Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon – May, 2017
There are a lot of natural wonders in Northern Arizona, but chief of among them is the Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the natural world. The canyon is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Chinle. Since driving the south rim adds a couple more hours, that means a trip to see the Grand Canyon really requires an overnight trip from Chinle. Since Ruth had a three-day weekend over Memorial Day, I convinced her that we should spend that long weekend exploring Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. Ruth was not especially interested in seeing more rocks, no matter how spectacular; Flagstaff, on the other hand offered plenty of inducements.
Saturday morning, we had a nice breakfast and were out of the trailer long before eight. I picked a back road route that promised some interesting scenery. ‘Back road’ on the reservation really means ‘back’. Of course, I got lost. No worries – there are so few roads in that part of the world that they all pretty much go to the same place. We intersected I-40 west of the Painted Desert and rode that fine highway to Winslow, Arizona where we stopped for some nice cappuccinos. We arrived in Flagstaff just in time for lunch.
Flagstaff is a very cool city of about 70,000 people; it has a great reputation as a magnet for outdoor sports- skiing, hiking, biking, climbing – that sort of thing. Between the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon here is also a lot of tourism in Flagstaff. Add to that Northern Arizona State University and you have a customer base that supports over 300 restaurants and bars along with some neat little shops. We went right to the Historic Flagstaff, a ten-block area rich with interesting places with lots to see and do.
There is a really pleasant vibe to Flagstaff, at least there was on this day. Flagstaff is also a transportation center in a natural east/west pass. First there were trails in the area, then the railroad came, then roads, primarily Route 66, and finally the interstate. These things are all still here, most noticeably the trains. I have never been anywhere that even came close to the volume of rail traffic through downtown Flagstaff. We were told that the trains are not allowed to blow their annoying horns when they go through town. This makes a huge difference as the many trains passing through are hardly noticeable.
We wandered about town checking things out. We saw an open-air yoga class on the green lawn of the county courthouse. We had lunch at an art gallery/public house, Root, where we had a nice meal washed down with local porter and stout beers. And after some more strolling around the historic downtown area, including another stop for a refreshing libation and a haircut for Ruth, we checked into our motel. The place had a pool and a Jacuzzi that I enjoyed on a cool sunny day.
I was up early the next morning, excited about our trip to the Grand Canyon. Rather than take the more often used and therefore more crowded road that leads northwest to Grand Canyon Village we took the route that led to the eastern route up to the Desert View entrance. The 50+ mile ride up to the east entrance is both varied and scenic, featuring everything from mountains to flat fertile plains, to the same red rock high desert we have in Chinle.
The road to the entrance passes through the Navajo Reservation – not surprising considering size of the rez. As we neared the entrance of the park, there were periodic pull out spots that offered views of the distant canyon to the north, cutting through the plain. There were characteristic shabby vendor booths in all of the view points, though on a Sunday morning there were no vendors yet.
After another twenty miles or so we pulled right through the entrance station. Like Moab, the early bird avoids the crowds. Our senior pass got in for free, saving us the $30 entrance fee. A few more miles into the park and the famous Desert View tower came into view. We were astonished to find the very large parking lot almost empty. Based on the size of the lot this place gets very crowded later in the day.
The tower was a ¼ mile from the parking lot. After her experience hiking up to Delicate Arch, Ruth was wary. But it was an easy stroll to the rim, especially since the day was perfect: cool and clear.
The Grand Canyon is overwhelming. It is difficult to put it into context. Even professional photographers admit that photographs do not do justice to the enourmous space. As you would expect, the views were spectacular. Ruth was not all that impressed with the ‘big hole in the ground.’ I, on the other hand, enthusiastically bounced from point to point trying to contain my awe. While I scurried about taking in the views Ruth scored some nice stuff at the gift shop in the tower. To repeat, photographs do not catch details like the sun glinting off the distant Colorado River. Nor do they let you feel the vast expanses and palpable sense of sheer scale.
After oogling the canyon for a while and reading the many informative placards we continued on our drive along the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is very well operated. The rangers balance the need to keep the park wild and yet accommodate about 6 million visitors a year. We heard many foreign tongues during our visit; it is indeed a international destination. There were plenty of activities promoted, ranging from primitive backpacking to motorized tours. We did what is probably the most common thing to do in the park: a leisurely drive along the South Rim on Route 64, known as Desert View Drive, stopping at some of the observation points. We saw all sorts and manner of vehicles from bicyclists to huge RV’s and plenty of buses of both the touring and shuttle variety. We even saw a couple who had somehow gotten out to a ledge, sitting casually over a drop of a few hundred feet.
As the day progressed, it got warmer and there were more and more people. Parking became more and more congested as we approached the main entrance until at the main Visitor’s Center there were no places to park at all. We simply drove a mile or so from the rim to the Park shopping center where there was still parking, and bought some cheese and crackers. We had a very pleasant lunch under an umbrella in the sunshine.
Before we departed we were able to park at the main visitor’s center. The new visitor’s center is an impressive set of structures; very different from the relatively humble structures I remembered on my visit there in 1961. There is a lot to do at the visitor’s center. I would have liked to have hiked along the rim trail or perhaps rented a bike to cruise along the adjoining bike trail, but Ruth had reached her full quota of rocks for the day. It was time to complete our loop and take the beautiful drive back down past all the traffic coming up from Flagstaff.
After a brief rest at the motel, we decided to explore some of the sights of Flagstaff. We wandered around the historic section, looking at murals and the outdoor art and simply enjoying the day.
We found a small flea market being held in a lush little city park. The atmosphere was small town Sunday; very relaxing. Even better, Ruth found some really neat little things to pick up. From there we visited the Lowell Observatory where Pluto was discovered – the planet, not Mickey’s dog. Unfortunately, just as we joined the tour in progress a young girl fainted. That put an end to the tour as an ambulance was summoned to whisk the poor girl away to be subject to a whole spectrum of expensive tests. I suppose the tests are necessary to ensure our medical professionals are generating sufficient cash flow.
We took the opportunity to wander around beautiful grounds of the Observatory and take in some of the displays of the cosmos. There were also statues of some of the men and women who had figured in the work there. Apparently, once you started working at Lowell Observatory you stayed a long time and passed away at a ripe old age. Judging from the idyllic setting of the Observatory it was easy to understand why.
We dined in one of the four (!) Thai restaurants in Flagstaff. It had been a busy day and we were tuckered out, so we headed back to the motel.
On Memorial Day, we found a classic local diner for breakfast and had yet another excellent meal. Then we cruised around the town, checking out the University of Northern Arizona. By good chance we happened upon signs directing us to the Arboretum. It was well worth the three mile drive over a dirt road. Ruth was delighted to have a change in scenery from rocks to pine-covered foothills.
The Arboretum is beautifully tranquil. It is also very educational…. if you like plants. There was a wide variety of native species, all carefully labeled. Interspersed on the grounds were thirty mostly metal works of sculpture. We made sure to check out the butterfly exhibit. Our timing was good as we got to see several butterflies just coming out of their chrysalis’ and opening their wings for the first time.
It was time to go home. We stopped on the way out to pick up some absolutely delicious specialty hot dogs at the Dog Haus and munched on them as we made our way over two-lane blacktop back roads through the empty quarter of northeast Arizona. It had been a wonderful trip.
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