A Little Bit Of Everything

We managed to pack a lot into this day... We were curious to explore Flagstaff, Arizona, just 1/2 hr north of Sedona. We made our way up Oak Creek Canyon and along the way, stopped for a hike at the West Fork Trail. A beautiful area with more amazing red rocks.

We were told this old structure was actually a fishing cabin used by Zane Grey and Walt Disney. Discovered some interesting insects along the way. Saw another tarantula hawk, but we steered clear of that one! Not sure what type of insect this was.
Huge, red cliffs.
This was a nice shaded area where we took a rest.
Then it was back on the road to Flagstaff. Our first stop was at Northern Arizona University. May sound odd to some people, but both Dan and I love college campuses. They're just... familiar to us. And college bookstores are such fun. Just look what we discovered - Henry may turn out like this in another 15 years or so! Peace, man... And this, well.... it just so happens that NAU's team colors are the same as our town's high school colors. Dan couldn't resist buying blue and yellow wigs for the kids. Won't we have fun at high school football games this Fall?Leaving the campus, we drove north of town towards the mountains. The elevation in Flagstaff is 7,000 feet. Afternoon thunderstorms are common and we were disappointed that we had to change our plans because of one of those storms. We had hoped to take the ski lift to the top of Snowbowl (aka Humphrey's Peak) which is the highest point in Arizona at 12, 600 feet, to do a little hiking. We drove up to the base of the mountain at 8,600 feet. However, we didn't risk taking the lift up - too risky with the frequent lightning strikes they experience in the area. Very pretty though - reminded us a lot of Montana. It was such a treat to see aspen trees again! Just like Colorado. Since we couldn't take the ski lift, we got creative and decided to explore the United States Geological Survey offices. I know - that sounds a little strange. But it was fun! The USGS campus houses numerous offices, but the one we spent the most time in was the one dedicated to Astrogeology - the study of the Earth and other solid bodies in the solar system. Here's a lunar rover which was in the lobby of the Astrogeology building.And the coolest thing there... The 3-D posters! Felt like we were walking on the moon.

Then back to Sedona for... what else? More time in the pool.