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Published: April 1st 2010
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Day Thirteen Phoenix to Flagstaff
We reluctantly left the warmth of Phoenix where we could pick up lemons and oranges on our walks, and headed north, through Sun
City, and on to Prescott and the mining town of Jerome. Then into Sedona, and finally to Flagstaff for the night.
Some of the day's highlights:
A pair of older well dressed men with maps and computer printouts, rolling a measuring wheel along the road. Looking for a mine?
Fake snake on the sidewalk in Wickenburg which startled me for about 5 seconds...more startling was a call later that night from Seattle friend Karl who was in Wickenburg, unbeknownst to us!
The town of Prescott, which was much more interesting than we expected....lots of beautiful Victorian homes, and the "Smoki Museum", which holds Native American artifacts and some history of the Smoki dancers. Contrary to appears, the Smoki were a white men's fraternal group who took impersonating Hopis very seriously. They had special makeup created by Max Factor, shaved theit chests, and wore handmade wigs. Here's a photo:
http://www.sharlot.org/img/detail_htmls/6123s103p.html
Barry Goldwater was a Smoki....and the group lasted into the 1990s....The members were hurt and shocked when local tribes
Fake snake in Wickenburg
The snake was slightly realistic, but if Bill had seen Karl sitting here instead, he would have really been startled! asked them to disband.
The museum was closed when we got there, but I went around to the back and found an open door. There were two men cleaning the museum, and I asked if we could we take a quick tour since we were unable to come back the next day. One of the men was one of the two paid staff members, and not only let us in, but gave us a twenty minute talk on the Smoki! He likened the fake Hopi dancing to the Hopi recreating a Catholic church and acting out a mass for tourists....
The town of Jerome, which clings to a slope and was once a mining town called the wickedest in the west, and is now arts and craftsy.
Finding the top rated restaraunt in Flagstaff was Indian cusine and across from our hotel, next to a Walmart!
Day Fourteen Sedona area
We hiked the Chicken Point trail today and ate lunch near the summit. Afterwards we toured the ancient ruins at Montezuma Castle and Well, where Luke and I visited when he was young.
Day Fifteen Flagstaff to Page (Lake Powell)
We decided to visit
Smoki Museum
Built in the 30's to resemble a pueblo the Grand Canyon after all, even though both of us had been before. It was supposed to be a rainy day, but we only had a few drops...and the sun was out much of the time. After leaving the Grand Canyon, we headed for Tuba City on the Navajo Reservation, and ended up in a dust storm...there have been high winds here for a few days, as a cold front bringing rain and some snow approaches. The day started out cool, and we were in snow for part of the trip (we were at 8000 feet at times on the way to the Canyon), but it was in the 70's by the time we left the Canyon.
We visited Monument Valley, about 100 miles east of the Grand Canyon, and then decided we had enough daylight to head back west and north to Page, positioning ourselves for the Utah portion of our trip. We found a great place to spend the night, the Page Boy Motel. It is only $35/night and is very cool! We may stay here tomorrow, as it is supposed to snow.
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fran
non-member comment
nice pics. as always, thanks!
Yes, by now you must be home? The rain and winds are here..... glad you got some warm weather this winter.