Mon., 5/19/08 - Snow Sighting

Ted and I left Holbrook, AZ around 10:00 Arizona time and jumped on I-40 west. At Exit 204 we headed south to Walnut Canyon National Monument. This is a place from the past. The canyon is deep with vertical cliff walls. As your eyes scan the walls they come to rest on adobe bricks tucked into impossible places. These ancient people lived here for centuries, then disappeared, leaving only these bricks and carvings on the walls. Walnut Canyon marks the existence of this ancient community.

From there we backtracked back up to I-40 and continued west. At Route 89 we headed north until signs turned us toward Sunset Crater National Park. Sunset Crater shows the evidence of the volcano that took place there. Fields of volcanic rock and hills of black ash show the devastation. We were at 7,000 feet elevation and the temperature was in the 70s. The sun was shining and we had Mt. San Francisco watching our every move. Mt. San Francisco was snow covered! What a contrast to the black volcanic rock we were witnessing.

After talking with the park ranger we decided to take the road through the park. It was a wonderful trip as we watched the landscape change as we rode to the valley floor. The temperature change also. We now were around 94 degrees. We soon found ourselves at Wupatki National Monument. At Wupatki vistor center we had the chance to see an adobe dwelling where Native Americans lived and raised sheep in the area. The family's life is well documented with many pictures and stories of the past.

We continued on through the Wupatki park and when we came back on to Route 89 we headed north. We found ourselves in a red dirt region again with the afternoon winds blowing. At Route 64 we turned west and started climbing into the Grand Canyon area. Once in to the park we stopped along with the tour buses and the cars at lookouts to view the canyon. Even with the cars and people, the Grand Canyon is an awesome place. It takes your breath away. Ted and I looked down into the canyon floor and saw the silver thread of the Colorado River snaking it's way south, and at the same time heard the buzz of the helicopter overhead. After leaving the crowds behind we contined down 64 to Williams, Arizona where we planned to stay the night.

We needed to go to a grocery store to replenish our water supply. Ted and I had gone through 24 bottles in about a day and a half. Arizona is a dry place. My nose had begun to bleed. My sinuses were drying out. Once I smiled at something and tasted the blood where my lip split open because of the dry. We were trying to stay hydrated and well greased. At the grocery store we found the items we were looking for and then rode through Williams. Crowds spilled onto sidewalks, music played from restaurant patios, horse drawn carts pulled people around through town, and shops were lit and welcoming. It was a place you wanted to stop and mingle, but Ted and I were hungry and tired. We stopped at a Pizza Hut and then headed onto our hotel for the night, but with the memory of a great day.

U-turns - 3 (on gravel and incline!)
Miles - 302
Highest elevation - 7,500 ft. at the Grand Canyon
Highest tempeature - 94 degrees
Pronghorn antelope - 4
Cattle grates - 5 (OMG!)