Tags
Arizona, Bonito Flow, Flagstaff, Route 66, San Francisco Peaks, Sunset Crater, Volcano, Walnut Canyon
On our way to Flagstaff via another beautiful curvy mountain climbing road we stopped at Walnut Canyon National Monument. The limestone cliffs here are lined with naturally eroded overhangs creating shallow caves and alcoves where starting about 1124 people (now known as the Sinagua) began building their homes. Mostly building in the recesses facing south and east, although there are some north and west facing, there are over 300 rooms around the canyon walls. Using limestone rocks, they shaped them roughly and cemented them together with clay found in the canyon, which they then also used to plaster both the inside and outside of the walls. The site was only occupied for about 100 years and lay basically undisturbed until the 1880’s when the railroad brought souvenir hunters to these ancient dwellings. In 1915 Walnut Canyon was declared a national monument. Everywhere you look there are the remains of these rooms. There is also an excellent, although often narrow, circular trail down around a peninsula in the canyon where one can get a nice view and actually step inside some of these ruins.
Walking around this narrow and now paved path looking across the canyon to all the many rooms we couldn’t help but chuckle at what OSHA (and modern day parents) would have to say about working and playing here. 🙂
Flagstaff is a neat town and I really liked it….a lot. Ed of course couldn’t help but point out they can get over 100 inches of snow a year! Oh well, guess we’ll not put this on our “I could live here” list! Visiting is however highly recommended. The town backs up to the San Francisco Peaks which are beautiful and is also at a high enough elevation, 7000 feet, to have wonderful Ponderosa Pine forests, which are lovely although my sinuses disagree.
Just up the road from Flagstaff is Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Sunset Crater is the youngest volcano in a string of volcanoes related to the San Francisco Peaks. Most recently erupting about 900 years ago, Sunset Crater is a cinder cone and the cinder and ash field it produced covers 810 square miles! Lava does not explode up and out from this type of volcano, but it can and did squeeze out from the base.
This lava flow called the Bonito Flow is perhaps 100 feet thick and where it burst out on one side of the crater it filled a narrow valley for 6 miles! The end result for us, is a rugged and sharp landscape that is not only incredibly impressive, it’s beautiful too.
Beautiful pics mixed with good info. As a former teacher of special Ed Earth Science, appreciated the educational science facts about the volcano eruptions, Marti. Wishing you a safe and fun trip. Please send info on the places you would like to live and why. Tony and I wanted to do this, but actually get part time jobs and stay for a while when we liked a place. Doubt we’ll ever do that now that Tony is running for Sterling Supervisor! Warm regards, Marlene Barney.
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I am so glad you enjoyed the post Marlene. As to why we like a place enough to consider living there, it’s pretty subjective but generally it has to have a small town feel with friendly folks, good food, an artsy vibe, and good hiking….oh and Ed would like at least one Irish pub 🙂 Top of the list, the coast of Maine which also has the added attraction of LOBSTER! Western North Carolina particularly Asheville is also a place we have loved forever. If we were rich we’d have homes in several locations so we could just flit from place to place.
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Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your posts! I’ve only passed through Flagstaff but now want to visit… just like I now want to visit EVERY place you’ve gone. Thankyouverymuch!
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Dear Marti and Ed,
I share your love of Flagstaff, Ashville, and Maine.
You are now in Hat Ranch Country. Bazy’s ranch was off of Devil Dog Road near William’s. I share your love of Flagstaff. The 100 inches of snow does not help the water table very much as most of it evaporates. I think there is a more complex scientific word for what happens to the snow, but I can’t remember it.
Your pictures and writing continue to be a wonderful adventure for all of us ” tag alongs”.
Thank you,
Anne
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Lovely to hear from you Anne! I think the word is sublimation… when a solid goes directly to a gas. Ed
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