lot and walked to the rim for our first look at the canyon. Elliot and Emily we both appropriately impressed. The rest of us can assure you that we were all impressed even though we had seen it before. Grand Canyon is suitably named.
As we were parking the car, the kids spotted a group of elk sporting huge antlers in a nearby clearing. They were beautiful animals about the size and with the coloring of a chestnut horse and the shape of a deer. We were able to snap a picture of them.
July 7, 2006
Sedona, AZ to Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ (133 miles)
Well…it rained overnight in Sedona. Quite hard actually. This time, however, it didn’t stop before we got up. We picked a good night to stay in a hotel. This was a steady rain with low clouds that seemed to float through the landscape like passing ships.
We loaded all six of us into our minivan and drove to a bagel shop for breakfast. It is obvious after a short, casual observation that Sedona is a well-to-do town populated by the upper middle class. Most of the buildings and homes seem new, evidence of rapid growth over the past few years. Almost everything was attractive—of course the setting could make even a plain Jane town look good!
Before we set out for Flagstaff, we drove around town a bit, including the road that leads up on top of a mesa where the airport is located. While headed up this drive and at its summit, we got some incredible views of the town below and the red rocks that seemed to surround us. In spite of the rain, or perhaps partly because of it, we could see why Sedona appeals to so many people.
The drive UP to Flagstaff (+3,000 feet in 40 miles) on I-17 was a long, grueling pull for the Chrysler. If this trip doesn’t burn up the transmission, we’ll be very surprised. Our destination was Don Stewart’s house, a very spacious modular home in an attractive neighborhood about 1/4 mile off Historic Route 66, west of downtown Flagstaff. Don said we were experiencing the first rain Flagstaff had seen since March. We noticed that most of the people we encountered were talking about the rain and seemed genuinely happy to see it.
Flagstaff is a bustling, growing town of about 60,000 people. It seems lush—with large conifers dotting most of its open spaces. We liked the feel of Flagstaff and can fully understand its appeal to Don and thousands of other immigrants. Before heading out of town, we went out to lunch with Don. Frank’s father, Norm, posed with Don for a photo. Don and Dad worked together as instructors at NSA for many years. Both seemed to enjoy the reunion.
The drive to Grand Canyon was essentially flat, crossing a vast, mostly empty plain covered by a sparse forest of ponderosa pines and aspens. As we drove north, the rain lessened until when we arrived at Grand Canyon it had ended and was replaced with a partly sunny sky. After setting up the trailer, we drove to the Bright Angel Lodge parking lot and walked to the rim for our first look at the canyon. Elliot and Emily we both appropriately impressed. The rest of us can assure you that we were all impressed even though we had seen it before. Grand Canyon is suitably named.
As we were parking the car, the kids spotted a group of elk sporting huge antlers in a nearby clearing. They were beautiful animals about the size and with the coloring of a chestnut horse and the shape of a deer. We were able to snap a picture of them.
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